Post updated in 2019.
I'm an advocate of body positivity. I truly believe that we owe it to ourselves to love our bodies, appreciate what they have done and continue to do for us every day, and not hate them because they don't look like the 'standard'.
The reality is, loving your body can be a bit challenging when it's going through change— whether it's weight loss, on the journey to parenthood, postpartum, weight gain, depression, and more. No matter the season, I try very hard to not focus on the number on the scale. But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hard, because it is.
Not too long ago I fell off track. I was trying out on clothes, stood in front of the mirror and bashed what I saw: my legs looked horrible, my arms were 'too big', my stomach wasn't flat. I couldn't stop. I ended up leading the clothes behind, crying, and felt defeated. While weight is not a measure of success, I repeat weight is not a measurement of success, the amount of work I've put in to lose 145 pounds and I wasn't happy with my body.
Here's Why I'm Celebrating My Body:
- It can lift heavy weights.
- It can do HIIT workouts 6 days a week.
- It can run 5Ks.
- It can run a 10K.
- It's no longer am out of breath after walking up the stairs.
- It's 145 pounds lighter.
- It battled an eating disorder.
- It battled depression.
- It's conquering PCOS.
- It's battling infertility.
And regardless if my body doesn't fit the 'standard', I'm so proud of it and thankful for all that's it done for me.
This journey to self love and self acceptance is difficult and emotional. But it's life-changing and a blessing.
And Remember...
- There will never be healthy, positive change when you dislike your body.
- Absolutely no one has the right to judge any other body than their own.
- The rolls of skin, cellulite, pooches, jiggles, and stretch marks have nothing to do with your health.
I love you and I love this post!!! Thank you for sharing your journey! You seriously look amazing! It is so important to love your body, and I think the more real women show off their real bodies the easier it will be for all women to love themselves!
<3 Thanks so much Lindsay! I hope the girls learn to love every bit of themselves despite what other girls think. :-)
Inspiring words. They really hit home for me. I'm always surprised to see that someone at OTF is experiencing the same emotions that I am. When we are there I guess we're all in the zone, looking confident and feeling great. Maintaining that drive and confidence outside of the studio is sometimes as hard as that last 1-minute-all-out! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much Natascha! I always tell people, going to the gym (especially OTF) is the easy part. And I'm determined to keep inspiring others because I have those that inspire me! Keep feeling great, and always be confident! <3
So inspiring! We all forget to focus on positives and improvements, my theory is that our brains are wired to see the negatives first. Keep up the great work.
Outstanding post! I have had the same journey with OTF. It's definitely difficult to share about the head game you have to fight throughout this journey...plus being vulnerable enough to post pictures! It's even difficult sometimes to accept the compliments that come with your progress. You are doing an amazing job...keep sharing, keep believing, keep fighting! ❤
Thanks Jessica. I think I actually remember seeing yours on the Woodstock FB page! It's been hard (as I'm sure you know), but honestly, OTF has helped me so much from improving my health and increasing my confidence in myself.
Look at you! A beautiful, strong, and healthy woman.
Be proud of your amazing body. Keep taking care of it. Be nice to you. Enjoy your life.
OTF is no joke. If you can push and go all out you're a rock star. ❤️❤️❤️ (I am lucky to have a studio a mile from my house. I love it)
And I think your curves are lovely anyway. Not everyone has to have a washboard stomach or a thigh gap. who gets to decide what's beautiful?
(Hint: the answer is you do!)
Jeannine, THANK YOU! I love that OTF is so close to me too! We are closing on our new house Oct 24 and a requirement for that house was that an OTF had to be CLOSE! I certainly feel beautiful and I hope other woman see themselves as beautiful as well because we all are!
This is absolutely amazing! As someone who had watched you progress since November 2015 I am so proud of you and I completely admire your honesty. You are AWESOME!
Good for you! There is too much body shaming even with women who have skinny bodies but are more rounded than waif. If we all had the same body, then the world would be a boring place. I understand your struggle. I have lost about 120 lbs. so far. Everyone assumes that the reason you "let yourself go" is because you can't find the will power to push yourself away from the table. Not every heavy person eats ungodly meals each day. I have a tendency of not eating near enough. Sometimes, I only eat one meal a day (which I know is not good for me), but I am just not hungry. So many people judge others when they themselves are not perfect. No body is perfect. But.....we can strive to "perfect" for the people we should be and be proud for ourselves and not for who others think we should be.