When Does It Change?

As a stay-at-home-mom, I spend a LOT of time playing outside with the Weasel. And as the owner of a water table and as a family who has absolutely enjoyed every minute of this unseasonably warm winter/early spring, the Weasel gets soaked 4 days out of any given week. As soon as she finishes playing, she immediately requests to be stripped of her wet rags and continues to play in her diaper.

Now she's a little chunker. The Weasel weighed in at 10 pounds 1 ounce upon birth, and though her growth has slowed, at just over 20 months, she's nearing the 30 pound mark (28.2). She LOVES her tummy. When she found her belly button, I strongly considered getting rid of most of her toys, as that took over as her favorite:). Well, it got me thinking...

At what point in our lives (I'm mainly referring to females here), do we start becoming so critical of our bodies? I posted awhile ago about when that started for me. I have a love-hate relationship with my body. I'm 5'9" (5'10" on a good day), and I weigh 149. I hate that I know that. I hate that I weigh myself everyday, but I cannot seem to get rid of my scale. I want to embrace my "love handles" and look at myself as a strong mother runner, but I struggle with that. I drink beer and eat crap sometimes and then feel horrible about it. If I have a bad run, I blame my body. When I get my Athleta or Title Nine catalog, I obsess over ways to achieve a better body; to look like those models. (Side note: I love the models in those catalogs. They are real women, real athletes with beautiful muscles. They are NOT stick skinny Victoria Secret, make-you-want-to-starve-yourself girls.) 

I'm sure it happens as soon as girls get to middle school, perhaps even earlier with the advent of the Internet and these ridiculous teeny-bopper TV shows. Girls suddenly become their own worst critics. They stop running around in diapers and start sucking their stomachs in. This makes me sad. I don't want my daughter to face this same fate, but I know I can't prevent it. 

What I can do, is remind her that she is strong and beautiful no matter what her shape is. I will continue to show her that running and exercise makes for a happier, healthier life. I will not let her forget about these wonderful days when she reveled in the sight of her own fabulous round tummy:

And while I won't lie to you and say, this post means I've accepted my spare tire, I will say that I'm trying to learn to love my body for all its flaws. I will focus on my strengths as an athlete. I will learn from the Weasel. 

...but I will always love beer, and therefore, I will most likely always sport a little extra around the middle.

Things I Like About Me

Source

Today I'm linking up with Just.Be.Enough to share with you a few Things I Like About Me (I'll make my sister - the other half of this blog - do the same when her schedule allows). One of our fellow FitFluential Ambassadors, Elena, posted this a couple days ago and I absolutely fell in love with it! The timing was unique in that I am currently reading Haruki Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and I highlighted this quote to share with you all:


"As you get older, though, through trial and error you learn to get what you need, and throw out what should be discarded. And you start to recognize (or be resigned to the fact) that since your faults and deficiencies are well nigh infinite, you'd best figure out your good points and learn to get by with what you have." 

Source

In a society filled with people cataloguing their own and everyone else's flaws on a daily basis, we should, for our mental health and well-being, take the time to really appreciate the things we like about ourselves. Make a list without any self deprecating humor or wishful speak; only use words that build you up. Here's my list:

1. I am content with life as it is. I enjoy the moment. My right foot is tattooed with the words "Enjoy Being." People are constantly asking me, "Enjoy being what?" I respond, "Just being." I can find the best in any situation.
2. I am not afraid to admit when I'm wrong. I am human. I make mistakes. It's just that easy. So admitting it just makes sense.
3. I have an athletic build. I am tall. I have a strong physique. I can throw a football or rock a sun salutation. I have embraced my body and am learning to love it.
4. I believe in helping others. I will go out of my way to help my friends. If I think a cause is worthwhile, I will support it. I think more people should be like this. People helping people is one of the primary ways we differ from animals.
5. I have hair people always compliment. I do not dye, curl, blow dry, straighten, etc., my hair. It's thick and strong. Whenever I have 10 extra inches, I chop it off and donate it. It's good hair:)
6. I am strangely good at word games. You know those games where they jumble the letters and you have to unscramble them to form the longest word? I can typically glance at those letters and tell you the word. It drives my mother-in-law crazy.
7. I am a runner. I have jokingly called myself "not a runner, just a jogger" on this very same blog. I suppose I used to be a recreational jogger when I was a Marine. I didn't like it; therefore, I only did it when I had to. Now, I'm a whole new woman! I am a stroller pushing, mid-foot striking, full on runner. And I love every mile of it!

So there you have it, an entirely positive post about me. I urge you to link up with Just.Be.Enough and share your thoughts about yourself. Thanks for reading mine. 

And with that said, I repeat:

ENJOY BEING!

What works for me doesn't have to work for you

Ok, kind of a long title, so I better explain.  In a world where we share everything online in forums, chat rooms, blogs, and websites, there is a TON of advice out there for how to lose weight and get into shape.  Whether you choose from any one of the exercise programs out there...such as

or you choose to come up with your own personal workout plan (which is what I do), the important thing is that it WORKS FOR YOU!  While it would be nice to see the models that advertise these different workout plans and think, "Hey, if I just do this workout, I'll look like her", that is most often not the case!  

      The other important thing is that you find something that you enjoy doing!  If you have a lot more will power than me, good on you!!!  But I know myself and if I'm not having fun doing the workout, then chances of me sticking with it are slim to none.  Although some people love P90X, others cannot stand it and would rather get in the gym and do 3 hours of weight lifting a day!

     So, find something that keeps you motivated, regardless of what works for everyone else, and have fun!

The next thing is what goes INTO your body...some people can get away with eating cookies and chips and never see the numbers on the scale move.  Other people look at a cookie and gain weight!  You know yourself better than anyone else and how your body responds to caloric intake.  While there are literally THOUSANDS of diet gimmicks out there, most don't work.  And if we would just be patient with ourselves, weight loss is achievable.  You need a little less

a LOT more

and a few more

(gotta keep an eye on the fruit intake though, since it contains lots of sugar)

The best piece of advice I think I've heard (mostly from my dear sister, Jen) is to DRINK MORE WATER!!

I think finding a cool water bottle makes it easier for me to drink more water during the day!

Again, whatever you do, it has to work for you.  Listen to other people's advice, but do so with the understanding that we are all different.  You might gain muscle faster than I do, even if we did the exact same workout.  I might be able to sneak in an extra cookie or two, while you can't even be near one!  We are all DIFFERENT!  

Embracing Your Love Handles...

When we were 11 or 12, our mom decided to see how we would fare in the modeling world (well, the modeling world of Winston-Salem, NC which isn't saying much). I clearly remember thinking it was quite possibly the most bogus idea in the history of crazy mom ideas, but without a license or source of income, my hand was forced. We waltzed into the modeling agency thinking, "Well, now that we're stuck, we might as well sieze the challenge.  And who wouldn't want identical twin models?  Doublemint is always hiring, right?!"

That's when it happened.  The moment our body images changed for the worse. We were told, "I think they would be great candidates, but they are kind of hippy."  No, she was not referring to bell-bottoms and peace signs either.

Yup, at the very vulnerable age of 11 or 12, a stranger's comments resulted in 20 years of a semi-negative body image. Now you should know this: we both stand a little over 5' 9" tall and weigh between 140-145.  We are not what you would consider "big" girls. Yet still, we are constantly searching for shirts that cover the "muffin top."

Disclaimer: THIS IS NOT ONE OF US!

It seems that no matter how much we run, how much ab work we do, or how healthy we eat, that spare tire (even a small one) seems to hang out just above our pants.  What the heck?! 

So today I say, screw the body image I've held for all these years.  I'm faster now than I was as an active duty Marine (well, mostly anway).  I enjoy running.  I have a 1-year old daughter.  These love handles are not going anywhere.  I have logged about 30-50 miles a week (and lost almost 20 pounds) since my husband deployed in May and I STILL have a muffin top. And you know what, I may not flaunt it like those teen girls trolling the mall these days, but today, I don't hate it quite as much.

Do you have a defining moment where your body image changed for either the positive or negative?