A Healthy-Her Perspective
A New Positive Attidude
Hey everyone! My name is Katie Dunlop, certified personal trainer, fitness instructor and blogger (LoveSweatFitness.com) I am so thrilled to be a part of the OC Style Report team! My passion is to help others live a fit, healthy and balanced life. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to share what I have learned with you!
For years I struggled to find the right balance in my own life. I was constantly battling between my love of food and my desire to be in better shape. While most would’ve never known, for many years I felt self conscious and completely insecure. As hard as our moms may work to make us feel loved and beautiful, we as women have this innate compulsion to compare ourselves to others that we think are somehow “better” than us. In addition to our own destructive thoughts, our society is constantly bombarding us with images that we should, but realistically may never be able to live up to. And why should we? Every woman has a unique body and should have the right to find what healthy and beautiful means to her!
Still, it was hard for me to not compare when I was surrounded by girls who would eat and drink the same things I would, yet never gain a pound. Finally I realized that it wasn’t about them. It was about me, and how I felt about my body. I knew that whatever I was doing wasn’t working. While I was overweight for my frame, I really just felt blah on the inside. It quickly became more about feeling healthy than anything else. I made several changes to my nutrition and began working out consistently. There were no supplements, no pills, no “diet.” Just clean eating and hard work! Over a year I lost 45lbs and felt amazing. Well, sort of….
All of a sudden I started noticing changes in the ways my friends acted around me. Instead of being the supportive cheer squad I had expected to have, I strangely was met with jealousy and negativity. They said I was looking “too skinny” or “seemed different.” Well duh!! I freaking lost 45 pounds and was feeling beautiful and truly confident for the first time in a long time. It is as though the tables had turned, and now, instead of being encouraged during my change, I was being torn apart.
I can’t even begin to imagine the challenge of teaching our daughters the fine line between pride and humility. We are taught to be confident, but no too confident, but where is the perfect balance?
As woman we need to give each other a break! I don’t care if you are a size 2 or 12, you should be able to feel like the incredible woman you are! A HUGE part of feeling that is about making healthy choices. We need to remember we are our hardest competition. It’s not about anyone else. It’s about you and the choices you make each day. Will you continue to make the ones that have led you to where you are now or make changes to get to the place you want to be? Whether it’s cutting out sweets, taking a daily walk, or hitting boot camp; the little changes can make a huge difference, not only in your body, but in your mind.
When you are taking care of yourself, you will see results, and you can’t help but feel great! You should! Bare in mind, as you make healthy changes in your own life, you may unintentionally make those around you, who are not taking care of themselves, feel uncomfortable. That is perfectly fine. They need to deal with those insecurities on their own; your success should be a motivator if nothing else. You should be able to embrace your changes and feel confident in what you have done. It is NOT boastful pride. It is NOT conceded. It is creating a healthy lifestyle for yourself that will also be an example for all of those around you.
I challenge you to make a change this month. First, let’s change our attitudes. If you find yourself comparing your diet, body, life to those around you, STOP! Bring the focus back to you. What do you want? How do you want to feel? Once our focus is clear, it’s time to change something tangible. Only you know what is hindering you from the goals you have. Whatever it is, lose it. It may seem life altering in the moment, but I promise you will survive. I’m not saying it will be easy. In fact, it will probably be pretty hard. There is a reason you haven’t done it yet, so I imagine it may be tough to truly change it. No matter how tough it might be, it WILL be worth it. And when you do it, and you see the change, OWN IT! Do not let anyone else’s feelings stop you from enjoying your sweet personal victory!
