It's been a struggle for me mentally this last week or so. Those that know me well know I am all about being body positive and living life in a healthy and sustainable way - forming habits slowly over time and being kind to ourselves.
Well, no. I have not been kind to myself. Not lately anyway.
When I see or hear people talking about their latest diet, their aims to lose weight, flatten their tummy, slim their thighs, get rid of cellulite or stretch marks, after a while sometimes I question whether I need to do that too.
The answer, of course, is no, I don't. My body isn't perfect, but it
doesn't need fixing. I'm an almost 37 year old mother of two with so
many stories shown in the marks and scars on my body. I'm no longer an
underweight Uni student or that overweight new Mum who yoyo-ed back and
forth.
I'm the strongest I have ever been. I am the healthiest I have ever been (and I have the test results to prove it), but still I struggle. In a world where image is everything, it's easy to feel like you don't fit, that you're not quite up to scratch, that you're not enough.
Do I workout enough or too much? Do I spend enough time with my family, or too much? Am I selfless or selfish? And which one is better?
We are our own worst enemies. But society at large and the social media imagery that leaks into every corner of our lives doesn't help.
I am now in the healthy weight range for my height. But I have a little rounded tummy covered in tiger stripes that jiggles a little. Why? Because that's what my body at 37yo looks like after everything it's been through. And that's okay. It's normal for my body.
It doesn't need fixing. It isn't broken.
Do I think it's beautiful? Not yet. That's something I'm working on. It's a work in progress. Slow and steady, little by little, I'll chip away until I get there. I have 37 years of 'stuff' to wade through first.
I'm the strongest I have ever been. I am the healthiest I have ever been (and I have the test results to prove it), but still I struggle. In a world where image is everything, it's easy to feel like you don't fit, that you're not quite up to scratch, that you're not enough.
Do I workout enough or too much? Do I spend enough time with my family, or too much? Am I selfless or selfish? And which one is better?
We are our own worst enemies. But society at large and the social media imagery that leaks into every corner of our lives doesn't help.
I am now in the healthy weight range for my height. But I have a little rounded tummy covered in tiger stripes that jiggles a little. Why? Because that's what my body at 37yo looks like after everything it's been through. And that's okay. It's normal for my body.
It doesn't need fixing. It isn't broken.
Do I think it's beautiful? Not yet. That's something I'm working on. It's a work in progress. Slow and steady, little by little, I'll chip away until I get there. I have 37 years of 'stuff' to wade through first.
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