Strong is the New Skinny...

I have been thinking about how I used to struggle to be skinny when I was younger.  I don't think I was ever happy with the shape I was in.  I was always one of the tallest girls.  I am 5 feet 11 inches, now.  Growing up, people would say, "She is so tall and has high cheek bones.  She could be a model."  HA!  Comparing myself to the models I saw in my magazines, I would never be able to be like them.  I tried.  When friends would say how much they weighed, I would always just say I didn't know.  I would NEVER be able to be the 120 pounds that they were.  Even at my skinniest, I felt terrible.  I was always hungry.  I was grumpy.  I was tired.  I was UNHEALTHY.

These are all problems that almost every teenage girl goes through.  They look at the magazines and the TV shows and the movies and aspire to be like them.  Uggg, it is the worst.

Now, I work out 5-6 days a week and most of the time it is when the kids are at school.  I wake up and put on my workout clothes every school day.  They know I am going to workout when they leave.  My seven year old daughter asked me the other day why I worked out.  She asked me if I thought I needed to lose weight.  Thinking before I spoke, I told her no.  I worked out to be strong and healthy.  Do I think that response is going to change her outlook on herself when she is older?  No, but I think it is important to teach this to kids at an early age.  So maybe what you say is louder than what the media says.

I am 38 years old.  I am in the best shape of my life.  I am almost never sick.  There is no fad diet.  There is no secret.  It all happens by eating right and exercising.  Who knew that actually works?

I find myself pushing myself everyday to challenge myself.  I can do things now that I never thought I would be able to do a couple of years ago.  I like being strong.

I eat better.  I eat actual food, not food that has been overly processed and full of preservatives....for the most part.  I don't deprive myself.  If I want dessert, I'll have dessert.  It may not be the HUGE dessert that I used to comfort myself with because I wasn't skinny, but I eat a reasonable amount.  :)

I try to instill this same behavior in my kids.  Food is fuel.  Would it be yummy to eat dessert all day?  Totally!  Would it make you sick?  ABSOLUTELY!  Just eat a balanced diet and go run and play!  Unplug from the tv, ipad, computer....Go DO something!

Phew!  Moral of the story....Strong is healthy, confidence boosting, and beautiful.

STRONG IS THE NEW SKINNY!  Spread the word!