Relationship with Gravity

When you think of things you are most afraid of, what comes to mind?  I am not talking about monsters under the bed or waking up nude in front of an audience giving a speech, I am talking about real life.  I am talking about the real concerns you have regarding yourself, your lifestyle, your friends and family, and your future.  One thing that is extremely common among females in this day and age is the fear of becoming “fat”.

Over the years I have done a lot of research on this topic and I have found some alarming facts:

(1) Over 80 percent of 10-year-old girls are afraid of being fat.
(2) By middle school, 40-70 percent of girls are dissatisfied with two or more parts of their body, and body satisfaction hits rock bottom between the ages of 12 and 15.

Females tend to be deeply dissatisfied with their body image, especially weight.  Often as we grow up this negative self-image does not change.  We wake up early to go to the gym even when we are beyond exhausted in order to work off those two bites of cake we ate last night.  We turn down our favorite dinner appetizer because we do not want to risk the extra calories.  We refuse a snack when we are starving after lunch because we only allow ourselves calories for three small meals a day.  We only wear baggy clothes because we do not want others to see the extra weight we hold after giving birth.  We turn down a trip to the pool because we are self-conscious in a swimsuit and are afraid of what others will think of us if we do not look like a Victoria’s Secret model.

NEWSFLASH:  You are beautiful just the way you are, and NOBODY looks like a Victoria’s Secret model!  The models themselves are photo shopped!  You deserve to treat yourself a little.  You are doing the best you can and you deserve to enjoy life to the fullest extent.

I am going to end with a few quotes that really stick out to me.  These quotes hit the topic spot on!

“Is fat really the worst thing a human being can be? Is fat worse than vindictive, jealous, shallow, vain, boring, evil, or cruel? Not to me.”
-JK Rowling

Healthy emotions come in all sizes. Healthy minds come in all sizes. And healthy bodies come in all sizes.
-Cheri K. Erdman

It’s true, the scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity. That’s it. It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength, or love. Don’t give the scale more power than it has earned. Take note of the number, then get off the scale and live your life. You are beautiful!
-Steve Maraboli

Sources:
1. Andrist, Linda C. “Media Images, Body Dissatisfaction, and Disordered Eating in Adolescent Women.” MCN: The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing 28.2 (2003).
2. Cash, Thomas F., and Thomas Pruzinsky. Body Image: A Handbook of Theory, Research, and Clinical Practice. New York: Guilford, 2002. Print.