I would like to start with some words of wisdom; words that I hope resonate with you. Words that you can repeat to yourself when you look in the mirror.
There are many catchy slogans going around that I FULLY endorse! For example, "Strong is the New Skinny," "Strong is the new Beautiful," "Strong is the new Sexy." A few of the more admired women in the fitness/wellness industry have also written about this positive trend. I adore these words. I think it's empowering for women to read and hear the combination of sexy/beautiful/skinny in coorelation with the word "strong."
Ok, we have ALL been told not to compare our bodies to the women we see on TV/magazines...yes, I think we all get this. I actually don't believe that the majority of women compare themselves to Victoria Secret models. I think women have an image in their head of what they imagine THEIR ideal body to look like. For example, I have a big ass. It's a strong big ass, but it's a big ass nonetheless. Would I like it to be smaller, yeah, maybe a little, but I have also come to accept a few things that go a long with having this ass. It's hereditary (thanks mom). It's hard and big and filled with muscle. It can back squat a ton of weight and haul my body through a Half Ironman. I can't change the bone structure of my body. The width of my pelvis will never, ever change no matter how much I diet/exercise. Besides, I would never want my bones to loose their width and strength...hello osteoporosis! Everyone is shaped differently. I naturally, (again, thanks mom) have a smaller waist. My jeans fit tight in the legs and loose in the waist...until I bought a pair of ghetto fabulous Cookie Johnson Jeans...holla! :)I digress. Ok, so what I'm saying is, we all have faults, and parts of our body that we simply cannot change. Factors such as fat content, CAN be changed. I could have a fat jiggly ass that is the same size as my muscular ass...tough choice here! However, you MUST come to accept the body God gave you, and create the healthiest, strongest version of this body.
I challenge you to change the way you view your "imperfections." Embrace the body you have, and manipulate your body into being a machine that works for YOU. If your goal is to loose inches and fat, AWESOME (notice I rarely say pounds...I will save that for another blog post). Get to the gym, and build up some muscle. Believe that "Strong is Sexy, Beautiful and the New Skinny." You are the only one that has control over the future of your health and your reflection in the mirror. Be strong, and be proud.
Well said, Brianna. You are welcome for all that hereditary stuff! I had many of those body feelings when I was young, wishing I was something different but now, LOL - this old body has gotten me to 52, and I would like to be thought of as strong, even if I will never have your beautiful back and shoulders...I'm always working on it, and swimming and weights are helping me, but again I have to work with what I have. God made us all different, and I think making the most of and being accepting of what He has given us is what you are conveying here. I agree, I would rather have strong than "jiggly" as you put it, LOL - working on that one here. The slogan "strong is beautiful" I personally like better than "real women have curves" as who doesn't want to have strong curves not flabby ones! LOL Once again, I think you put it out there straight forward and many of us women, young or old, will relate to this! Love ya!
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