Life… life isn’t always easy or fair. Life can be hard, painful and sometimes unbearable, but it can also be precious, fulfilling and absolutely wonderful.
We all have things that happen to us throughout our lives that shape who we are. Good things, bad things, easy things and hard things that build, brick after brick, the core characteristics that we will hold onto throughout the remainder of our lives. One of the things that a lot of people deal with is others shaming them. The one that I want to focus on today is the body shaming that happens. This is something that needs to stop. Some people don’t even realize the monumental affect that they are having on the person they are speaking to when they are making their comments.
Some of the things I know that affected me when I was younger were comments that I needed to stop running around at the beach with my friends because it was disgusting. I was maybe 15 years old. The constant commentary that I had gained weight every time I would visit was something else that was highly impacting. At a young age I decided to stop eating junk and be more careful how much food I was ingesting and I was then shamed for wasting food. When, as a young woman, I decided to work out and push myself to be a healthier more active me, I was told I was too skinny and that someone much larger than me was more of an average weight. So it didn’t matter which way I went I was told it wasn’t good enough. It was constantly drilled into me that I wouldn’t ever just be perfect the way I was.
What’s wrong with this picture? Should we really be teaching our young men and women to hate themselves no matter what they look like?
One of the things that I hate hearing is, “I’m glad they are finally using REAL women for the runway, or magazine”. This is a statement that just aggravates the heck out of me. What do you consider a real woman? I personally consider all women to be REAL. It doesn’t matter what size or shape, weight or height someone is, they are REAL. Stop making someone feel as though they are not good enough because they don't match the image of beauty you have created in your head.
Because of the things that have been said to me throughout my life I have struggled very hard to love the way I look. I still struggle very hard to love the way I look. I have wanted to lose weight for a while and a few years back I did. I lost thirty pounds all of my own without help from anyone. In fact, my partner at the time wasn't even encouraging. He was continually telling me that I wasn't going to maintain my lifestyle change, that I wasn't going to be able to do it, I wouldn't be successful. What was it that gave me the drive to do it? Not my size, not my weight, not the words of others. It was my kids. I was running around playing with my boys one day and after making it around the dining room table twice with them, I was winded. It was that moment that I knew I needed to make a change. I wanted to be able to play with my boys for hours. I wanted to be able to run with them at the park until they got tired out, not me. It was that pivotal moment that I decided to make a change.
After being successful in losing thirty pounds, something happened that brought my momentum to a crashing halt. I had a car accident. Due to the injuries I sustained in my car accident I had to be patient in getting back into working out. I had to give myself time to heal and as I did that I lost the drive that I had been holding onto throughout the process. And now I find myself at a crossroads once again. I don't like how I look, I don't like how I feel and I want to make a change in my life. Any change no matter how big or how small it is, is hard. So I need to make myself accountable. Hence why I am writing this blog. I am now accountable to you, my readers. This is something that I have found to help me through my life changes. Knowing that I am letting someone know about my progress, knowing that someone is going to be keeping tabs and paying attention and not wanting to provide a disappointing answer. I have already started talking to my boys about working out more and they make a habit of asking me every day if we can all workout together. So now I will be sharing my progress, my successes, failures, triumphs and challenges with you as my final form of accountability. I am hoping that my story and my journey through this life change will help even one person to feel better about themselves or maybe to make a life change of their own.
Sharing a journey so intimate is not an easy task. It is something that even as I sit here and write now, I am struggling with. So today is my day one, the beginning of this new journey. I may get to the point where I share with you my weight and measurements, but I am not there yet. So for now I will share my plan. I am going to workout five to six days a week, either on my treadmill or by using one of my many workout videos. I am going to change the way I am eating. I am going to make healthier choices and when I want to have that treat, I am going to eat in moderation.
Anyone can feel free to join me on this journey. We can share our experiences, be a cheerleader for each other, and pass on recipes, workouts and simple but impactful words of encouragement. The time for change is now, today my journey begins.
No comments:
Post a Comment