Changing Body Image and Insanity

Changing society's view of body image is so important. Campaigns like Aerie's no retouch and the slogan "you aren't fat, you have fat". are gaining headway in helping people understand how important it is that we are teaching people that our bodies don't define us, and we have the right to be happy and proud in our bodies no matter their shapes, marks, colors, etc. This also means we have the right to change them, or not change them.

I have been extremely focused on eating clean and exercise challenges this summer. (Obviously, this blog was created for this!). I finished the 21 Day Fix with pretty satisfying results. The other day someone looked at me and was like, "Why are you trying Insanity, you look great." A nice as this was, it really did irk me. Working out isn't just to lose weight. Though in my case, that is what I'm doing, I also do it because I love it and I personally want  to take care of my body.

We shouldn't be excluding women of all sizes in our media, it's not realistic and it's harming, however, shaming skinny women is doing the exact opposite of helping the cause. Instead of promoting skinny, we should be promoting healthy. A person can be thin as a stick and be the unhealthiest eater. That's not the point. Stop saying "oh you are so lucky, you can eat whatever you want and not gain weight". We are all built differently. This isn't news. It's also not hopeless, be happy with your body, and if you aren't you are allowed to change it without feeling shame. Just be smart, do research, don't get caught in the hype and pressure of it all. You can cheat, have off days, skip months at a time.

The great thing about this life is that we can pick up anytime. When I first started Beachbody programs I really really liked the quote, "if you are tired of starting over, stop quitting". I have always hated the word quit and I officially don't like this quote. You can quit. If you don't want something bad enough then, go ahead, do something else! If you can push through day after day because you genuinely like it, great for you!

Love your body enough to want to be safe in changing it to love it even more.

Every day of these challenges has been hard for me, I get discouraged, I get sad, I just want to feel good in pictures and the mirror, but I am loving the process, I am loving pushing my body and I'm also loving the mentality that if I quit, it's not the end of the world because my body is beautiful and the few moments I think that are enough to get me through.

I started Insanity this week with a low carb diet and I'm seriously loving the shit out of it. I love being sore, feeling like my insides are clean, and feeling excited for my next workout.