My Instagram newsfeed used to consist of endless transformation photos, at-home workouts and endless green smoothie recipes. I constantly exposed myself to these stunning, well-toned women hoping that would somehow motivate me. Boy, was I wrong.
I soon learned seeing these perfectly chiseled bodies did the polar opposite. In fact, it lessened my desire to achieve that “ideal body.” (WHAT THE HECK IS “IDEAL” ANYWAY?) At one point, I was finally working out five days out of the week. I began feeling physically much stronger but all of the sudden, I was bombarded with how much thinner I was getting, (my goal had always been to gain weight). I was doing everything right but yet I still wasn’t good enough… what an awkward position to be in.
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The key component was what I exposed myself to. I unfollowed all these great, yet (personally) unrealistic workout accounts and embarked on the journey of body positivity.
One profound message I kept reading was how fantastically wonderful the human body is. Your skin has endured needles, bruises, scars and wounds all to keep us going; you have billions of cells devoted to you. How wonderful is it to have a body that repairs itself even when we least want it to?! To have this physical entity whose sole priority is to make sure you’re well and physically capable?
Above: An image from Dove's Self-Esteem Project. Although I love that this image is diverse in color and height, it's important to note that there are no slender girls on here- thinner girls are not exempt from the battle of self-love.ALL body types are worthy of the same acceptance.
To take things a step further, I also gave up on approval from others considering that it truly is impossible to aesthetically please everyone. I learned to adore the faint fat on my stomach on the days when it’s there and the thigh gap I never asked for. Instead of fixating on six-pack abs and well-defined calf muscles, I found love in the most subtle dips and edges of my body.
Now, I actually enjoy working out, going to yoga and eating well because I recognize how my body has so graciously worked to keep me alive, even when I least wanted it to. Don't get me wrong, even though I adore green smoothies and detoxing, I'll also devour a chocolate cake sans reticence.
I don’t think I have the perfect body; I am, however, eager to strike that balance between treating it in the best way possible and devouring the sweets I still crave. Some days I imagine if I would look better with longer legs or curvier arms and that’s OK, self-love isn’t necessarily a perpetual state of mind.
Despite how badly you may wish to linger in a different shape, you are still stuck in the same skin everyday. Rather than bashing the one entity whose sole purpose is to keep you alive, try loving it instead.
