The "Love Your Body Challenge" Thread!

[Strawberry Squatcake]

I'm so far behind, but committed to completing this!

 

Day 11

My body deserves love because...

 

1. It's the only one I get.

2. It does everything it can to undo my bad decisions. I owe it more good decisions.

3. It can heal itself. Especially if I help it. But often even when I don't. 

4. It can move. The more I love it, the better it will move.

5. It can do more than I give it credit for. When I think I've done all I can, it proves it can do more.

6. It's with me on my good days and my bad days.

7. On the bad days, it might act like it's giving up, but it never does.

8. It can bend and stretch and grow and shrink.

9. It allows me to think and love.

10. Even when it doesn't want to, I can cajole it into focusing on what I want to do. Wake up, problem solve, be sarcastic.

[Strawberry Squatcake]

Day 12

Seven ways I've noticed a reciprocal relationship with my body...

 

(Input in --> direct output relationship)

 

1. Cutting out eggs and peppers when they made my face break out caused my face to not break out. Might seem negative, but it's really the first time I've realized what I put into my body impacts my body. 
2. I'm finally back to the point where when I'm doing some type of cardio, I get an endorphin rush around 20-30 minutes. I look forward to that!
3. The more consistent I am with working out, no matter how I move (but mostly have to really get a good heart rate going), the more consistently positive I am. I think depression runs in my family a little. My mom told me about her cousin who had an eating disorder and attributed it to depression. Her sister also over-eats and says she does it most when she's sad. I definitely celebrate and mourn and cope with food. So keeping my mood more consistently positive helps me avoid the eating to make myself feel better. 
4. If I don't drink water, I get a headache or my face will break out more. This_Is_Seth called water energy. I'd never seen it that way before, although it's strikingly simple. And now I drink water for energy. To stave off headaches. To keep my complexion clear. It's such a simple (albeit sometimes boring) thing!
5. Sleep. As a teenager I could run my body through anything and it would bounce back. Even in my 20s I slept little, and lived on caffeine. Now I see a direct correlation between sleep and my mood choices. I feel more positive when I sleep well. I can focus more. I am able to tackle more without feeling overwhelmed. And I tend to have less sugar cravings, and make better overall food choices when I'm well-rested.
6. If I look at my body and appreciate all it CAN do, I tend to approach the day more positively than if I look at it and criticize how slowly it's making progress. Positive reinforcement in. Positive approach out.
7. I realize the healthier my diet, the better my body performs. When my body was allergic to all of those vitamins and minerals, it was really only negatively outwardly reacting to magnesium. But since I've fixed all of those and am eating healthier, I feel so much better. Realizing your body really does feel/act differently when it's deficient has motivated me to keep feeding my body nutrient-dense foods. (Even if I do still splurge on some of my less-nutrient favorites, I do it far less often.)

[Strawberry Squatcake]

Got to another one on my lunch! 

 

Day 13

 

Experiences where my body has shown honesty or intuitiveness... 

 

This one was really hard for me. At first I had absolutely no idea. In fact, I feel like I can be pretty naive sometimes. So I had to really think about this. And strangely, a lot of my intuitive stuff I could think of was guy-related. Or someone giving me a bad feeling for no reason. Women are often made fun of for having "a feeling." Made to be dramatic or whatever. But, I think too often we shut off those feelings and regret it later.

 

One thing that I kept coming back to is when you can tell someone is interested in you. I've been single practically my whole life. And I've generally jumped right into the friend zone. But suddenly a guy will approach my space differently. Never being overtly sexual or even flirty or touchy. Just this new way he's near me. I generally push the, "Huh, this is new" thought out of my head. Then a year or two later they'll confess their feelings. I'm not sure I'll ever know how to bridge that gap without being totally presumptuous (how I feel in the moment). But there's a special thrill to the "energy" someone puts off when they're interested versus just being friends with you. So I guess I think that's a pretty cool thing your body/brain can recognize!

 

Other than that, all of mine are more negative/bad feeling sorts of thingst that aren't very uplifting. 

 

I also seem to be pretty good at reading a room or situation and adapting to it. That comes somewhat from being an observer/listener. And many people think that means I'm not being me. But I think "me" stretches across a lot of descriptions. So I also think that's something semi-intuitive I do. Although I don't think it's really THAT hard to read a room. Just take a second, and pay attention.

 

That's all I've got. By far, this was the hardest day for me! 

[Strawberry Squatcake]

I caught up a little on this this weekend. Still behind by several days. But I'll conquer it!

 

Day 14 - Compliments With Qualifiers

 

"You are cute." Although there isn't a qualifier attached, several of my guy friends say girls are either hot. Or cute. (Or ugly. Sigh. My guy friends. Where did I get them?)

 

Anyway, hot is, well, hot. All based on looks. Cute is not hot, but has a cool personality and you could grow to be attracted to her over time. I'm ALWAYS in the latter. And while I'd never want a guy to like me just for my looks, it hurts to know I'm not attractive on my own. Although, why? I think of the two, I'd rather BECOME attractive because of who I am. But society tells us worth is based on looks. So it's frustrating. 

 

That said, I'd like to drop the "cute" thing all together. It is confusing and insulting and frustrating. So rather than drop the qualifier (which is that I'm OK looking when you get to know me), I'm just going to say, "I'm awesome." 

 

I also say, "I'm strong for a beginner/woman." But I DO think I'm strong when I compare myself to many women, but then again, not when I compare myself to others. So, again, instead of comparing myself, I want to say, "I'm stronger than I have been my whole life." And that's true.

 

 

This day was really hard for me, and almost made me give up on the whole challenge. But I pushed through. I am definitely stubborn - no qualifier! Not my best work, but good enough.

 

 

Day 15 - My Body's Resiliency 

 

If I hadn't read ahead to day 15, I would have quit at day 14. But I can totally relate to what Molly said in day 15. Talking about not treating your body well, but it keeping up for as long as it can. Sure, eventually there's a breaking point. But when you think about it, your body is a lot more resilient than most people or things! 

 

I hate to even think back on the things I've put my body through. But here goes:

 

1. As a kid (all the way through college), I didn't eat vegetables if I could avoid it. My mom forced them on me for some time, but mostly by high school she let me make my own decisions. I did eat some fruit. But also lived for fast food. Dank pop all the time. Drank alcohol right up until the point before it made me sick. Had a horrible sleep schedule. Yet my body did well until I gained weight in college (combo of a sedentary desk job and post-breakup depression). So it did very, very well for a long time!

2. In college I really put it to my body. Lots of drinking. A lot more freedom to eat a lot more crap. Very, very, very limited exercise. Yet, when I got out of college, and finally watched what I ate and worked out, the weight dropped off pretty easily. Well played, resilient body!

3. After college I got into the grind at work. I wanted to advance more than I wanted to take care of myself. When exercise and eating right didn't fit in with whatever I needed to do to excel, they got dropped. I worked long hours, was going to grad school full time, didn't worry about the consequence, and didn't nourish my body with movement or food. 

4. After enough years of this, I was exhausted, malnourished, and realized all I'd accomplished wasn't what I wanted. I quit the job, and was tired. All the time. I was never happy. And I coudln't lose the weight I'd gained. Yet, I was mad at my body?

5. A few years of frustation go by then suddenly I have my very first food allergy. Then my second. Then I don't know what's going on. I feel terrible, yet am eating better than I ever have. 

6. Finally I find something that works for me. I feel healthier than I have in a long time. I still havne't lost the weight, but my body has proven it can bounce back from years of torment, and even repair itself after things go awry. I'm hardly 100%, but I definitely respect my body - what it has put up with and what it has bounced back from.  

 

Day 16 - Dress For Success

 

I'm not a huge dress person. But I am a huge jeans and heels person. I feel great when I am wearing a pair of jeans that fit JUST RIGHT. And I do my eye makeup. I'm very pale, so I have a hard time finding colors that flatter me. But I've found dark blues and greens and teals and eve purples look great on me. Brown warms me. And black looks good on everyone. Since I've gained some weight, I've had a hard time finding a pair of jeans that really hugs me and makes me feel confident. And I find myself graviating more to flowy shirts. But I have a few outfits that really make me feel great. And I might over-wear them. But I do feel better when I fix my hear, put on makeup, and throw on a pair of heels!

 

Day 17 - Connection With Other Women

 

Although I'm a self-professed daddy's girl, I definitely feel a connection to my mom with my body. We both have these weird things happen at the exact same time. She has shoulder pain just like me, and it seems to flare at the same time. In fact, I got her body issue where one shoulder is lower than the other. And one leg feels like it's slightly shorter. (I think she got this from her dad.) 

 

I also see the amazing conneciton my sisters who have had kids share. And definitely have a connection with many women here at NF (you know who you are!). I have a few friends I still talk to, even though we met over 10 years ago on a similar forum for a workout video. We connect in our shared struggle to lose (or re-lose) weight/or keep the weight off. There's a connection in the struggle, and there's support in the success (here and with those friends) like you don't get other places.

 

Nerd Fitnes has definitely helped me appreciate becoming strong. Really strong. The women here encourage one another as is often not true in "real life." And the men are supportive, rather than intimidated. It's refreshing, encouraging and so connecting. 

 

 

Day 18 - Femininity 

 

Huh. I was a little confused by this day's challenge. I don't know what level of feminity I feel is good for me. Haha. I definitely find myself feeling muscles and wishing I had less fat so I could show them off! I don't think I feel like I need to be any less masculine. But I do sometimes feel like society expects me to be more feminine. I have a bit of a potty mouth. Not to be vulgar, but becuase I think language can be hilarious to the right audience. I wear whatever I pull out of the closet to work, and I work with a bunch of guys who do the same. 

 

So, I guess some things I do to feel more feminine:

 

1. Wear makeup - the amount that makes me feel most attractive, which is arguably less than some people think I should. But also more than friends who don't wear it at all (or wear much less).

2. Wear heels - I don't wear them as much as I used to. I think I am trying a little to be invisible with my extra weight. But when I wear them with the right outfit, I feel great.

3. Paint my nails (fingers and toes). Sometimes it feels a little out-dated, but I still do it on occasion. And I love it.

4. Wear jewelry. I love buying semi-flashy rings. And I've made a few of my own necklaces that are kind of statement pieces I get a lot of compliments on. I don't have any fancy jewelry, but this is the stuff I like.

5. Decorate my house - all of my sisters say their husbands would never let them decorate their houses like I have done mine. And I totally embrace being a single woman with a house that shows off my personality! 

6. I'm not scared of PMS. Or telling others when I have it. Hahaha. Sorry, suckers!