Body Image

I've accomplished some pretty cool milestones since my last post. 16 miles and 18 miles both flew by and surprisingly went better than I thought. I'm nervous about an upcoming 20 miler this weekend, but still looking forward to it. Alas, this is not what I want to talk about today. My topic is a little more serious-body image.

I went to the beach this week and to other people's surprise, and honestly to my own, I posted pictures of myself in a bathing suit. Showing any skin for me is usually completely uncomfortable, but this year I felt mildly confident in my bathing suit. I also wanted to make up for the photos that had been posted 2 years ago (against my will) of me on the beach. Being able to take a picture of myself in a bathing suit and feel comfortable enough to put that online is weird for me, but I do feel like my body is something that I've worked hard on and something I need to take more pride in. So why is it so hard to take pride in my body?

2017

2015

I've thought about this post for a long time because somewhere in time the words "fit" and "skinny" became synonyms and I'm just tired of feeling like I'm not fit enough or like people don't see me as fit because I'm not thin. When I tell people about my physical activity or my goals with running or lifting weights, people act surprised. I could be making this all up in my head but I feel like people are thinking, "Can she really do that? She doesn't look like she's in shape." I'm tired of this stereotype and I'm also tired of how this stereotype makes me see myself. I came home and shamed myself for eating ice cream on vacation and drinking so much. Why didn't I praise myself for running 14 miles and biking 7 miles while on vacation? I have to work on how I see myself, This is something I definitely realize, but I think we also need to work on how society views humans who are in shape. I don't look like a typical runner or weight lifter, but that doesn't automatically mean I don't work hard. I know people who are much thinner than I am, but literally never partake in any physical activity. What's funny is if that person told you tomorrow they were running a marathon, you might not be surprised because in looking at them you assume they are fit. 

I'm a woman who has a BMI at the overweight level, I'm also a woman who has completed 3 half marathons in one year and is working my ass off at training for 26.2. I'm a woman who wears a size 10, and can dead lift 315 pounds. I'm a woman who eats junk food and wakes up at 5:00 four times a week for my first workout of the day. I'm a woman who is running 20 miles this weekend, a woman who has lost 50 pounds, a woman who is goal oriented and works hard to be healthy. 

Fit doesn't look a certain way. Fit can look many ways. We all need to stop shaming ourselves and each other and encourage. Let's focus on what our bodies can do. Let's change our mindsets about what fit has to look like. Let's keep sharing the stories of ourselves and others who are being successful.

Nope, still not skinny,

Lauren