The Perfect Body

This post is going to be short and sweet.
I'm still reading "Do I Look Fat In This?" by Rhonda Britten

I spend about 10-15 minutes a day reading personal development.  So during my time today...I was actually given a task.  That was to draw the outline of what I thought would be the "Perfect Body".
I was then asked to label it with adjectives that would describe how I would think or feel if I had that body.

I'm not an artist...and she said to just "sketch" it out.  So...that's what I did. I sketched it out...and tried very hard on my phone to use my finger and make my "chest" small, yet still curvy.  Man oh man...do I want a small chest. (Sorry to any males that are reading this...I hate my big chest.) Always have...and struggle to truly find the "sexiness" in them.  So my Perfect Body...has small boobs, a defined waist, toned and lean legs, and feels confident all the time.  Even in a swimsuit. :)

Now after I got done doing that...I turned the page...and was asked to sketch out what my "Perceived Body" looked like.  What did I think my body looked like when I looked in the mirror? Again, label it with adjectives and how I felt internally. This is what I sketched.

Sure...I'm muscular.  But I struggle to find tall boots that fit my big calves.  I can't wear very many "skinny" jeans because my quads are so muscular.  I would love to wear sports bras and tank tops and swimsuits that don't have to have a STEEL PLATE inside to support my "girls up top".  And for once...could they make bras in pretty colors...that also reduce the size of our breasts???  I mean...there has to be more than white, black, and nude, right?

I could go on and on...but as you can see.  There are some things that I need to work on.  I understand that plenty of people would enjoy the fact that my legs are so muscular.  How on Earth can I complain about that?  Some girls pay BIG money to have my size chest...how dare I hate them...and want to cut them off.

So...when I saw this book at the library...I knew this was the one for me.  I'm just getting into the meat of the book.  But I'm enjoying it.  It's making me think.  It's making me wonder if my Perfect Body is really that much different than my Perceived Body.  To me...I think it's my mentality that needs to change...not so much my body.  

What about you? Sketch your outlines...let me know your thoughts.  I'd love to connect with others that are struggling as well.  Let's do this together. :)

Do I Look Fat In This?

Do I Look Fat In This???

Most people are probably going to look at this picture and think I'm absolutely nuts.  And yes...to be honest...I would agree with them.  But that doesn't take away from the fact that I still ask myself that question EVERY time I put on clothes.  I still look at other women and think...do I look like that? Is that what my legs look like in shorts? Can I make my boobs smaller?...no athlete has big boobs.  Yes...those are my REAL thoughts.  I don't care how "skinny" some people think I may be.  Those thoughts are in my head.  

Yes, I'm a health and fitness coach.  I try to inspire others to make healthy choices.  I try to help others learn to LOVE themselves and know that the journey is just that...A JOURNEY.  I didn't lose 45 lbs. overnight.  I didn't learn how to food prep overnight.  I didn't learn healthy recipe tips overnight.  I had to go on this journey just like the rest of my friends and challengers.  But WHY do I struggle with this still?  Why do so many women think this way? Why is it so hard to truly find happiness in the way we look?

I truly think that as women we see magazine pictures that have been airbrushed into unrealistic body shapes. We see "skinny" models glorified on TV and it's constantly thrown in our faces as to what the "sexy" body should look like.  So the question of "Do I Look Fat In This?" tends to be something we think about without even knowing we do it.  That dang scale can wreck havoc on my current mood as well.  They say "don't weigh yourself each day".  That is so very very true...we go up and down big time...sometimes in the matter of hours. That dang number can make me think it's going to be a good day...or a not so good day.

 
So why tell you all of this? Because as someone who strives to help others...I have been working on the outside of me for years.  Working out, using different programs, cardio and lifting, etc.  I've gotten results.  Great ones at that actually.  And yes...I enjoy trying on clothes and going shopping WAY more than I ever used to.  

I've worked on my physical transformation internally with nutrition changes as well.  I now know that dairy and my stomach are not friends.  I've made the switch...and my belly is happy.  I have learned that I don't need as much animal protein as I once thought...and my my digestive tract is happier. 


But where do I need work? My mental and internal THOUGHTS that I speak to myself when I look in the mirror.  There are many times I "feel" good...and have a "skinny" day.  That's typically when you see a selfie on my social media posts.  And don't get me wrong...there's probably been about 10 other selfies that got deleted because I didn't like the angle or the way I "looked" in them.  But there are more days that I'm having a "fat" day.  Really????  I weigh less than I did in college and high school.  How can I feel "fat"? Well...it's real.  And I'm just putting it out there.  I need to work on this.

So I'm putting down my personal development books on business, entrepreneurship, and social media marketing...and FOCUSING on ME and my thoughts.  I've chosen to read "Do I Look Fat In This?" by Rhonda Britten.  So far...everything that she has said...I've been able to say..."yep, I think that." Or "yep, I compare myself to other women."

It may be tough, it may be a journey...but I know how hard I worked on my physical transformation...it's time to focus my efforts on changing the way I view my body in the mirror and my mental transformation.  Anybody else have this same issue? 

Maybe we could start a book club? Reach out...let me know if you're interested. I'd love to work alongside other women that need the same type of accountability and self-love as I do.  

Here's to the journey of consistently saying "Dang...I look good today".