So I know it’s been February for about 7 days already, but I am asking you (yes YOU) to participate in this wonderful series that has been on my heart for awhile.
I am calling it Love Yourself February.
An appropriate month for love right?
It sounds self-explanatory enough, but loving our body is a challenge that women (and some men) feel on a daily basis.
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The true inspiration for the series was the countless pictures of overly-skinny or toned models being pinned to my friends Pinterest boards as “inspiration.”
This absolutely broke my heart.
I wanted to hug each friend with those images and say, “You are gorgeous and perfect the way you are right now.” My friends weren’t satisfied with the way they looked and were pinning images of what they thought they needed to look like to be beautiful.
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The thing is, all of these images are false in so many ways. (Not the kittens above…those are just plain adorable. The images of half-naked rail thin models is what I’m referring to.)
First of all, we all have our naturally healthy body shape. Some are thin, some are curvy, some can easily achieve muscle definition. Don’t you think that these paid models are at least somewhat naturally thin and or muscular? And if our naturally healthy body shape is not stick thin with muscle definition, don’t you think that image would be hard to achieve, not to mention, maintain?
Secondly, it is their job to look like that. These models get paid for the way they look so they devote A LOT of time to looking that way.
They also may not be achieving this body in the healthiest way. Women need a certain body fat percentage to function properly, and it is much higher than our male friends. Many models are at an unhealthy body fat percentage which can have damaging health effects.
I want to prevent my readers and friends from the devastation and sadness that comes along with aspiring to impossible “perfection” and falling short, feeling like a failure. You are not a failure! Those images are simply not realistic.
Ladies (and gentlemen), we need to love our bodies the way they are.
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Even if we need to lose weight for health reasons, this will only be achieved by thinking of our bodies in a respectful way and loving ourselves each step of the way.
I will be discussing these topics and ways to love your body, love food and love exercise in a healthy and non-damaging manner over the next month.
I also have some amazing guest bloggers lined up to share their experiences with you all. One blogger is able to share her experience in a fitness competition and the extreme measures these women take to achieve the “perfect” body. Another is going to share her experience with an eating disorder and how she has learned to love herself, food and fitness.
(If you have a story you’d like to share, or a post to link-up, please e-mail me at semihealthnut AT yahoo DOT com. I am open to more guest bloggers and will also have links to other posts I find helpful on these topics.)
I would also like to challenge you to focus on loving your body right where it is for 21 days.
21 days creates a habit, and loving yourself is a habit we need to create!
Love to all of you,
So, you in?
Also, have you checked out my Valentine’s Day link-up? Post your favorite Valentine’s Day recipes and/or crafts!
