Embrace Your Body

Today I decided it was time to  discuss something important to me…one for the ladies perhaps. 🙂

So, the title…”Embrace your body” 3 words that sound so simple but are such a challenge for many.  Why is this?

So much in this world is a trend, including body types…don’t believe me?  Marilyn Monroe to Kate Moss to Jennifer Lopez to Jennifer Aniston….believe me now?  All women who were/are/been the ‘IT’ girl based upon their bodies.  If you know who all 4 women are you can easily tell the differences in each.

Trends are fads…A temporary fashion, notion, matter of conduct, etc. especially one followed enthusiastically by a group.

With social media playing such a huge role in our lives now I feel it brings more pressure among the women ages 15-40.

Why?

Social media is overly saturated by women in this age group posting images of themselves, boobs, booty, abs, etc that sometimes have been Photo shopped professionally or by them using phone apps (8 years working in the design world gives you a keen eye for picking out the Photoshop work. haha–it’s almost a curse! lol) If this is what they choose to do,  it’s their choice but know that just because you don’t have the biggest butt, the largest boobs or most ripped abs, its ok!!!

You are you and that person is who they are.  You are built uniquely. You are your own clay to shape.

 Every single person that walks this Earth is made a little different.  Their bodies will shape and mold differently person to person even on the same diet and fitness routine.  This is life….the beauty of life.  We are all an original, no copies exist.  

This is why learning to embrace who you are is so very important.  It saddens me when girls ‘want to look like her’…because they immediately discount themselves and is havoc on their self-esteem and confidence.  Yes, admiring their hard work and drive to look a certain way is awesome and do they look good, sure! But do no fixate on this.  And trust me, the girl in the magazine doesn’t even look like the girl in the magazine. 😉  And that girl in the magazine wants to look like a different girl she saw in a magazine and so on.

I remember when I was in high school it was the ‘big boob and be skinny’ fad…everyone wanted to be toothpick thin and have big ol’ boobies.  In college, it was the ‘ab fad’ every girl I knew was doing eight million crunches a night to achieve that ripped look.  And now, at 33 years old it’s the ‘booty craze’…girls are killing themselves with squats, lunges, kickbacks…you name it.  

With Instagram having more than 75 million users each day it’s hard to miss all those posts in your feed or explore page and if you allow it, it can add pressure to your personal progress/goals and your body listens to you mind so if your mind is negative your body will react as that.

 If your mind is positive, your body responds to that.

I get tickled because I played 1-3 sports every year since I was 5.  I played volleyball from 7th grade through college.  With volleyball I developed a larger booty..which at the time was NOT cool.  That was the ‘ab phase’ of body trends. So after volleyball I worked my ass off…literally!  I wanted it smaller.  I did it the healthy way, I dieted, did cardio, trained and I finally get it down to an acceptable size then guess what trend starts to pop up..the booty trend!  Are you kidding me!  haha.

Why is it so hard for women to love and embrace who they are? Is it pressures from Hollywood? Women they see in magazines? Women that are 15 pounds thinner at the grocery store? Prettier hair? Better skin? Bigger booty? Larger boobs? A flat stomach? Nicer clothes?

It seems women are never happy while working towards their goals. They just constantly compare themselves to others. Through all the ups and downs life may take us with our family, relationships, career, weight, health and finances. Where is the point when we stop to say, “Wow. I am so thankful I am me and living this life!” Always remember that what you’re complaining about someone else is praying for.

Love who you are, love how you look, stand strong by your character, morals and beliefs, be a person of dignity and integrity, be confident and know your worth.  Those are the qualities that make you beautiful and no amount of exercise or diet can make those things happen.  It’s already within you.

My mom was gifted at instilling in my sisters and myself to be healthy & confident, be ourselves and we had no one to answer to for our looks.  As long as we were happy is all that mattered.  I praise that woman to this day for that.  I specifically remember when I was a freshman in high school and I said to my mom I wished I was thinner.

So since that VERY moment my mom said that it changed everything in me, I’ve never had a girl I wanted to look like or envied. I wanted to be me but the best version of me. To be the best version of yourself you need to embrace all that you are, stop comparing yourself to what you see on TV, in magazines and online.

When I wanted to change my body instead of beating myself up about it and not liking my looks,  I embraced who I was, what I was doing and what I wanted to be.  That always came back to being healthy. That was the bottom line.  If I ended up with ripped abs and a big booty again because of it…great!  If not, I knew and still know I am working on “Project Me’ each and everyday.  Working out, eating healthy, indulging in ‘bad’ foods (and drinks. lol) in moderation,  Every step is a step in the right direction.  Balance & consistency is the key to making constant progress both physically and mentally.

Promote positivity within yourself then spread that positivity to other women.   I want women to love themselves, be confident and stop beating themselves up over their bodies.   I want women to be happy.  Really, really happy.

Please do this next time you step in front of the mirror- instead of picking yourself apart wishing certain parts of you were smaller, larger, more firm or toned.  Take a look at yourself with embracing eyes.  Find your 5 favorite parts about your body and 5 best characteristics of you.  Celebrate those and smile.  See yourself everyday with eyes that embrace. Eliminate the self hate and bullying of your body. Positive changes come with a positive mindset.  Loving yourself is the only way to progress.

So–here is your homework. 🙂

-Be yourself.

-Live healthy.

-Eat well.

-Promote positivity.

-Embrace all that you are.

-Love always in all ways.

-Treat others as you’d have them treat you.

And remember that you are beautiful!!

-Emily