"Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best."
-
Henry Van Dyke-
Day 4: Get Ready on the Inside
I recognize the importance of taking a day or two to focus on you and not so much on what you look like. That said, I didn't fully follow the challenge today. I woke up 45 minutes late to get ready for an appointment I had Friday morning. I could have skipped the make-up or the shower. Or even picking a cute outfit. Rather, I did it all. But hey, at least I didn't curl my hair too.
I learned from my 13+ years of ballet that I really didn't dance well when I would look in the mirror and didn't feel "pretty." Let's be honest, as a dedicated ballerina in a pre-professional school there's not many straight men. So, no, I was not focused on looking beautiful in hopes of wooing someone who wasn't even interested in women. Also, you don't have many friends in the dance world. As students we were always in competition one with another. So, no, I was not trying to look beautiful for other girls. And hey, I never had a ballet teacher who liked me. Most of them were verbally and emotionally abusive. So, heck no, I was not trying to look beautiful for them either. It was for me. There is something about feeling confident and proud of yourself. I knew I could dance my best when I liked how I looked. So, long story short, I have always wanted to feel beautiful...for ME.
Instead of spending less time to get ready this morning, I spent more time enjoying myself. As I mentioned in my last post, I have been drained. I really can't do it any longer. Life is hard. So, play hard.
My dear dear friend Erin and I love to do something at least once a week. This week we planned to go to Hee Haw Farms in Pleasant Grove to pick pumpkins and then carve them. I forced my textboook-school-homework-grades-obsessed sister into coming along. Here's some documentation of what an AMAZING time we had...
Day 5: Exercise for Fun
Okay, so I planned to go apple picking for fun as a mild form of exercise. But, the orchard we drove to was falsely advertised. There was barely any trees and the apples were already picked. :(
Here's the thing about exercise for me: I WILL go overboard. I see exercise as punitive. I can only think about calories and weight loss when I exercise. Especially when I do it by myself. If it's done as a fun activity with a small group of people, it's a little better. But, what's fun about watching the "calories burned" or "distance" buttons on the elliptical or treadmill? My theory is that if you don't like a certain type of exercise, you shouldn't take part in it. Do what you love. Life is too short to not enjoy what you're doing.
So, when live gives you no apples, you buy apples and make homemade apple pie!
Day 6: No Fat Talk
I hate fat talk. It is so derogatory. I literally want to scream when a friend or family member criticizes their figure or looks. Why criticize the gift of mortality? I understand wanting to stay fit and healthy, but don't hate yourself. You are beautiful.
This is the direct wording of the challenge: "The obsession with weight, shape and appearance continues among women partially because we encourage it in each other. We have made it unacceptable for a woman to be at peace with her body. Refraining from speaking about weight and shape--positively or negatively--allows us to focus on a person’s real value and worth."
If only we could end the enabling aspect of fat talk, that would be a huge first step. Don't encourage a friend to lose weight or criticize another. A good second step would be to end fat talk towards people we don't even know. Don't make judgments about people you don't know. That's not fair either.
Now, I hope you don't think I am preaching or blasting you. I know I am guilty of fat talk. Especially to people I don't know. I try to end it. The best I can do is only say it about people on TV. Of course, we are our own worst critics as well.
How are we to begin to love ourselves if we are always basing our worth on a number on a scale? It will never happen.
Well, I am still behind on blogging my experiences with "The Challenge," but I have a bucketload of homework to begin. I wish you the best in your endeavors to think and speak positively about yourselves. I hope I brought I new idea to the table with this post. Sweet dreams to those who are heading to bed and good luck to those beginning their homework (like me).
No comments:
Post a Comment