web.
At first, I just didn’t get what the big deal was, but, the more I read about
others reactions, the more I thought about how it makes me feel.
There were 2 types of responses, the ones who cheered her on, and, the ones who, had
not so nice things to say.
I believe, in my opinion, and from being unhealthy, and now healthy, that when we
react to something like this, it has nothing to do with that woman, and her
body, and her question.
Our reaction comes from our internal dialogue with ourselves; it comes from how that
question and picture makes us feel about ourselves, nothing anybody says can
affect you unless it raises something in you.
I’m not going to speak for everyone, because that would be ignorant, but I can speak
for myself and probably many that feel like I do.
I can understand how that question along with the picture could make someone that
is struggling with their sense of self feel outraged. How dare she make me feel
like I don’t do enough?? How dare she question my reasons?? These questions will
only come up if you are truly struggling with finding a way to better your
health. I know when I was at my heaviest; if someone had posed that question to
me I would have gone on the defensive, because as humans that’s our instinct. I
would have cussed her out, and made a lot of accusations towards her without
knowing any background, I would have judged her, because I needed to justify why
I wasn’t doing what she was doing to make myself feel better.
If you don’t struggle with weight, self-esteem, confidence, or health issues due to
your weight, then you can’t understand. We have a lot of “valid reasons” why we
CAN’T do it, but at the end of the day a lot of them are excuses, because we are
scared of change, scared of failing, scared of succeeding, scared of the
unknown.
I don’t believe, she wants us to mimic her lifestyle, I do believe, she was trying
to make us think about our excuses, for not doing what we want to be doing.
If you don’t have any struggles with your weight, or health, then you wouldn’t have
a reaction to this question, because it doesn’t hit a nerve. You would just
brush it off or ignore it. It doesn’t bother you because it doesn’t question
you.
I did question my excuses, aka “valid reasons”, and I made changes, slowly, I
challenged myself and set goals, and I tried my best to change my internal
dialogue from negative to positive, it doesn’t happen overnight, and I still
struggle some days with it. I think that’s why I couldn’t just leave this
question alone.
I didn’t think it was fair, to read all the backlash she was getting, we may not
be able to do all she does, or heck even want to do all she does, we have lives,
with real interruptions to our schedules, I think what is important is that if
you do want to change your health, that you need to change your internal
dialogue, and validate that some of those “valid reasons” are really just
excuses, because you don’t know how to change. If it made you mad, then change
one thing today that will move you in the direction you want to go in. If in
fact you want to change, then you need to give yourself some time to do it. No
one is saying that if you do all she does you will be a happy fitness model mom,
not at all, but if we change, one thing at a time, we can turn our health
around, and feel better about ourselves, it is a wonderful feeling to know that
you can do it. It is a wonderful feeling of accomplishment, it will change your
confidence levels, not because of the physical changes, those are just the
bonus, but because of the emotional and mental changes. To set a goal and reach
it, is what changes you, not the # on your pants. We teach our children to
believe in themselves, that anything is possible, that they can do and be
anything they want, if they put the work in, and do it.
There realy is no better way to show my children that, that statement is true, then to be
their example.
I don’t impose my way of life on others, everyone has the right to live as they
wish, but I am a big supporter of those, who like me, want to change, who need
to change.
So instead of getting angry at the person posing the question, look inside and ask
why am I bothered by this question? And what am I willing to do to
change the way I fee