Crossfit: Before & After? Good Camera Angles? Or Are Some People Just Fit AF?

I don't read Buzzfeed very often, but when I do, it's almost always about someone on Instagram, that did something, that made people go "WHOOOOA." 

Most recently, an article titled, This Crossfit Athlete Got Real About Transformation Pictures On Social Media.

First stop: What is Crossfit? It is some crazy-ass (and by "crazy-ass, I mean "something that's probably good for you that I would probably never do because it requires a lot of time and very serious commitment and also might make me pee in my pants") fitness thing that is the current rage. It involves lots of jumping (jumping = pee in pants), the lifting of very heavy things, and the throwing of weighted balls, against a wall, over your head (heavy ball over head = concussion).

So, Jennifer Smith is a Crossfit athelete. 

Exhibit A:

 

Who else got alllll jazzed up watching the clean ladder!? Coliseum energy is ahhhh-mazing! #crossfitgames

A post shared by Jennifer Smith (@jensmith008) on Aug 5, 2017 at 3:27pm PDT

Holyyyy Shit. 

Recently, Jennifer wanted to show folks that photos can lie. 

Exhibit B:

 

Ahhh the power of lighting, body posture, and a good smile! #transformationtuesday #15minuteslater: @sevanmatossian //@ascudds

A post shared by Jennifer Smith (@jensmith008) on Aug 15, 2017 at 12:55pm

It appears that Jennifer has a food baby. I, too, have a food baby, Jennifer.

Both very fat, and very fit, people can have a food baby. Jennifer's looks a bit more like a 16 week food baby, mine looks a bit more like a 26 week food baby.

 

#Repost @beyond_before_and_after ・・・ This is my body. I'm not pregnant. But this is what my body looks like when I'm not trying to suck it in, bind it up, make it a shape it's not. * Nine months ago, this body was larger by about a few dress sizes and maybe 45 pounds. It feels a lot better at this size. I have more mobility, more comfort. I can chase my kids and climb my stairs. I can sit in half lotus, which is important for me. * When I started BBA, I wanted to change my life, and I have. It isn't about what I looked like then or now, it's about how I FEEL. I feel good. * This is a body that has made six babies. This is a body that has nursed and nurtured and wept and struggled. This body is mine. And I love it for showing up for me, even when I didn't treat it kindly. * Also, @bohomamasoul, I love you. * * #selflove #selfcare #beyondbeforeandafter #motivation #motivationalquotes #motivationmonday #riotsnotdiets #bodypositive #bodyimage #ditchthediet2017 #ditchthediet #realravishly #effyourbeautystandards #instagood #instadaily #love

A post shared by Joni Edelman (@joniedelman) on Mar 17, 2017 at 11:48am PDT

You might also like: I'm Not Pregnant, But I Look Like I Am

I showed my sister, Raegan,  Jennifer's photo, and she was like "OMG SHE IS A CHAMPION."

Why does my sister know this?

Because she's a Crossfit Athlete, too!

I've also seen this bitch (I mean, my sister, who I love more than anything) put away half a cheesecake. 

My sister is a 29-year-old Crossfit badass, who is a published researcher with a Master's degree in Neuro-Bio-Something-Something-Science, who is about to be a goshdang doctor, who is also almost married to a goshdang doctor. I am 14 years older than her, so I've had the joy of watching her do all of these things — including lift several hundred pounds.

She looks like this:

AND HERE SHE IS TREATING A LION. BECAUSE, WHY NOT? 

Me (and my handsome son):

Aaaand my sister:

 

It's #nationalsiblingday and this is mine. @raerae88 * I plead with the universe for a sister and finally got one when I was almost 14. Raegan got all the athletic prowess packaged up in a tiny frame. I got the love of needlecrafts. We both have a deep love for animals. We both got the brown hair and eyes. We have different fathers, but we share the same addict mother. * Raegan feels more like one of my kids most of the time. When my mom left, she was four and I was 18. I watched her live the same confusion and pain that I did through childhood. I watched her lose her first tooth and go to kindergarten. I watched her graduate high school, go off to university. I tucked her into a dorm room at the same school I went to but never finished. I watched her graduate from that school. I've seen her get a master's degree, have her research on Parkinson's disease published, and next year I'll watch her become a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. * She has done all the things with her life that she has set out to do. And I am so fucking proud of her. * Also she can do whatever this is. Which I think is squat one zillion pounds. * My sister is the most badass sister.

A post shared by Joni Edelman (@joniedelman) on Apr 10, 2017 at 10:50am PDT

So what's my point?

I'm glad you asked. 

My point is some people look like my sister (and Jennifer), fit as fuuuuck. Some people look like me, not so much fit as fuuuuck. And a lot of the time, pictures lie regardless of how fit (or not) you are.

There is no before & after, no better or worse, your body is just a vessel for what's inside.