YOUR BODY: A Man’s World

Male bodies in the mainstream media are…confusing. Our bodies are less sexualized and less criticized than female bodies, and yet still sexualized and criticized a lot. And at the same time there are less messages out there encouraging us to love our bodies — to appreciate them for what they are, and not to buy into false perceptions of how we should and shouldn’t look. Does it go against your masculine instincts to appreciate and love your body? Do you have a tendency to push and punish and force? That’s fine, to a degree. But if you can bring it into balance and appreciate as much as you push; love as much as you challenge and train; and accept that your body will change with the seasons, with external stressors and influences; then those hours of pushing will be for personal improvement and not personal punishment.