Acceptance - or Denial?

Today, healthy minded friends, I am going to discuss a controversial but important issue. Body image. This is a raging issue in the press...mostly because for most of my lifetime, the acceptable body image has been defined by media. TV, magazines, fashion - all telling us how we are supposed to look. Unless you've been genetically blessed and starve yourself, that's a goal you'll never hit. Nor should you want to hit it. Everyone has a different body type. I, for example, have a small bone structure despite my height. So when I was at my top weight I didn't look that unhealthy - but I was. The years of emotional and irresponsible eating had left its mark in a size 14 overweight female. You have to know what is healthy for you. If you are not a tall individual, you may be blessed with a fast metabolism. You may be petite. Or, you may have to work harder at exercise and mindful eating because each bite counts. I have friends who have a bigger bone structure, more athletic. They are healthy - their weight is higher than mine, but our structures are totally different. First things first - the goal of this blog is health. Getting doctor approved exercise in everyday. Eating healthy, mindfully - nourishing your body. It is a daily journey. Every meal and every snack is a decision. The next part is the controversial part - body acceptance. When I was at my top weight, no one called me fat. I was overweight and I knew it. I dressed in clothes that fit, as much as I hated buying clothes in the sizes I had to buy. The social construct of aiming for small dunned me. I didn't try and dress the size I wished to be - I accepted that I was a size 14, and I dressed appropriately for they size. Now that I am 40lbs lighter, I dress in the size I am at - small to medium. Even now, I have to maintain an exercise regimen and diet that helps me care for my diabetic self. I accept this. When I was at my top weight, I wasn't in denial...which would have manifested in "body acceptance". Too many people accept the shape they are in, when they are overweight, obese...or morbidly obese. By NO MEANS am I advocating self hate, but do NOT accept that being unhealthy is okay. It's not. You may say you're happy, but your heart isn't. Your cardiovascular system isn't. Your joints aren't. Your mind isn't, if you're eating emotionally. Don't accept being unhealthy. And unhealthyOften manifests physically in obesity, et al. Don't accept where you are if it's not where you should be. This applies to just about everything. Can I get an amen? Then there's the issue of modesty...but don't get me started. Tomorrow I run a 10k and I know I'm going to have to avert my eyes as I pass the running pants bought sizes too small, because that's what the runner thinks their size is...alas, no, and when stretched to their limits, those Lycra leggings get transparent. Ain't nobody wanna see that. But good for them for getting out there! Bottom line...health is a journey...every day for the rest of your life. Take the best care of yourself - that's the thing you need to accept. And don't accept unhealthy. It'll kill you. e b e r