Wait, weight!

We live in a sad age where beauty has been defined by the shape, tone and texture of our bodies. The internet is the bane of true beauty. With all of our magazines, celebrities, shows like "America's Next Top Model" and "Biggest Loser", we all see beauty as something we are not. As a woman, I can say that I never feel beautiful because even at 125 pounds, I'm not thin enough. I have rosacea, which means I am in a perpetual state of blushing and dry skin. My hands aren't soft because I work hard and develop callouses. My skin is only slightly darker than snow but it isn't tan. I've tried and I look like a cherry for a day or two and then go back to being my bleached-skin self.

At 125 pounds, I don't feel beautiful. I'm in a war that I can't win with my body because my brain says I'm not thin enough, when I go to put on the swimsuit, but it also says that I'm back to dancing on the line between healthy weight and being underweight.

As a wife, I know that men don't escape the lens of beauty. I don't know how many times I have heard "I'm not toned enough", "I wish I had abs", "I need to lose weight". Thanks to American Eagle and other stores where  thin, toned, tan males are plastered on the walls in beyond life-size potriats, males can see themselves as less than what they are because the magnifying glass shows them what they aren't.

So, what do we do, ladies and gentlemen? We fall into the pit of despair and become victims of the diet and fitness scams. Don't get me wrong, eating healthy and staying active is a good thing, but all good things should be done in moderation.  Food becomes our center focus. Young men and women starve themselves when starving only breeds starvation. Or, we eat and make ourselves sick. Or, we just eat.

In high school, I ate one meal every other day. This means that I had 3-4 meals a week. I was busy with working and going to school, but we all are busy. 3-4 meals a week is no bueno!

More recently, I have been losing weight like that one strange episode of Dr. Who where the little adipose dudes just walk off your body and run around town. Weird. In January, I weighed 140 pounds. Now, I weight anywhere between 120 and 125. I wasn't conerned about my weight loss until one of my co-workers mentioned it. Then my husband mentioned it and his mom said something as well. I got the whole "You need to eat more" speech, nearly every day, from someone. I know they have the best of intentions, so I looked it up.

Several websites told me that the best way to gain weight is to eat more and do less.

Huh...obviously these people have never met me. I'm not a health nut but I eat at least two meals a day, do yoga every other morning, clean my house and work 20-40 hours a week. Added up, that is...roughly 30-50 hours of activity, a week. There are only 168 hours in a week. I sleep about six to seven hours a night. So, let's say 50 hours of sleep. That leaves roughly 68 hours open. I take walks, go for rides, play with my dog, go grocery shopping...basically, I don't sit still!

So, I asked my Aunt and my Dad who are both very dear to me and happen to know a little something about the body and medical stuff. They gave me the best advice ever! I will share it with you. Ready? Here it is:

Wait!

Yep, that's right hold off on looking at those numbers! As I have said before, we live in a society that no matter what we look like we will never be able to reach the media's definition of beauty. Men and women both have poor body image and that links to depression and stress which does less for you and can wreak havoc on your body (not always in the way you want it to). So, don't look at the numbers on the scale, instead, here is what you do:

1. Tell yourself that you are beautiful.
2. Respect yourself. 
 You wouldn't throw garbage at someone you love (unless you are my husband and I who throw straw wrappers at each other). You wouldn't throw a pail of grease or sticky, icky, gooey stuff at someone you love. Don't throw it at yourself. Eat well. Don't eat when you aren't hungry and don't stuff yourself. Put good things into your body (veggies, meats, fruits, bread...)Remember the food pyramid?
3. Be as active as you want to be. You don't have to go run marathons every day but you also don't have to be a couch potato. Go for a walk, even for five minutes.
4. Enjoy life.

When your body (including your mind) takes in all of the good things (food, nature, things you enjoy) you will start to feel good. When you start to feel good, you can see yourself (and others) in a new and better way.

5. Don't look at the numbers.

Bottom line, eat balanced meals (healthy, some say), be as active as you want and enjoy all the things that life has to offer.  You are beautiful! Yes, those American Eagle models and Victoria Secret Angels are beautiful too. BUT! They are individuals, unique in their own way (looks included). AND! Just because they weigh less than a penny doesn't mean that they are living a healthy lifestyle.

Healthy is only one part of what being beautiful means. Beautiful isn't any number or set of numbers.

Beautiful...

I want you to look at that word again. See what I see. The word has nine letters but only one of them is repeated.

beautiful

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