Who and Why?

Growing up in a society that praises unrealistic body expectations and beauty standards impacted my life more than I had ever realized. I knew, even from a young age, that to be “accepted” and seen as pretty, I needed to be thin. I lived by the phrase “if you can pinch an inch, you need to lose weight” because that’s what I was told. It wasn’t until I became a mature adult woman that I realized I was underweight for the majority of my childhood. This realization shocked me; not because I never knew how thin I was, but because neither did anyone else. Our obliviousness is a prime example of how societal pressures can blind us from reality.

Even though our society has evolved by becoming more accepting of all body types, I continue to obsess over the weight that I gain. However, I have increasingly grown tired of allowing my confidence to depend on a number on the scale.

In January of 2019, I decided that I wanted to challenge myself to live a true healthy and fit lifestyle. No diets. Forget the scale. I wanted to focus on how I feel. I hired a personal trainer and chose fitness goals that focused on strength and endurance. Meanwhile, I educated myself on the appropriate amount and types of food that I needed to gain lean muscle. This method of healthy living was new to me because I had only ever had experience with diets and heavy cardio.

After a full year of remaining consistent with my new lifestyle, I can truthfully say that I feel physically and mentally stronger. I still struggle with body image and allowing myself to gain the extra weight even when it’s just muscle. However, I have learned so much about myself and how to achieve a healthy lifestyle that doesn’t focus on losing as much weight as I possibly can.

The positive impact my fitness journey has had on my life in the past year is what inspired me to select this topic for my blog: Discovering Balance: What Feeling Healthy Means to Me. I plan to include a variety of information ranging from fitness tips, nutritional advice, and body image testimonies that I’ve picked up on throughout this past year, along with updates on my own personal health journey.

I’m thankful to be gaining more confidence every day–I wish the same for all of you. 🙂

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