: lets talk about body image! :

oh hey!
lets talk, shall we?
you have pinterest, right?
do you have a fitness/health board? [view mine here]

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i love perusing the 'fitness' section of pinterest ; i like looking for fun quotes, new songs, and other pieces of inspiration.
but i have got to say ; my blood boils at the lack of credit women give themselves [and their bodies!] 
there are so many 'pins' of ridiculously thin [unhealthy?] women/girls, so many quotes & sayings talking about being thin and doing whatever it takes to be tiny [including 1,000 calorie diets and unhealthy juice fasts]
it breaks my heart. and honestly, it makes me upset!

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i *loathe* the amount of negativity//longing//jealousy women have for smaller bodies.
why aren't we talking about being healthy?!?

the majority of my life, i have never thought about body image [seriously!]. i have always been a little larger than average [140-160 pounds ; 5'8], but confident and active. i have always been surrounded by people that love me and never engaged in disordered eating. i grew up fishing, playing ball, riding bikes, ect.
and as an adult, i love being active.
i have run 5/10k's, a half-marathon, done long bike rides and even did an inline marathon [26.2 miles on rollerblades]
blake and i are bike commuters ; i love doing zumba, p90x & going for walks around the lake.
i always do 20 push-ups before bed and tell myself throughout the day that i am strong and can do anything.

a bad break-up the year before i met blake really rocked me. i became really obsessed with losing the 15 pounds i gained while living on the east coast. i counted every calorie, and binged on peanut butter. i had such a disordered way of thinking, but i just couldn't snap out of it.

enter blake. *poof* almost overnight, i got over it. it took a lot of crying and talking, but i really started living with intention.
i stopped weighing myself. i eat what i want when i am hungry [i have a nasty dairy intolerance & i dont eat animals]. some nights, we have chocolate chip pancakes for supper. and some days, i make an avocado sandwich at 3pm. i dont starve myself, and i never beat myself up over my choices.

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i make sure to exercise 5-7 days a week ; usually for 45 min to an hour.
its not a chore and i never do it as punishment.
i do it because it makes me strong. keeps me healthy. i sleep better. and it gives me lots of energy for *really* long days.

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blake and i are committed to each other. we both have tons of friends that have gotten married, had kids and let their health fall to the wayside. i love my partner and he loves me ; and because of that, we owe it to one another to continue to eat well and take care of ourselves.

so what do we [women] do here?
take it slow.
drink more water. eat a lot of natural foods [fruits/veggies]
think of all the *amazing* things your body can do.
move every day!
and be good to yourself! [you are the only body you have!]

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