I don't know about you, but I follow a lot of blogs about fitness and nutrition. My Facebook News Feed is full of people I don't know who post motivational sayings and water reminders and what not, which I originally enjoyed. I love when a blogger that I follow posts a new recipe that is easy to make and something that I can actually eat. It's kind of the reason why I wanted to start my blog in the first place. I wanted it to be a motivational tool for myself first and foremost, and THEN anyone who decides to grace my pages with their presence.
However, in the last few months I have been quite disgusted with a lot of these blogs on social media or really any form of media. In my mind, being healthy and fit doesn't fit one mold. How boring would that be if we all looked the same or wore the same size of clothes? I often see pictures of women and think, "I wish I looked more like that." Or I see the other ladies at my box and long for their muscular legs and squat-lovin' butts. I hate that I do that because I'm a firm believer in loving where you're at and making the most of the process, but it is human nature to compare. I feel like this comparing to other women has amplified in the last couple of years and is going to have a very negative effect on our young girls and since I have a young daughter with an impressionable mind, I'm very bothered by this. Here are a few examples of what I mean:
Thigh Gap
This is a sad trend that is popular among adolescent girls. The thigh gap is not a natural occurrence to most women so it is sad that people see the need make their thigh muscles disappear so much that your legs no longer touch. If it was a contest of survival of the fittest, who do you think would win: the girl with legs that are merely bones covered in skin or one that has some muscle to run from predators or catch prey? If you just Google "thigh gap images" it is a very sad picture of what some people think it means to be sexy.
Here is a video from GMA about Thigh Gap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3D0jMIOK_c
What's Your Excuse?
Maria Kang is one of the mommy motivational FB pages I follow. I saw this picture right after I had Elie when I was feeling like I would never have a body that I was comfortable with again. To me, this was motivational. Not once did I think that she was bragging or putting down other moms for not looking like this after having kids. I get the phrase "What's your excuse?" because if you put the time in, you can look like this version of yourself, whatever that may be. That's my biggest pet peeve when people say they can't lose weight--all the excuses that follow. It has nothing to do with how many kids you have or how many hours you work a day. It's about what you are eating and how you are getting active. Did I look like this 8 months after having Elie? Probably not, but it gave me hope and the drive to push myself to limits I didn't know I had. I can tell you without batting an eyelash that I am in better shape AFTER having Elie than I ever was before--and that includes my college volleyball days! I saw this picture and thought, "It can be done and I can do it if I put my mind to it."
Then came the uproar from other mommy bloggers. Maria Kang was actually temporarily banned from FB because somebody flagged her account as inappropriate. She got all sorts of hate letters about how she must be a terrible mom because clearly all she cared about was looking like a swimsuit model. I personally do not know what kind of mom Maria Kang is but I think it is ludicrous that people can judge that behind the keys of a computer or smart phone. THAT is what irritates me. I struggled with this when I still lived in Nashville and I asked Brian if we could get a membership to the Y. I felt bad that Elie was going into daycare for two hours a day just so I could work out, but I got over it very quickly. I want to be the best mommy possible and in order for me to do that, I need to make my health a priority because I want to be around for as long as I possibly can. I want to instill in my daughter the benefits of eating healthy and exercising. It is also good for my mentality to take a much needed break from motherhood a day. Does that make me a bad mom? No! I think it makes me a better one because I was given the chance to recharge my batteries and given the energy to play and have fun her when I would have felt exhausted and run down otherwise. Am I saying that you're a bad mom because you're not taking the time away from your kids? Absolutely not! Surely you're more of a saint than me because I would go crazy. BUT maybe putting your health in the top with your priorities will help you out.
Bottom line with this one: I think people missed the point and ended up doing what they said she was doing to begin with--tearing other women down. How does that make sense?
The Bikini War
Ugh...Just read the headline and then come back.
http://www.tmz.com/2013/12/31/katie-holmes-jennifer-aniston-bikini/?adid=hero7
Seriously?! In what world is it okay to say who looks better in a swimsuit? Disgusting! If you really want to get my point of how thoughtless people are, read the comments.
Let's end on a good note!
Jennifer Lawrence
This is actually something that I'm glad made it into the media. I LOVE Jennifer Lawrence. I love her even more now that she has really come out and talked about empowering other women and how the media can be destructive when it comes to how women view themselves. This video is really awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SA1HampO98#t=96
"Screw them!"
It's New Year's which means a lot of you are making resolutions, and statistics show they are most likely going to be about getting healthier. I agree that we should all strive to be healthier, but for the right reasons. I have a better idea for a New Year's resolution. Let's try to be more empowering to other women. Let's recognize each other's accomplishments and listen to each other's struggles. Build people up, not tear them down. Deal?
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