It looks perfectly great, right? Here I am, pushing my godson in the swing. You can't see the baby very well, but he's laughing like a maniac under that silly hat. He's wearing cute shoes and an adorable onesie. I have a matching hat that looks just like his and if I'd been thinking, I might have worn it so we could have coordinated. My calves look fabulous, my hair had just been cut, hell, I'm even wearing jewelry in the form of bracelets, earrings, and a necklace.
But. There's a big but. My stomach. The issues I have with my belly are pretty much the same any woman of a certain age has. It's pudgy and poofy and yes, there ARE abdominal muscles underneath that flab, but there it is in all its glory. It bothers me a lot. I only post this here as a reminder: we are women. This is how we are.
I work out every damn day. I run for 30 minutes a day every other day, I do at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity on non-running days (cycling, Wii Fit, exercise videos), and I do at least another 20-30 minutes of Wii sports/games/activities involving Jillian Michaels every day. I ride my bicycle on most of our errands that are 5 miles or less away from our house. I am a fanatic about being active and staying strong. Yes, my calves look great. My arms are even starting to look less flabby and more toned. But my stomach? Is stuck like this.
(And let's not even talk about the scale. I am borderline overweight on most indexes. I have no idea how I would lose weight unless I cut cheese out of my diet and I am unwilling to do that.)
I am stronger now than I have ever been excluding my sophomore year of college when I had no friends and worked out two hours a day.
But that doesn't mean that every woman doesn't have something she is self-conscious about.
I think you look great! But I completely understand what you mean about the whole "wanting it to be a certain way." I don't feel like I'll ever come to peace with my body.
ReplyDeleteAgain, though: you look FRICKIN' GREAT.
the only thing I see on this picture is you looking happy and beautiful.
ReplyDeletei do know what you mean though. I have so many pictures with my beautiful baby niece i'd like to frame... if only they didn't have me and my 6 chins on them too.
p.s. how are you overweight? you are kidding, right?
very cute photos!!
ReplyDeleteGirl- I think you look amazing. Seriously. You are STRONG and HEALTHY and that's what matters.
ReplyDeletethat last line, though- it is SOOOO true. In fact, that's exactly what I tell myself all the time when I start having moments of bad body image.
EVERY woman has some sort of issue with themselves. I learned to accept this at the beach last year. I was at the beach with some girlfriends.... most of which are very small and have petite little size 4, 6, or 8 bodies and look great in a bikini.
One of them, A, saw me walking up to the water and said to me "ANDIE! you have great boobs. I WISH I had your boobs!"
While, deep down inside, I always wished I had her figure and her body because she's a size 6 and looks great in a bikini. But then I realized, she wants MY boobs. I want her body. It's a trade off. I realized that for every person whose body I may covet, there is probably someone out ther that is coveting something of mine. It's all a cycle.
Strange, but it is what caused me to gain acceptance of my body. It's an amazing machine that can do so many things- and I learned to appreciate it.
Long winded, I know. But I don't see your stomach. I see your amazing strength and beauty in that picture. I think we all put too much pressure on ourselves to look a certain way- when we should be giving ourselves props for taking care of ourselves!
The only thing I can find to "hate" about this photo is that you can't see the little cutie's face. You look happy and tall and lovely - and man do I envy you your calves!!!
ReplyDeleteBut I do agree with you - we all have those little things we dislike about our bodies.
One of life's greatest gifts to me was having close friends in high school who were 'well endowed'. Hearing all their complaints made me very grateful for my much much lesser endowments.
ReplyDeleteI don't have the belly, but I do have the saddlebags on the thighs. Sigh. It's always something, right.
Your list of exercise is daunting! I'm so impressedd.
Hi gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI think you look lovely!
xoxox,
CC
I admire your exercise schedule and your commitment to your health. Kudos to you for keeping it at the top of your priority list!
ReplyDeleteI never weigh myself. I figure if I'm eating healthfully and exercising regularly, then my weight is probably right around where it should be. Who cares what those doctor charts say anyway? ;)
stephanie@metropolitanmama.net