Saturday 16 August 2014

Lets do the time warp again!

My weekly roundup: 
My path to health is only beginning. Last night I was look through old albums on Facebook and stumbled across my sweet 16th birthday. I remember feeling great about my health and fitting into my size 6 birthday dress with ease. At that time I was still discontent with my body. I thought, my stomach was fat, my arms weren't tone, my sides had love handles. That's not to say I wasn't happy, I just wasn't a hundred percent happy with the way I looked. I'm a firm believer of self-improvement that there is always room for improvement, to be a better version of oneself. 

But looking at those photos now, I wish I looked liked that. I wish my arms were that slim, my waist was that small, my clavicle (collar bone) that prominent. I think we can all relate to a time where we've complained about not being slim enough then looked backed 6 months, a year on and wish to be how we were previously. 
It's sad that our perception of ourselves are that warped. It stems from the distortion in the media, where the girl in the ad doesn't look like the girl in the ad. And society's pressure and preconceptions on girls and women. 

In tenth grade I led a fairly healthy lifestyle, I would say it was my most healthy period but also not.
I walked to school every morning, 3km and back home if the weather permitted. I ate only all natural produce consisting of fruit salads, yogurt, vegetables and strangely enough steak. I did moderate home pilates, twice a day. I swear by these videos; The Beach Bum Workout series which can be found on youtube, Bum, Tum and Legs.
Beware of the legs, after the first attempt I could barely walk down the stairs the next day.

However in hindsight and having a better understanding, now, of nutrition and my own body. I was depriving my body of essential nutrients such as fats and carbohydrates. I would't touch any carbs.

 In 2010 I weighed 46kg (101 pounds) I'm 156cm (5'1)
I would love to be the same weight and body figure today but that's not realistic. I was sixteen, I'm going on 20 this coming December. No one should expect to maintain their adolescent body. We grow into our figures, become curvier, taller, wider we become shapely women and it's natural. The media and the world expect women to have a 14-year-old's figure with boobs and ass.  We as females expect the same idea. I'm telling you that's not the case it doesn't represent or account growth or development.

My old mentality was to be slim, dainty. Skinny. I aspired to a flat stomach, wafer thin arms 
and legs that don't touch. This what I wanted at 16. 
I now longer desire to be this way, malnourished and self-punishing for slips of control.

I want abs, defined biceps, strong quadriceps, great calves and a nice back. Muscle. Strength. 
These are just my physical goals. There's more than that, I've learned to nurture my mind and soul alongside my body. Once you define yourself without external pre connotations, life gets that much easier.

Link to photos of my 16-year-old self down below



ME, circa 2010.





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