Pushing Thirtyy

My 2012 Body Image

it would be awesome to only use funhouse mirrors

It’s a new year, and a new beginning for all of us.  A clean slate. A time to try to set goals and start fresh.  It’s time to start cutting back on all of the holiday indulgence and to get serious yet again about physical fitness and health.  This year, I am approaching all of this with a new perspective, one that is very difficult for women in particular to grasp.  I look damn good, and I’m working out/eating less cupcakes because it makes me feel as good as I look.  We all could use a little improvement, but really, I look good.

I’m not trying to toot my own horn, but I am honestly sick of obsessing over why non-stretchy jeans won’t fit over my ass, or how unflattering silky materials can be on a curvaceous woman.  The reality is that I am young, and with very little effort, I have been able to maintain a weight that allows me to wear a lot of clothes I wore back in high school.

I look good, and I’m not being cocky.  The truth is I am young, and many women ten years older than me would look at me, and if they hear me complain about my thighs, they will laugh, remembering their own insecurities, which are still there, and say how much better they had it when they were younger, how much better they looked when they were younger.

One day, I will be on the other side.  I will struggle to maintain my figure.  I’ll have children.  I’ll be tired.  My body will be less forgiving.  One day, I’ll remember how I looked when I was 16, 22, 25, 28, and remember how I used to eat 3 slices of pizza and not see a visible difference in my skin or weight.

It obviously is not going to get easier to stay in shape, so I’m going to start loving what I have now.  I will cut back on the negative things I see and say about myself and turn them around and look at the positive.

So while I will continue to be mindful of my health and fitness, I will of course set goals, but I’m not going to beat myself up. Not anymore.  Women are just too damn hard on themselves and it’s time to put a stop to it.  You are beautiful now. You will be beautiful tomorrow, even with the extra couple pounds in your midsection.