Strive to Grow

In life, we often are never wanting to stay in the same place. We want to grow, mature, learn, become wiser, be better, etc. Becoming stagnant is not something you hear often when people list their goals in life or to remain at status quo.

We don't intentionally hold ourselves back from maturing mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. We want to thrive as humans, to be better the next year around, learn from mistakes, manifest in our experiences and what we have learned from them- yet, with all that being said we strive to stay as our "younger" selves physically. We try to maintain those high school jeans, those pre-pregnancy dresses, avoid the dad bod, fight aging with vengeance- it shall not WIN!

I'm going to tell you, the girl pictured above tried that for quite sometime. It wasn't until the last few years that it finally clicked in my head.

We are NOT meant to stay the same- size, agility, weight, mental capacity, skill sets, etc. 

So why do we hold onto the idea that we are supposed to be?

Do you ever think that all of this "anti-aging" is just us trying to fight nature? The size/weight at which our bodies naturally fall. 

Maybe humans evolved to gain weight as they age and in child bearing years (esp for women), to protect us/our off-spring? 

Did you ever think that being a bit "overweight" (btw fuck the BMI charts, I'll go into this on another post), is our body's natural preservation tool? 

When we get to a certain age when we can get sick easily and fall ill, that it's good to have a bigger body to sustain life and not waste away quickly and die? 

When I was a 20-sum year old, I was an idiot... I had zero self confidence and I made some serious poor life choices. I am BEYOND happy that I grew from that and have become the women I am today. I don't look back at that girl and think to myself, "I wish I was as oblivious as I was then and self conscious." - Of course that would be silly, yet if I were to mention to a group of mid aged adults how I wish I had my high school metabolism or body back, they would all join in and rally behind me. -DUMB. 

This is where we are getting it wrong in life. We are not supposed to stay the same size and being in a bigger body should not come with shame. Even though we have all been exposed to that bias and fat shaming for years, we need to overcome and fight for equality. Anti-fat bias is real, it's harmful, it's dangerous, and it's not tolerated by me. 

My clients know that there is no negative self talk or talking negatively about others. I've shut people down immediately because I can control the conversations in which I participate. If you don't feel comfortable talking about something, don't be afraid to ask someone to stop. You don't have to listen or participate. 

I challenge you to give a big middle finger to the diet/fitness industry and stop holding yourself to the standards of the past. This culture needs a wake up call to refocus on what's truly important in life. The HAES movement (healthy at every size), is what I'm advocating, for the human race. We need to see all bodies as beautiful, as strong, and most importantly human beings. Break your mind free from the mold, be greater in every aspect of your life, and refuse to stop/limit your living because you are holding your body prisoner to the past.