(April 2010)
I want to say thank you.
Thank you for the thoughtful, personal, soul searching, and supportive comments you shared with me on Renewal 2010: Time To Get Real. It's always refreshing to know you aren't alone. I particularly appreciated the comments and emails and facebook messages from those who have known me the longest or who know me the best. Many of the things said were probably hard to say and I am grateful for your candor and concern.
As I continue this process of getting real and climb out of this river of denial, I find myself feeling naked and exposed. Kinda like when you climb out of the pool or walk out of the ocean. Your swimsuit is clinging to every curve and for a moment you feel... naked... exposed. It's very uncomfortable and revealing.
Last week I stumbled on the blog of a woman who is beautiful, inspiring and motivating. In her life, she had to battle a poor body image, and overcome being overweight. Now, she has become a triathlete and marathon runner. This March, she ran a race that was 100 miles in Moab. Her posts are thought provoking and raw. People like her inspire me. When she shared the story of her struggle with weight loss, I found myself cheering for her, although she lost the weight (and kept it off) a couple of years ago. In cheering for her, I was cheering for myself and all other women who desire to feel good in their own skin.
There are many things I love about me, but I find myself thinking and saying negative things about my body. This woman's blog helped me see clearly that you can't separate the many parts that make-up you. They are all fundamental, even required, for the whole package to work. I really can't like my eyes, my hands, my laugh and my love for youth without liking or loving everything in between. It's all part of me.
"When you love and embrace it, you can part with it. That was a little secret I learned when I struggled for years with weight loss. If you beat yourself up about being overweight, it just never leaves. It wasn’t until I accepted how big I was and where I was at and started to work on things in a positive way that the pounds melted off. It was actually pretty easy once I got my attitude in the right ballpark. No more negative reinforcement, love it, embrace it, and then you can let go of it. Everyone's path to this place is different." -Sonja Wieck
Love it. Embrace it. Let go of it.
Powerful!! I am making this my mantra for weight loss and a better body image. The challenge now is working on the "love it." Honestly? I don't love it. I don't love being out of shape, out of breath and with such a lack of flexibility. BUT, here's where my A-HA moment has come. Although I don't love the effects of being overweight, I still can and MUST love me. The person. The person carrying the body. The person inside the body. It's all one. A package deal.
So, that is what I'm working on first. I am learning how to LOVE IT!
I would love to hear about how you have
overcome this particular challenge.
How did you get to a place where
you truly love yourself - the whole package.
P.S. Has anyone read this book?
What did you think?
I think I'm going to order one.
You should too!
