Body & Soul Positivity : Staying Healthy and Staying Happy
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Ladies everywhere are depressed, angry, disgusted, embarrassed, and downright disappointed in themselves physically. Now, I know it's not just women, but us girls seem to take it the hardest. Why is this? Because a magazine told me I'm not good enough because my stomach isn't perfectly flat? Because some lady with a gigantic butt was on the cover of a magazine (covered in grease...) and my butt barely even holds my jeans up?
Screw them. Sorry to be so blunt, but screw them. They may look good (except the greasy butt, I'm sure you can figure out who I'm talking about) but these people go to extensive lengths to look the way they do - surgeries, personal trainers, ridiculous diets, anything painful and expensive to get the body or booties they have.
You don't need to do that. And you don't need to go broke trying to look like them. You don't need to look like them at all. You need to look like YOU. You need to do what makes YOU happy and maybe tweak a habit here and there to make yourself more healthy. The healthier you are, the happier you'll be. It really boosts the mood.
First things first DIETING:
After I had my second child, I didn't realize that I'd gotten "fat" until people started pinching my protruding belly or poking fun at how "extra healthy" I've become. Honestly, I looked in the mirror every day and saw me. Just me. I didn't see the fat. I didn't care about some extra pounds. But, it was hurting me mentally that people decided it was their place to point out my downfalls. (I didn't think it WAS a downfall until then)
It wasn't until my husband dropped me - while trying to romantically carry me through the house - that I realized they were kinda right in the weight department. I had gotten unhealthy and I did need to change something. Not for them, not for him, but for me. I needed to do this for ME.
It was that point that I realized just how big I'd gotten. I looked back through some pictures and thought, "Damn. How the hell did I not see this?" My body always felt tired. My bones ached. My ambition was gone. My motivation took a vacation and my pants continued to shrink. I'd never been that unhealthy before and it made me feel like I'd failed MYSELF.
When I decided I WANTED to go on a diet - I did an insane amount of research before I even picked up a piece of fruit. I took nutrition courses in college, so I knew how to limit my calorie intake and stay healthy at the same time. I knew what areas needed to be targeted and what foods would help them along. I researched vitamin intake from each food group and made a list.
This sounds like a lot of work, but it was worth it.
I started with a "cheat detox" diet. A detox diet is planned out to basically starve yourself for an entire week. HOW the HELL is that good for you? It isn't. < That simple.
So I made up my own detox diet that I stuck with every day for seven days - tweaked to fit my body, my lifestyle, and my NEED for food. I lose 7 lbs the first week
Note: I did not exercise one bit. I did my housework and errands to keep me moving, but no deliberate exercise. Here is an outline of what I did:
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At least 20 oz. of water.
Supper time: Small portions of whatever was for supper that night. NO seconds. NO pop.
Day 2: Veggies all day: Spinach, lettuce, (anything green), carrots, etc. NO potatoes.
At least 20 oz. of water.
Supper time: Small portions of whatever was for supper that night. NO seconds. NO pop.
Day 3: Fruits and Veggies all day (see above)
At least 20 oz. of water.
Supper time: Small portions of whatever was for supper that night. NO seconds. NO pop.
Day 4: Fruits for breakfast. 1 oz hamburger and veggies for lunch.
At least 20 oz. of water.
Supper time: Small portions of whatever was for supper that night. NO seconds. NO pop.
Day 5: Eat at least 4 bananas throughout the day along with fruits and veggies.
At least 20 oz. of water.
Supper time: Small portions of whatever was for supper that night. NO seconds. NO pop.
Day 6: Fruits and Veggies all day (see above)
At least 20 oz. of water.Supper time: Small portions of whatever was for supper that night. NO seconds. NO pop.
Day 7: 2 eggs for breakfast. Fruits and veggies for lunch.
At least 20 oz. of water.Supper time: Small portions of whatever was for supper that night. NO seconds. NO pop.
This may sounds painful (it was more aggravating) but it isn't. The small suppers at night time will help with those hunger pains. MAKE SURE you don't over do it though. Your stomach is shrinking so putting too much food into it at supper time is going to be super uncomfortable and your progress with be shot.
Like I said, I lost 7 pounds that first week. I was pretty happy. At the beginning I thought that this would be a waste of time and effort - but after seeing those 7 pounds disappear I was encouraged to continue and it made me feel SO GOOD about myself!
After I did this diet, I went back to eating normally - with the exception of smaller portions and cutting out fast foods. I increased my fish and protein intake and tried to limit my bread to once or twice a week. I began to realize how delicious healthy food really is and so did my body.
I was re-energized, motivated, SURPRISED at my progress when looking in the mirror, and people quickly stopped pinching my stomach fat....fricken jerks.
This diet won't work perfectly for everyone. Some won't follow it as closely and we all have different body structures, but it will get you going and it will help. Even if you don't lose 7 whole pounds, you'll see a few disappear and even those few are motivation enough to keep it up.
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Last thing on this subject - stand up straight. You are not a kangaroo. When you slouch, you bubble. Standing up straight and training yourself to a good posture routine will IMMEDIATELY change your shape. You don't need to suck in your belly, just stand the hell up. Don't slouch your shoulders forward like a bent fork, roll them back. Stick out that chest and straighten out your back, hold that wonderful head of yours up! You'll be surprised at how DIFFERENT your shape becomes if you just stand up! (Go ahead and try it)
It will also make you LOOK more CONFIDENT. And when you look more confident, you will FEEL more confident. Confidence is a very attractive trait. Not being self-centered - but confident.
Need ideas on how to straighten that back out? Check this out: Exercises to help improve posture.
Now - enough of dieting...
Let's move on to ACCEPTANCE:
Accept who you are. Accept your body. Accept your life. Don't put yourself down - but lift yourself up. You need to this first. You need to know that you are wonderful before you try and change any aspect of yourself. Look in the mirror every morning and compliment yourself.
Like, "Damn I look good today." "My hair looks pretty this morning." "My eyes are beautiful in the morning." Little pick me ups like that are a great way to start the day.
You get the picture? Don't do what most ladies do and look in the mirror to find something wrong.
You look in the mirror and find something RIGHT.
Don't pick apart what you hate about yourself. Find what you love about yourself and then work with the rest of you to compliment that part.
Next up STRESS:
DON'T be so f*@#ing negative all the time! I can't "stress" this enough. If something doesn't go your way - deal with it; don't dwell on it. Stress will age you, make you tired, make you miserable, and make your life hell. When something goes wrong, keep in mind that it could have been MUCH worse and you still have a crap ton of things to be happy about. Think about something that makes you smile, not something that pisses you off.
DON'T sweat the little things, for they are just that - little things. Shrug them off, you don't need those little things piling up inside you. Too many things lead to one giant negative thing that will weigh you down. Let go. Someone says something rude to you? Ignore them or answer them with nothing but your beautiful smile. (I've found that when you smile at someone who is being a complete and outright a$$hole - it makes you feel all giggly inside because they automatically lost at trying to ruin your day)
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And that brings me to the next subject STRANGERS:
Really? Why the hell is she talking about strangers??
Be nice to people, that's why. Smile at people you don't know. Say excuse me, hold a door open, pick up something someone dropped, give a wave, pick a flower and give it to someone who you think needs it, anything nice will do. Your ability to be KIND to people you don't even know will encourage them to do the same and it will brighten someone's day who really needed it.
If you're thinking - why the hell should I be nice when no one does it for me? Because that's what you do when you're not a j@ck@ss. You shouldn't have to be constantly rewarded to do something nice for someone else. That's greed. That's selfish. You don't need to get back everything you give out. When you do kind things for people it makes something inside of you feel good about yourself. It makes you realize that you ARE a good person and you don't NEED validation or a prize for that. Making your heart happy is a prize enough.
Alright, that brings me to the end! (Long fricken post, right?)
Long story short: Cheer up! Your life is worth living HAPPILY! If you don't like something CHANGE IT! Life won't change itself for you. You have to take control of your own happiness.
Now to all you beautiful people reading this: Have a wonderful day!
~MaryLong story short: Cheer up! Your life is worth living HAPPILY! If you don't like something CHANGE IT! Life won't change itself for you. You have to take control of your own happiness.
Now to all you beautiful people reading this: Have a wonderful day!
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