Your Body is Not the Problem. Society is.

So many of us think about the parts of our bodies that we would like to change. It doesn’t help that we are bombarded with messages both subliminally and overtly in our technology-laden world and part of a culture that is grossly superficial.

I’m a firm believer in the following statement:
“Love the body you have, so you can have the body you love.”

By that I mean if you are making dietary changes and increasing your physical activity because you want to look a certain way, you’re doing it wrong.

Believe me, I did it. If you want to live a healthy lifestyle that includes taking care of your body, nourishing it properly and giving it the movement it needs, then you will reap many benefits– both physical and psychological.

However, if you are looking to achieve your “dream body,” because you feel that once that happens, the rest of your life will just fall into place, then my friend I’m sorry to say you have a long road of dissatisfaction and longing ahead.

Exercise should not be a punishment for the food you eat. And eating should not be seen as sinful or something to feel guilty about. We all need food which is comprised of nutrients that help our bodies and minds function to their highest potential. Some foods are more nutrient rich (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, nuts, and seeds) . Other foods are more energy-rich (Sugary foods, fried foods). Some foods are both nutrient and energy rich (Avocados, nuts, fatty fish, olive oil). A healthy diet is comprised of a combination of these types of foods, with most foods being nutrient-rich with a few energy-rich foods interspersed.

My wish for everyone I care about (which is basically everyone I meet) is that we learn to love the bodies we have. They are the only bodies we’ve ever had, and we will never have a different one. Once we learn to love the vessel in which we live, then we will treat it with respect. From looking at ourselves from a standpoint of respect and love, we will appreciate all that it can do, and we will find joy in strengthening it, challenging it physically and providing it proper nutrition.

I urge everybody to refrain from talking negatively about their bodies. It promotes our culture of superficiality and further supports the notion that we must all strive to achieve something that may not even be within our genetics to achieve. Instead, be the bolder person and say something positive about your body. Everyone has something. Help me be part of a movement that challenges the norm of negative body-talk as an impetus for change. Let’s promote a culture of individuals who live balanced lifestyle because we care about ourselves.

 

 

Women Empowering Women

“There’s a place reserved in Hell for women who don’t help other women.”
–Madeleine Albright

Name-calling, rumor-spreading, and cyber bullying are all things which encompass relational aggression, a special type of aggression which is most often utilized among females. When I see or hear these things, women oppressing women by insulting or intentionally causing emotional damage to each other, I can’t help but cringe. How are we to escape the pressure we put on ourselves to look and be “perfect” if we scrutinize each other so often?

The way I see it, it’s a vicious cycle. One female feels unhappy with herself, so she calls another female “fat,” “ugly,” or a “whore” in order to feel more comfortable with herself. I feel like a lot of females do this, draw negative attention to another female, in order to divert possible negative attention that may come their way. It’s incredibly sad, honestly, that any female should feel so awful about herself that she feels the need to put down another, and what’s even more sad is that the female she puts down often times believes in the unwarranted and hurtful comments that come her way.

What on earth are we doing? All people are incredibly beautiful. Some are scarred, some are hurt, some have been severely affected by adversity, but we are all unique and that is beautiful.

I thought I’d take the time to stress the importance of empowering each other.

First of all, I went for a run the other day in downtown State College, and I saw this written on the sidewalk: Why don’t we see this everywhere? Why aren’t messages like this all over social media? Why is it so acceptable and natural to call someone a whore or a slut, but it’s almost uncomfortable or unheard of to say “You are beautiful”? Why is a female considered conceited if she says, “I am beautiful,” or walks around with her head held high?

Ladies, we need to empower each other. Lift your head up and smile, and if you see a girl with her head down, or if you sense a girl feels as if she isn’t worthy or good enough, let her know otherwise!

I follow a ton of people on Twitter with mindsets similar to my own, and I noticed that one of the women I follow just made a blog post which mentioned her previous struggle with an eating disorder. At first I thought, “Oh, sweet! Another recovery story!” But what made this one special is that this woman is a social worker, and she shared her struggle for the first time on her blog.

(You can view it here:  progressnotperfection.co.uk )

After posting her blog, she tweeted this:
Shared blog on Facebook for the very first time! If it makes just one person more aware it’s worth it #recovery #openness #beingreal

This is the mentality that we need– that sharing our stories and our wisdom is worth it if we can positively affect just one person by it

Running for Freedom

Not gonna lie, today I woke up tired, annoyed, worn out, and exhausted. I also really wasn’t looking forward to working on a holiday. Regardless, I went on a run after work anyway. (The hardest part is always the first five minutes).

I originally planned on walking the whole distance, but then “The Ghost of Tom Joad” by RATM came on my mp3 player, and it got me thinking about freedom of all types. I thought about financial freedom, and how hard it is for some people to earn enough money to live without sacrificing their morals or priorities. 

I thought about mental freedom, and how some of us are destroying ourselves from our own thoughts or worries.

I thought about freedom of judgement and the pursuit of happiness. I wish everyone could feel comfortable enough to do what makes them happy (truly happy– not abusing drugs or alcohol, that brings temporary pleasure, not lasting happiness, in my opinion) without fear of someone else tearing them down/

I thought about the freedom of kids being able to go to school and not have to worry about being bullied. About the freedom of being able to lay one’s head at night in a place where they feel safe from verbal abuse, safe from neglect, safe from fighting, insults, and yelling. Safe from someone telling them they won’t amount to anything.

I thought about adults who are still struggling to get their lives together. The homeless on the streets. You don’t know what they’ve gone through, you don’t know what they’re still going through, and you don’t know how many times they’ve been kicked when they were already down. You don’t know if they’ve ever had that person to tell them that they are worth something. And that means everything.

I thought about the freedom from sexual violence and the proceeding mental anguish. The fact that no one deserves to be forced to take their clothes off or engage in any activity that isn’t loving, comfortable or consensual.

I thought about running so fast that I could eradicate this pain from everyone’s existence.