Biologists and personal trainers would maybe agree that it is having a healthy body, while as for psychologists and shrinks, I'm sure they would agree that it is much more than that.
I have been thinking a lot about this, and here is my story.
During the last year, my confidence has been at the bottom. Completely rock bottom, I wouldn't wear tanktops and I would dress in clothes that were too big, so that I could hide myself in them.
Eating and sleeping healthy was never a problem, my mother would help me with eating healthy dinners, in school, our lunches weren't too good and we had no cafeteria, so we were more or less forced to eat salad.
I was never skinny, my BMI* has, as long as I've been knowing what it is, been higher than average, but still not over the top for overweight.
As my confidence improved, I gained weight.
Simply because I stopped thinking about what I put in my mouth and lived my life to the fullest.
What I forgot though, was the fact that everybody is different, and just because my friends can eat pastries and sweets everyday without gaining weight and destroying their teeth, doesn't mean that I can.
Nature just isn't fair like that.
I was soon at the medical definition of overweight, and the clothes I once had bought to hide in were now actually fitting me, and some were even becoming tight.
So there I was, with a body covered in stretchmarks and the realization that "I am fat".
The honeymoon was over. Time to start changing lifestyle. Easy.
Or not. Living life "on the go" makes it really hard to find any time to work out, it also gives you a very limited choice when it comes to food.
Another matter to count in is the fact that I am only 15 years old, trying my best to take care of myself, it is not always the easiest. I don't eat candy, but it is hard to eat milk with healthy grain flakes for breakfast when there is white bread with jam to choose if I so preferred.
Now, it is time. Time to do something.
I have to do one of the hardest tasks I think I've faced so far, ever.
Trying to reach a healthy weight, and reaching a healthy body image at the same time.
In other words - becoming healthy.
My plan about loosing weight is not that important, what happens happens, but it is not going to be that interesting to read about. What is important when trying to loose weight is to reward yourself every now and then.
You don't want to live your life eating fiber flakes, every now and then you can eat the frosties, just not every day. I try to limit my selfrewardings to once a week.
But that is not too important.
What Is important, and what I want you to read and spread to your friends, family, anybody, is to keep a good body image. What you must realize though is that it will not happen quickly.
You have to be patient.
With the patience matter, I got a really good advice.
The advice that I got was: No numbers.
Whatever you do, no numbers. It is when you start counting the kilos and the calories that you will get a worse body image. You will think "why did I eat that?" or "why am I not loosing weight quickly enough?".
You will see the improvement anyways, you will feel it. When you eat healthy, you know it, and by knowing that, a chemical process in your brain will start producing rewarding chemicals and you will feel happier, the same for working out.
Love yourself! These are a few tricks to help you on the way.
- Try not to look in mirrors, at all. If you have a pocket mirror in your bag, take it out.
- When you do look in mirrors, think about what you like with yourself.
- Wearing make-up is not a crime, neither is straightening your hair or even wearing "body shapers" If something makes you feel pretty, wear it.
- Always believe that you are good enough, because you are.
*BMI = Body Mass Index. A way of measuring weight and length to get an idea of the ideal weight. What the BMI doesn't count in though is for an example of a person is very muscular, or as for me, has very wide shoulders, therefore, be careful, it is not trustworthy.
