Here's where I have my panties all in a twist. So, you all know I'm on Weight Watchers, right? I've been busting my butt since January 1st to get my diet under control and to get my flabby butt off the couch a couple times a week in pursuit of finding the hot wife that's buried underneath all this flab and stretch marks. I know she's there. She's started to peek out a bit and I like what I'm seeing. I tweet about my journey under the hashtag #gettingmysexyback and I have a Pinterest board of the same name. I pin things to that board that I find helpful, useful, and motivational.
I have things like easy workout routines to help work on ditching my muffin top courtesy of my three children:
Outfits that I think I'd look hot in once I reach my goal weight:
People that motivate me:
What I do not have on my Getting My Sexy Back board is a lot of the nonsense that I see littering the boards of many of those that I follow. Usually, the pins like this are captioned with things like "Perfect Body," "Must Do This!" or "Work Harder and I can look like this."
It makes me want to vomit.
You know what? I could work out all day, every day and eat nothing but egg whites and asparagus and I still would never look like this:
You can't even see her face!!!
I'm working at becoming the best, healthy version of me that I can be. Sure, I might be slightly (ok VERY) jealous of Adriana Lima or whatever the heck her name is who can have two babies and still walk down the runway at the Victoria's Secret fashion show looking like THAT. Yeah, ok. I admit it. But when it comes right down to it, how on earth is THIS....
...supposed to make me want to go for a run? It makes me want to go eat a chocolate bar and curl up in the fetal position in my pajamas!
I'm never going to be THAT girl. And you know what? I'm just fine with that. I'm inspired by the woman in my neighborhood with four kids (and another on the way!) who goes on regular bike rides with her kids and looks FABULOUS. I'm encouraged by my neighbor down the street who worked her tail off to complete a triathlon....while pregnant! I want to model myself after these women because they are choosing to live their lives in a way that keeps them healthy and honors the way God created them. They're not modeling themselves after some unattainable, man-made version of the "perfect body." Instead, they're more interested in maintaining a well-functioning and happy version of who they are because that's what is going to make all the difference.
I'll never weigh 115 pounds. I'll never have abs like this:
As women, we are so susceptible to the danger of comparison. We look to others to be the measuring tape by which we determine our value. We think things like "I must not be working hard enough if I don't look like her." We pin photos like this to our Pinterest board as motivation because we think "If she can do it, so can I!" Well, we can't "pin" genetics. And why should we want to? Oh, the enemy is a tricky one, isn't he?
You're not pretty enough.
You could never look like this.
No one will ever find you attractive.
Lies, friends. All lies. I am all too familiar with these lies because I hear them every single day. I struggle deeply with negative self-talk. I'm my own worst enemy. Sometimes it is so much easier to believe that stuff than it is to accept the truth.
The truth is that we do have what it takes to be incredible. We don't have to have chiseled abs and butts you can bounce a dime off of for our husbands to find us attractive. We are really pretty amazing the way we are. God said so.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil 4:13)
I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Ps 139:14)
I am made perfect. (Heb 10:14)
Every time I run, it is to help me feel better about me. Every pound I lose is another victory against those voices in my head who told me I couldn't do it. In essence, the pressure is off because in the eyes of the one who really counts, I am already perfect. It's not easy to believe, but I'm working on it. Just as hard as I'm working on eating better and hitting the pavement, I'm working on believing this truth.
So do me a favor, friends. Stop pinning photos of celebrities and supermodels as your motivation to work out. Just work at being you.....upgraded. Fearfully and wonderfully made.
P.S. I'm reading a book right now entitled You're Already Amazing by Holley Gerth that is really opening my eyes to this stuff. I highly recommend it!!
