Guys, I want to talk about body image. And aging. And exercise. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty. (All my Nacho fans out there, holla!). After a 7 month hiatus from working out, my body is finally healed enough that I’m able to exercise again. It’s been glorious! It's been humbling. And I've learned a lot.
It started with a step aerobics class that my sweet, encouraging husband invited me to take with him a couple weeks ago. (read about it here) Not because he’s a big step aerobics fan, but because he knew I needed to start somewhere, and step aerobics seemed low key. It was so fun. And it was hard! Before my injury, I was climbing 8 foot walls and 15 foot ropes to the ceiling. I could knock out 100 burpees in a workout. And here I was now, huffing and puffing in step aerobics.
But I was so happy to be able to move my body without pain that I didn’t care. That time away gave me a deep appreciation for a body that could move without excruciating pain. That mattered more than weight gain, loss of muscle tone, and a drastically altered fitness state. I just cared that I could move! My focus changed.
Still, as I looked at myself in the mirror every day and saw this new me, I struggled. There are parts that aren't my favorite. Because the thing is, no amount of photo filters, dressing for my body type, magical face creams, organic tonics and elixirs or spanx can change the fact that I’m a flabby, middle aged woman, with 20 pounds to lose, a stubborn hair that keeps growing out of her chin, crepey neck skin, spider vines on her thighs and a receding hair line. That isn't body shaming. It’s just the truth.
But guess what?
Those things don’t describe how my heart feels! My heart feels 20. Or 16. Or sometimes even 12. Light and young and happy and full of life! And when I exercise, the feelings in my heart become louder than the outside voices that fill my head.
When I exercise, my heart says, you are beautiful. Even if I haven’t lost a pound. When I exercise, my heart says, you are strong. My heart says, yes you can climb trees with your kids! My heart says, go ahead, flirt with your husband. My heart says, who cares about that chin hair? Pluck that sucker out and move on!
With time, exercise should change some of that flabbiness and weight gain. But I’ll still never match the standard of outward beauty that the world throws at me. It’s simply not possible. And that’s exactly why I love exercising. Because when I exercise I fall in love with my body for what it is and what it can do, instead of hating it for all that it isn’t.
Ladies, we need to stop lamenting the fact that we don’t look like the photoshopped models we see all around us. Or even like the other women just like us who we see on social media everyday. Instead we need to rejoice that our bodies can nurse babies and bend over to make beds. We should celebrate that we are walking or running, taking step aerobics or going mountain biking. We should be grateful for a mind that is fed and fueled by good books. For a heart that is filled with compassion. For a smile, even one without perfectly white teeth, that fills other people with joy and makes them smile in return. There is so much more to us than those stupid Instagram filters show. Or don’t show.
So let’s stop comparing ourselves to others. Let’s rejoice in what we can do and in who we are—flaws and all. In fact, I pray that we can grow to see ourselves in this way:
“She was beautiful, but not like those girls in the magazines. She was beautiful, for the way she thought. She was beautiful, for the sparkle in her eyes when she talked about something she loved. She was beautiful, for her ability to make other people smile, even if she was sad. No, she wasn't beautiful for something as temporary as her looks. She was beautiful, deep down to her soul. She is beautiful.” F Scott Fitzgerald.
Isn't that an incredible description of true beauty? I have that quote hanging in my kitchen to read daily. Because it encapsulates the kind of beauty I long to emanate, the kind that matters most. It’s the opposite of the beauty the world tries to tell me matters most. It’s a beauty that comes from the heart. May we all be that kind of beautiful!
Love you all!
Greta
And because I can't write a post without a book recommendation, here are 3 books on this subject that I want you to read with your kids. Because we all need to start helping our children, girls and boys, have this understanding of what true beauty is.
The books are:
The Velveteen Rabbit
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Wonder.
If your kids are 9 and up, I'd read all 3. If they are younger than that, start with the Velveteen Rabbit and then work your way up to the other 2 books.
And don't just hand the books to them. Read them aloud together! Let the stories sink into your minds and hearts. Talk about them! And then, revisit those stories now and again. Books are such a good place to begin to help our kids that true beauty comes from the inside.
