You want to know what is better than waking up & it being a Saturday? Waking up close to 7:00 am to a beautiful sunny morning! Yes, these are small “wins” that just make me happy. As I have said many times before, my sleep really sucks so when I can get a few extra minutes (or a couple hours for that matter) of shut eye, I feel like a different person. Today, I am going to put my health & wellness hat on for a hot second to talk about feeling body confident, and why this will ALWAYS be your best asset.
Generally speaking, and not breaking this down into certain age groups, “91% of women are unhealthy with their bodies” {dosomething.org). When you see numbers like this, it is quite alarming and it is so incredibly sad.
My days of feeling body confident have had their ups and downs, and being in the social media realm has added a little more to this at times too. I do want to preface that these are fleeting thoughts and that’s it. Yes, they are real, and yes, I do NOT want you to feel as though you cannot acknowledge, but it should they should be met with “I am good enough,” “I am worthy enough,” and “the way I look is beautiful.” Being a different size, or showing a different number on the scale, is not going to change who we are as an individual. You may THINK it is going to make you feel better but, in turn, it is goin to have you wanting more, only to make you feel more miserable in the process.
It is about embracing the body you have been given, and focusing on all the amazing things that it has done for you, and will continue to do!
Feeling body confident will always be your best asset.
I am going to segway a bit a talk about my the highs and lows of my wellness journey.
I definitely take after my Dad and his heritage – 100% Polish. I have even had people tell me I have a very European look (blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin tone, etc.). It’s just like people saying my sister and I look like each other – I don’t see it. Ha. Anyway, my build has always been more athletic, “medium” boned if we are getting technical. I can build muscle pretty easily – more of a challenge to stay lean and defined – and, yes, I have had my struggles with weight and that nasty thing called the “comparison trap.” Yes Dad, I am blaming this on your genes. Kidding.
And, actually, it goes back to me even saying “am I good enough” or “can I be loved” for the way I look.
AND that thought process gets me every time…at my core…the very core that goes through its period’s of looking defined and then not so much.
It’s been within the last year, though, that I have, finally, felt more in the zone with my health, and more confident with my body than ever.
I, FINALLY, felt that the rubber band was not being pulled, super tight, in opposite directions, only to snap, break, and needing a big old reset.
College really started the ball rolling with all of this. While I worked out, the “Freshman 15” happens, or should I say, happened. Then, I pledged a sorority and wavered back and forth. This seemed to be very on-going. I was never a “deprive, then binge” individual. It was more “get on a kick with protein shakes/bars” for a few weeks, and then go back to eating normal meals, and so on, and so on. Umm, I don’t even want to revisit the ingredients in the prepackaged non-sense.
I got married, ran my body into the ground with over exercising and marathoning, not necessarily doing the right things, nutritionally, for my body, and ended up being in the worst shape of my life. Btw, my body is not meant to go 26.2 miles and look lean in the process. It’s amazing when you listen to your body, change your workouts, and see what starts working.
On the heels of getting separated, I became very overly obsessed about my meals/what I ate – never depriving – but very regimented. I had people talking, and not in a good way. “What is wrong,” “why are you losing so much weight,” “this is not healthy,” etc.
Since then (i.e. the last 7 years), I have been on an emotional roller coaster, and, yes, still wavering back and forth with my weight. When I say “weight,” my struggle came in the form of my thyroid, something that was taken care of on some level, but needed even deeper investigation. This did not happen until last year.
I will admit, I was always the one who said the moment someone starts to gain weight, they blame in on their thyroid. If I had a dollar for every person who brought that to the forefront. It was never about their own accountability, or willpower, or the copious amounts of sugar in their diet, per say. For the record, I really do have great bedside manner with my fabulous clients.
I started bringing some things up to my doctor about how I was feeling beyond “weight” issues, and this is when she put me on a very low dose of thyroid meds to treat the secondary hypothyroidism my blood work showed. My numbers were a bit out of whack and this seemed to be the best solution.
And, it worked for a little bit.
I made the mistake of taking myself off the meds I was on a few years ago and, let me just say, it was the worst mistake ever. It was a stupid reason too. I did not get the prescription refilled before our family trip to St. Maarten and I said “who cares, I don’t even think this is working.” Needless to say, I was constantly puffy, retaining water, and did not matter what I did, I felt miserable. If my thyroid was bad then, it was even WORSE now. The crazy thing is while my clothes still fit (some okay than others AND, I will admit, this had been working on me for a few months), I was not doing ANYTHING differently and yet the number on the scale was crazy high.
I knew, once again, something was NOT RIGHT.
I started working with a holistic doctor who really helped put some things into place. She ran extensive blood work and started to get to the crux. Honestly, while I began addressing this in 2016 with my primary care doctor, I really wonder how far back I could actually go.
As I write this today, I, wholeheartedly, admit I feel more in my power, and body confident, than ever before. I, finally, feel like I dropped my baby face that I have lived with for so long – LOL – and have my health in check. This includes finding a healthy balance of working out too. Oh, as for my sleep and stress, I am still working on. Wow, can you imagine when that gets regulated too?!?!
While I can nitpick and analyze all day long – ugh, my legs, ugh the cellulite, ugh, I wish my arms were more defined – this is ME, my body, and my journey. While I look at pictures of me back in the day, and even a few years ago, and think OMG, at the end of the day, it does not fucking matter.
It’s about the person you are on the inside, and who you are at your core, that make you beautiful. Be proud and confident, and continue to become a better version of your current self every single day. Remind yourself what your body can do, has done for you, and what it will continue to do. You have this one body embrace it like no other!
And, remember, feeling body confident will always be one of your best assets! Rumor has it guys think it is pretty hot/sexy too.
Oh, and something else I live by – when you look good, you feel good, and if you are all about feeling body confident in your clothes, look no further than one of my favorite brands – Misa Los Angeles. This may be one of my FAVORITE Spring looks, and you can purchase this very dress below!
Happy Saturday and, don’t forget, make sure to change your clocks tonight!
xoxo
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