What haven’t you already read about nutrition, weight gain, weight loss and the ensuing side effects of all of these changes?
The hard truth is, every one of us has something to say about his or her body. What we’re all particularly excellent at doing is pointing out whatever we feel is “wrong.” There is nothing more verbally abused than the human body. And what a damn shame that is.
Since I was a child, I’ve struggled with my body image. At the very least, I wish I had the satisfaction of knowing that this is a rarity in our western culture; That I am somehow the exception. I also wish that bodies stories were simpler. That I could say I grew up, and grew wiser and that with that wisdom came some peace about my image. Well, I grew up and wiser but that peace never came.
Take this with no grain of salt: a healthy body is the kind of body everyone should aspire to have. Instead of asking you to be kinder to your body, I am going to ask you to be kinder to your head.
I have believed for so long that if I lost weight, if I had more muscular arms and legs and a firmer abdomen, I would somehow crawl out of my negative-body-image-space and into the light. That I would feel good about myself, feel worthy.
How disappointed I was, then, that during a period of my life where I lost 50 pounds, I felt better in the clothes I was wearing but the authentic peace for which I searched didn’t come. I lived in agony and insecurity over potentially gaining the weight back. I lived in such a controlled state that I had turned my brain into the Mr. Hyde of confidence.
The story goes on. There’s always more to a weight loss story and a weight gain story and whatever other story there is. But the point is, if you’re someone who needs a serious turn around in your body image, you already know exactly what you have to do. You know about getting yourself on the move slowly. You know that you should be eating less processed foods, more whole grains, less saturated fat and less sugar. This isn’t news to you. But my advice is to
- Think of it as a journey that continues through the good, the bad and the ugly. There is no Mondays/New Years/Next Months. There is only MINUTES. If you screw up in your journey one hour, think of the next one more positively.
- Realize that your health is the most important thing in your life. That without your health you won’t be able to fit into any clothes, let alone your own life.
- Get disciplined physically and MOST IMPORTANTLY
- Whenever you feel yourself sinking into the negative sink-hole-hell of negativity, bring your head out of it as soon as possible. Breathe, meditate, or force yourself to think of a positive thought. NEVER stray into self hate. It is a disgusting cycle that won’t allow you to step into the light.
yourblitz 