Preach!
As women, we’re used to hearing about fitness in terms of inches and dress sizes. We may know better, but we’re up against near-constant reminders and pressures to look good and take shortcuts to get there.
The truth is, being a healthy woman isn’t about getting on a scale or measuring your waistline—and we can’t afford to think that way. Instead, we need to start focusing on what matters–on how we feel, and how we feel about ourselves.
I started thinking about exercise as an investment in myself instead of a chore, and I started focusing on the example I wanted to set for my girls. My schedule was dominated by career and kids–not to mention a very busy husband–but thinking about exercise this way made it a priority, even if I had to get up earlier to do it.
That’s what being fit meant to me: feeling good inside and out, and taking control of my health.
Stop comparing yourself to anyone BUT yourself. Each day is an opportunity to level up from yesterday.
— Chichi Kix (@fitvillains) May 6, 2012
:)
“Self-acceptance isn’t about saying “this is me, and I don’t need to change.” That wouldn’t be true. Self-acceptance is about being happy with who you are now and giving yourself space to grow… because you need to grow. I can love my fat ass and say “I’ll work on it,” without thinking that because my ass is fat, I’m somehow less of a woman or I’m “disgusting.” I can “self-accept” the fact that I have a terrible temper… because I’m still growing away from it. I “self-accept” these things and allow myself to still feel and be beautiful in spite of them. Images and visions of other women don’t make me automatically question myself as a woman.
A lot of women seek out weight loss because they think it’ll cure whatever inadequacies they think they have… but if your inadequacies don’t even come from a real session of assessing yourself and accepting who you are? Your “inadequacies” will never be addressed. They probably don’t even exist. Might’ve just been something fed to you – “Here, let me show you how perfect you will NEVER be unless you buy my ab roller/hair dye/makeup/other stupid unnecessary product.”
I can’t say this enough. Don’t buy into it”
Who’s excited for the release of Titanic in Imax!!? Got my tickets, got my tissues, got my girls. It’s ON.
I was 14 when Titanic came out and deeply, DEEPLY in love with Leonardo DiCaprio (my old agenda is embarrassingly filled with ‘Ms. Dicaprio’ signatures). While my love for Leo has dwindled a tad over the years, my love for Kate Winslet has only grown. Not only is she talented, well spoken & gorgeous, but she’s got a body lovin’ attitude that’s simply contagious.
-Robin Williams
Get outside mo-fo’s!
“It’s a BIRD!”
“It’s a PLANE!”
Slow down crazy. Slow down.
I’ve always loved this poem, but for some reason it didn’t SPEAK to me until this year. It tugged at my heart strings, and made me swell with pride as I read it just now.
I’ve come a long way, baby.
Here’s to all us phenomenal women out there. Let us start loving ourselves the way we deserve to be loved.
Phenomenal Woman
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Just because someone is skinny doesn’t mean they are healthy and/or fit. Over the years, I’ve seen plenty of models that were “skinny-fat.” In other words, even though they were 5-feet, 10-inches tall and weighed 125 to 130 pounds, they were relatively “fat” with 23 to 25% body fat.
In my opinion, women should be more concerned with their body fat percentage rather than the number on the scale. There’s a tremendous visual difference between a 5’8”, 130 pound woman who is 15-16% body fat, and another woman who is the same height and weight but is 23-25% body fat. The bottom line is that women should strive to be strong and lean, rather than simply thin.
Joe Dowdell, C.S.C.S, founder and CEO of Peak Performance on what kind of “body type” he thinks best represents fitness.
Read the rest of the article here & click on to read the discussion regarding Equinox ads (see above… would you know those ads are for a gym?) & fitness marketing: “Most Of You Find Equinox Ads Insulting; All Fitness Ads Can Be Misleading”
My own 2-cents: I posted this to highlight the difference between weight and body fat percentage. Most of the time, when people are trying to lose that last 5-10lbs, what they should be concentrating on is the make-up of their bodies, NOT the scale. My concern is that some of you will focus too heavily on the numbers (weight) being quoted as ideal: it’s not. A woman who weighs 125-130 lbs at 5ft 10 will be incredibly slender, and it’s not an achievable, average or realistic weight for everyone. (That’s only slightly more what I weigh at 5ft 2inches). Don’t focus on the numbers, or compare your weight to that of others: three women of the same height and weight can differ in size tremendously depending on their body composition.
I have 2 friends who are the same height and weight, but we vary in pants size tremendously (I wear a size 2-3, while they are relatively higher at a size 6 and 8 respectively). The only difference is our body fat percentages: mine is lower & I have more muscle. I weigh the same as them despite being up to 6 sizes smaller. Vice versa, they have more body fat than I do, and since body fat takes up more room, they appear larger than their weight would suggest.
Don’t focus too heavily on the scale, and never compare your weight to someone else’s: there’s more to getting the body you want than simply shedding pounds.
Today isn’t just “another day”. Today you have the opportunity to create something beautiful.
What are you creating today? More negativity through your thinking? OR are you working on shifting your thinking to create a more positive experience in your life and the lives of others? If you’re unsure of how/where to start, may I suggest you look to your mentors and those you admire, and dig a little deeper into how they do what they do. Before you criticize someone for what they’re doing and who they are, make sure you have all the facts.
For me, Nike’s classic ‘Just Do It’ works well.
Other variations: “Just Push Play”. “Stop Thinking, Start Doing” and “You CAN Do This”. I also really like “5 minutes girl. Just 5 minutes”.
Some people think it’s cheesy, but having ‘go-to’ mantras that SPEAK to you can help you kick your own butt when no one else is around to do it. How we speak to ourselves makes a huge difference in the gym.
So, what do YOU tell yourself when motivation’s running low?
- Martin Luther King Jr.
Can you think of anyone that deserves a little kindness today?
It’s easy to do nothing when we know someone’s going through a hard time. Sometimes we simply don’t know what to say or do. But even the smallest of gestures can make a big difference to someone who could use a smile.
Being kind to others isn’t only a nice thing to do for them. It feels gooooood. A great way to make your own day is to be a part of making someone else’s.
A phone call, a text, a compliment: anything. :)
This is why I love being so connected with you guys.
On my facebook wall, I just got a message that made me feel good AND inspired a tiny idea that I could use your help with.
Amy (all around wonderful lady and substitute teacher) found something in her school’s washroom today that made her smile. On the bathroom mirror was a simple post-it with the words ‘
I can’t help thinking that there should be more messages like these, don’t you?
So here it is. Your BODY LOVE MISSION. (because we can’t just sit around and wait for it to happen. We gotta make it happen).
If you can, secretly grab a post-it tomorrow and leave a nice message for other girls to see. It can be anything ‘You’re worth it’ ‘You are loved’ ‘You’ll get through this’ ‘You’re awesome’. Leave it in the school bathroom, a hall mirror, your friend’s car, ANYWHERE where it can be seen by beautiful ladies who might need the reminder.
The more of us who do it, the more smiles we can make tomorrow. So easy and takes but a moment of your time. And if you think it’s cheesy, it is. But for a girl who really needs to hear it, it might just make her day. For those who get the chance to see the message, it might be just the thing they needed to hear.
Just TRY not to smile when you see one. I dare you. :)
So go on out and get your positive post-its on tomorrow!
What message would you want to see on a body love post-it?
- William Gibson
Environment is everything! Sometimes a quick switch to more positive minded friends is just the thing to make you feel better about yourself. You don’t always have to give up on old friendships, but keeping an open mind about making new friends is key to helping improve your support system, self-esteem and odds at happiness.
