In the past six months I have:
- Gone back to Disney … twice! Once for Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend.
- Went to Washington D.C … twice! Once to run the Nike Women’s D.C Half.
- Went to San Francisco, Ca! (My first time on the West Coast)
- Went to Outerbanks, NC with family!
With all of this going on, I should have had so much to talk about. I went from LOVING running and working out to one day waking up … and dreading it.
I felt the focus went from being healthy to being skinny and weight is something that I do not do well with. Secret about me:
I never weigh myself. I never find a need to. The scale gives me anxiety and I don’t need it to tell me if I am gaining weight. My pants do that perfectly well for me. If they’re tight it means I packed a few pounds on. If they’re loose … well ... it’s usually because I’ve worn them a few times without washing them.
Not just within my personal life did the focus change, but I feel in general this was the year of “love your body.” And I agree with that … to an extent. I DO believe everyone should love their body and being comfortable is the most important thing in the world!
With that said, in the process of this “love your body” movement, I feel we have been aiming at a certain demographic. Only love your body if you aren’t too skinny! I’ve even seen things online like: “0 is not a size” (Really Sophia Bush??) or my favorite one “real mean like meat, only dogs like bones” (if you have EVER posted that SHAME ON YOU.)
Real men like confident women and confident women come in all shapes and sizes.
Before anyone attacks me – I am NOT a size 0 and I am not a size 10. I prefer not to discuss my size, but I am sure people make assumptions regardless of what I say.
Now, back to this whole love your body movement. I agree you should love your body, but love your body enough to get healthy!
Ah, yes. I said it. The motto should be: "Love your body enough to get HEALTHY!"
Although a 12 is the average size for a women, is that the healthy size for the average women? I am no doctor, nor do I want to be, but it does not take a doctor to tell you what healthy is. (and if you are the average women, a size 12, and healthy - more power to you). Let's stop being average and start getting healthy!
Healthy looks different for everyone. Some women may be 5’6” a size 12, and have perfect vitals, while others may be 5’6” a size 0 and have perfect vitals too.
So before we go continue this love your body movement, please make sure you are loving your body, but not bashing other bodies in the process.
Because although Gisele Bunchden, Kim Kardashian, etc. may be photoshopped in magazines … their reality is filled with yoga (just look at Gisele’s IG) or personal trainers (Kim makes it very well known she works out). So idolizing them shouldn’t be a bad thing.
As for me, it’s time I start having fun with this stuff again. I will never look like Gisele Bunchden or Kim Kardashian, and that’s okay, I only want to look like the best version of myself.
Because I love my body.