You know what makes me frustrated? When girls complain that they're fat, but when I try to tell them they're not {cause they're thin!}, they pout "
You can't say that. You weigh less than me!" When I try to point out that "Hun, of course I weigh a little less considering I am FIVE FEET TALL," they choose to ignore me.
We live in a world of constant perfecting. Now, in many ways I believe this is a good thing, since it should be our goal in life to constantly be learning and making ourselves better. But some people take this the wrong way.
When I was probably twelve, my mom and all of her friends decided to live a "healthier lifestyle." They all teamed up to run and bike everyday as well as eat whole grains, fruits and veggies, and eliminate sugar. It was wonderful for them. My mom would be so happy as she talked about how she was losing weight. Seeing how much these ladies liked it, I decided I should join in the eating-healthy club, and even started running occasionally.
But for the next two years, it transformed into something horrible for a young adolescent girl like me. Instead of seeing the benefits of eating wheat bread and drinking smoothies, I was only seeing how "terrible" it was whenever I ate something I thought to be too many calories. I didn't even know what the phrase "high calorie" even meant. Even if I had completely nutritious food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, if my dad insisted that I eat a little ice cream, I would freak. I remember one time playing softball and, even though all the other girls were totally enjoyed all the candy displayed on the park table, I was feeling completely guilty for eating a single skittle. One of the girls even asked me if I was on a diet, but I said no since I knew that girls my age weren't really supposed to be on diets.
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| When my aunt saw this picture, she jokingly asked if we ever even ate. |
I had always been tiny. People always told me this too! But whenever I stood in front of the mirror waiting for the shower to heat up, the reflection failed me. It was like my eyes were seeing one of those image-widening mirrors in the carnival. I was stick thin, yet my paranoid vision stretched the sight into a totally fat-looking version of myself. It was horrible.
Fortunately, back when I was in gymnastics and before this ever started my mom had made me promise never to do something like make myself throw up or starve myself. I am so grateful that I was an obedient child. But it still was scary living this life where the very substance that keeps all beings alive-- food-- was now becoming an enemy that made my stomach church with guilt every time I took a bite.
I don't really know when or how I came out of it. Man, was it a relief though. And it just hurts my heart to see girls who go through image struggles that get SO much worse than this.
Come on girls. This is not the solution to making yourself prettier or whatever it is you want.
Now that I'm older, I've come to the happy medium of treating my body well without taking away ALL the good old pleasures. See, it's not hard at all to exchange the white for wheat, processed sugar for honey, {natural} juice for soda. To take one instead of two. The earth has given us SO much, so why not binge on all those yummy veggies and fruit? Find some good hummus and eat away. Or get a juicer to make a delicious drink of blended apples, oranges, carrots and whatever else suits you-- chalk full of nutrition! Being fit is not about stripping away the calories, but packing in the vitamins and minerals and fiber and protein.
I know we all love the occasional ice cream or brownie, and I definitely am not saying to get rid of them. If you're hanging out with friends and it looks so delicious that your mouth is watering, have some fun, be human, and take a small! It's better to let yourself be happy and have a little when you're really craving it than to force yourself not to for so long that your mind just builds up an image so huge that you eventually crumple and end up eating some extra-large, triple-chocolate sundae. But remember than dessert doesn't have to mean unhealthy! Over the summer, my sister and I would stay up late watching scary movies with smoothies and air-popped popcorn. {We loved blending frozen bananas with milk and a bit of flaxseed to make a thick, creamy smoothie that tasted like ice cream!}
Workout-wise, I think it's just about being motivated. So many people say "I'll start next week," but honestly hun? JUST GET TO IT. I posted earlier about my workout, but even if you don't want to do even that much... Well, if you're homework is starting to get a little boring, I have an idea. Take a short break by finding your favorite four-minute song with a good beat and for the whole duration of it, do sit-ups, crunches, obliques, and V-ups {I like to change whatever I'm doing every time the song makes a new transition}. In four minutes, you end up doing between 100-150 reps. I've started doing this every day, and guess what. Though it's only been about two weeks, it's DEFINITELY making a difference. My parent's have forbidden me from running due to some crimes in my neighborhood, but for those of you who can be really safe about it, I've also found that a quick jog is also a good way to keep in shape, but to clear up my mind when I'm feeling stressed.
Honestly, beauty is
not defined solely by the outside. Phyiscally, I know that I'm not the prettiest girl alive. But having the perfect facial structure, perfect height, perfect metabolism is not something gained, but something as random as the lottery. That's why it's sad that so many girls strive so hard to be like the models in the magazine. I'll confess that I probably spend way too much time lavishing myself with makeup, trying to make my eyes bigger or shorten my oblong face. I use chemicals to make my dirty blond hair lighter. I like shopping for the stylish clothing. But in the end, the only reason we should ever bother with these things like staying fit is to ENHANCE ourselves. To think of the future, when you can look back and thank yourself because you're not dealing with some of the health issues of those around you because you actually tried.
THIS IS YOUR LIFE. You only get one body, one chance to make the best out of what you've got. But find the balance. Don't make the worst out of your happiness by trying to make the "best" of your body's beauty.
