Body image, healthy, skinny..our society is so confusing, right? Models and celebrities are show as having the “perfect body” which is usually very slender and fit. But, then we see amazing videos like this:
What are we, as women, to think? We need to be skinny. Just be who we are. We need to work out. We need to eat healthy. We need to cut sugar, carbs, and fat out of our diet. We need to not care what we look like. So, what is the real story? Where is the truth in all this? What are we really supposed to be and believe?
My opinion is just to be the best we can be, whatever that is!! We need to find balance and acceptance. We need to find peace within. As a step-parent, I often tell the boys, “do your best…if you’re doing your best, no matter the outcome, that’s all we ask!” We, as women and adults, need to remember this. We need to make the best decisions and choices we can. I also believe that this will be different for each person, depending on many variables.
As a recovering anorexic, you don’t know how many times I’ve heard, “you don’t understand because you’re skinny!”. This phrase is just wrong, on so many levels! Why do we make these kinds of statements to each other! Being skinny is not being healthy! Trust me, there have been plenty of times in my life that I’ve been skinny, but not healthy! And some of the healthiest people I know weigh more than 138 pounds (my actual weight)! (By the way…did you know that according to the BMI chart, that weight at my height (5’2″) says that I’m overweight??? I would need to lose 5lbs to be considered “normal”. This coming from the National Institute of Health!)
Healthy is actually how my mom gauges me and gives me feedback and has for years. Instead of saying things like, “you’re looking skinnier than normal” or “you’ve put on a little weight”, she says things like, “are you eating healthy right now?” or “you look very healthy right now!”. Being healthy is so much more important than being skinny!
So, what’s healthy? Making good food choices, choosing to be active, and getting rest and relaxation for yourself. I fully understand, as a woman, it’s hard to find those balances! It’s easy to give all our time and energy to the kids, doing that load of laundry or dusting the house instead of sitting down for 30 minutes. Healthy is also about balance. Letting yourself splurge on a cupcake every once in awhile is ok, taking a day off from working out because you’re exhausted is ok! But, also pushing yourself that extra 5 minutes of a workout another day! Balance, balance, balance!
I’m sure I could go on and on for paragraphs..more than I already have, but in the end…we all need to support each other, encourage each other, and build each other up. As individuals, we need to make the best decisions we can and do the best to find balance! Cheers to being healthy!
