Woman to Woman

Lately my Facebook has been flooded with two types of status updates, sports and health. I say sports in reference to all forms of fitness but most recently football. Health I use a bit more liberally. Im mainly referencing the 30 to 40 different status updates I see daily where people are talking about food and lifestyle choices. And its the "health" status updates that cause me to want to pull my hair out!

I say this because recently it seems all I hear/see/read is people talking about food/dieting/clean eating you name it. Now let me make something clear before I go off on my quarterly rant. I am not saying that I don't believe in healthy living. I am not saying I don't believe there is a time and place for being aware of what can help you be better and what can harm you. What I am saying is that I am sick of the fear that surrounds food and exercise and body image. 

Now I in no way have my crap together. Anyone who knows me knows that this is an area I have battled my whole life. There was a time in my teen years and into my mid twenties where I would have really struggled to tell you something positive when referring to my body. I would've gone on any diet and tried any new work out fad to get the weight off. I was consumed with what I ate. How it was made, what was in it and how it would reflect on the scale later in the day. It was no good! In a lot of ways I was not a happy person.  However over time things began to change. I got ahold of what was going on and I stopped playing into what everyone else was doing. I started liking myself and I stopped being consumed with all the "what ifs." 

Fast forward a couple years and I had Lily. Wow what an eye opener! As a woman with self perception issues it was a true challenge to have a little girl come into my life and know that she would look to me to set an example. I have written before about my experience with peoples perception of Lily when she was a baby. It was those experiences that catapulted me into adopting a new way of thinking. I declared to no longer talk about myself in a negative light. I would not comment on other women's figures. I would never go on a diet again. Nor would the word diet be used in my household. I refused to give food, good or bad, the power to define who I was as a woman. I started teaching dance fitness as a way to rid myself of stress while being physically active. I stopped obsessing over the fact that I had a hamburger, fries and some ice cream and I came to grips with the fact that I will NEVER be a size two. I embraced the fact that I have latin hips and booty to go with it. All in all I decided to like myself.  Now I by no means feel like I am perfect and that I have reached my goal. Nevertheless, I am ok with the fact that it takes time to reach your goal and I don't have to feel bad if I hit several bumps along the way. 

What I continue to struggle with is the constant talk of what food is going to do to us. Lately its been the "eating clean" wagon that everyone is on. I am not saying that it isn't important to be aware of what our food is made of and what we put in our bodies. But I am sick of people posting pictures of food and labeling it "good" or "bad."  I am tired of people snubbing their noses at someone who doesn't buy all organic or isn't on the paleo lifestyle plan. Blaming food coloring for the way your child acts or the cookie you ate last night for those five extra pounds is getting a bit ridiculous.

Look I want people to be healthy. I think its important that everyone is active and eats smart. But can we please stop giving so much dang power to food. Be smart. Take care of yourself. Eat clean if you want to eat clean. But please if you eat a chocolate chip cookie or a soft pretzel with processed cheese from the mall can you just relax. You are not going to die from that experience. You don't need to post on Facebook how you having a cheat day. Why are we calling it a cheat day in the first place?!  Who cares! Go to the gym or the park or play your Wii at home. Be active. But don't make your whole life revolve around it. 

Woman to woman  there is a strong probability that at least once a month you are going to feel like a cow, doesn't mean that its true. Give yourself some slack. Eat some fries if you want to. Just let it go. We are made phenomenally. Phenomenal women are we.