My Email Inbox Gets "Healthy"

I recently subscribed to the Women’s Health email newsletter. I’m not sure yet if it was a good idea or not.

To begin with, some of their emails are a little bit risqué. I can pick up a Cosmo if I am looking for that type of reading material. Other emails, such as “5 Fabulous Booties for Fall” and “The One Person You NEED to Unfriend on Facebook” aren’t really the types of tips I was looking for when I signed up for this. And other emails like “9 stylish gym outfits to help you look great when you get your sweat on” recomend pieces of clothing I would never wear while working out, such as a metallic gold vest from Uniqlo.

I was hoping to get fitness and nutrition tips out of these emails. I thought maybe I’d find a few new workouts or exercises or info about different foods and recipes to try. And there are definitely a few emails on those topics. I’ve learned about antioxidant boosting foods as well as the 7 no-gear moves for a head-to-toe body-weight routine you can do anytime, anywhere (those will be good for when I’m traveling next week).

So there’s a mix of stuff that interests me and stuff that doesn’t. And it’s really easy to delete the stuff that doesn’t. But this is the real reason I am thinking of unsubscribing from the Women’s Health newsletter: whether the email is about fashion or weight lifting, it usually features a tanned and uber fit lady who I will never look anything like no matter how many crunches I do. Because I’m not a model for a health and fitness magazine, and I also love pizza and beer!

These are dangerous waters. Of course I know that these women do not represent me. I know they’re all makeuped and airbrushed up and probably look more like the rest of us when they’re at home watching Netflix. But it’s still not very motivating to open email after email of super skinny six-pack models wearing barely there workout clothes. That’s not really what I am working towards. So maybe I shouldn’t put those photos in front of myself every single day.

We’ll see how it goes. I think I’ll keep my newsletter subscription to Women’s Health for a few more weeks, and if I get more use out of it, maybe I can just mentally block out the images. And if I decide it’s not for me, the unsubscribe button is just a few clicks away.

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Betsy Mikel | betsymikel.com