As someone who has struggled with weight and body image issues for a great deal of her life, I remember always wanting to look a certain way. Every magazine or TV show was only too happy to provide a template, with screens and pages full of slim women with tiny waists, and thighs devoid of any cellulite.
And as I'm sure many young girls have done, I started to deprive my body of food. It started small, with cutting out snacks. Then I started skipping meals. Then exercising a little. Then exercising a lot. At one point, I even tried smoking because I had read somewhere that it made you lose weight.
All of this was before I turned 16.
Over a decade of self-abuse (yes, there's no better term for it) later, I finally started to understand the difference between losing weight, and getting fit. Up until then, thin = healthy. At least, it did in my mind.
But then something happened. I started falling very sick, very often. You'd think that would knock some sense into me, but you'd be wrong. What can I say, I was stupid! (shrug)
What really hit me hard was watching my grandmother age. My maternal grandmother was gorgeous, and had stayed slender all her life. 5 kids barely impacted her waistline, and even in her 70s, she was slim and beautiful.
But she walked with a cane. She needed help standing up after she had sat down. She walked with a strange mix of a limp and a shuffle, and stairs were always a challenge. Then came several heart problems. Then a stroke. She needed a home nurse all day. She couldn't do anything on her own, not even go to the bathroom. In the few years leading up to her demise, I watched this kind and amazing woman turn into a weak shell of the person she used to be.
And that hit. Hard.
It took that heartbreaking series of developments to make me realise that no matter what you look like, or how you may conform to society's definitions of 'attractive', what really matters is your health.
And I mean health in the most basic, biological, physiological and psychological ways. Being able to climb a flight of stairs, or sit & stand without assistance, and eat a largely normal diet with minimal medication -- those are the things that constitute health as you get older.
Your cardiologist or home nurse won't particularly care whether or not you had a teeny tiny waist in your youth. And osteoporosis won't back off simply because you were a bikini model in your 20s!
Ladies, start paying attention to your health, and ignore what the media tells you you ought to look like. They're not the ones who are going to be helping you walk when you're older.
Eat healthy. Live healthy. Work out. Get stronger. Be happy. <3
If you liked this post, do upvote and share/resteem. :) I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
I see this with my daughter - the creeping pressure from her insane media-driven school girlfriends; but she always has me as an antidote!
Anyway, was here to deliver a different message:
The 4th contest, MAP4, has now started. Please go to: Minnows Accelerator Project - Six of the Best MAP4. More instructions on promoting your blog in the post.
Good luck!
I'm so glad your daughter has you to protect her, @rycharde. Young girls are the easiest targets for this sort of skewed messaging. Thanks for all the support!
And she's slim, smart, healthy and fit - so is deeply disturbing that she has to deal with that crap from the "I'm better than you" crowd. Especially when they have nothing that is better.
I know exactly what you mean. She's lucky she has you to give her the strength and confidence she will need to deal with that crowd. And I do hope more parents teach their children to not just love their own bodies, but to not hate someone else's. Maybe then we can truly start getting healthier.
Wonderful advice as always. Even supermodels don't look like supermodels with the amount of makeup and photoshopping they go through. Learning to love yourself the way you are is one of the most important skills you can master.
Absolutely agree, @catonwheels! I remember Cindy Crawford once saying in an interview that she doesn't look like Cindy Crawford. The incredible use of Photoshop creates such unrealistic expectations from regular people to look a certain way.
💯% agreeeee. Self love and seeing every opprotunity to feel healthy and be healthy is enough for me. Living a life and being able to move our body to experience special day-to-day moments like going outside to smell fresh cut grass, sitting on a porch and enjoying a cup of coffee, seeing the night sky in the moutains should be litte moments to enjoy. Not worrying about all the cardio we're going to have to do after a family BBQ. Love your writing. 😘
Exactly, @miranda.odell! You get me :-D If all we're going to remember when we're older is how many hours we spent on a treadmill, we might as well be hamsters!
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STOPThat's a wonderful article. I've seen people start fitness or working out due to the society. They start and after a few weeks they stop. The reason being the foundation of their journey was based on a lie.
You should start for yourself, not society. You'll feel better, that's a guarantee.
Love reading your articles :D
So true, @rahul516! That's the crux of it all. You'll only stick to something if you want to stick to it.
Thanks for all your support! I do hope you'll continue to enjoy my writing. May I also take this moment to direct you to this Minnows Accelerator Program where I'm a nominee. If you like what I write, I'd really appreciate if you voted for me. :) Thanks!
fat people live longer.
Well, I don't know about that as a blanket statement. :) But happy people definitely live longer!
“Overweight” People Actually Tend to Live Longer Than “Normal” Weight Individuals
Thanks for this, the headline certainly has my attention! Shall read through it and see if I can find more information on the subject as well :)