Accepting yourself

I want to start off by firstly apologising for the late upload…. : ( However, this topic was a little more sensitive than my other posts and I wanted to make sure I took my time rather than rushing it. Comes to terms with your body can be a hard thing to grasp, no two bodies are the same and so they shouldn’t be. I’ve never been “big” as some may say but that doesn’t mean I don’t have insecurities about my body. I’ve always been into sports and growing up I’ve found it easier to gain muscle in my legs as a young girl growing up I hated this that my legs were not “smaller” as I was not in a sporty friendship grow therefore felt as though I stood out. As I started to play netball for a women’s team I began to understand the way my body was forming and developing. If I didn’t have these muscular legs I wouldn’t be able to participate as well in netball. I then grew to love them!

When I started university three years ago that’s when I started to enjoy the gym more..(slightly towards my finally year but lets say the whole three years) I joined a gym which was a thirty minute walk which in some people’s eyes would be a no go from the start. To me this was my motivation to go, I could get a good cardio session in before I even get there, and it pushes me to go. I tend to lack motivation to go in my home gym more as I know its there everyday and its not going anywhere. My love for the gym grew stronger this year but I’ve never great at being a big eater therefore struggle to gain more muscle compared to how much exercise I’m doing. One day I tried eating like my boyfriend whilst going to the gym, breakfast work out, snack straight away, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. Let’s just say I’d never had a better night sleep before.. As a nutritionist has stated, eating less won’t shrink your stomach nevertheless it can help reset your “appetite thermostat” which would make you less hungry. This is why you should stick to the same routine as frequently as possible.

I have picked on myself both physically and mentally not to the point of tracking calories and telling myself I can’t eat certain foods. However, it’s the opposite I know I should eat more but it’s the frustration of not being physically able to eat more. I have learnt to add things to meals however to make sure I can push myself therefore adding a scoop of peanut butter into my porridge ( I cannot stand peanut butter but a girls got to do what she can.) Adding in an extra slice of toast/ bread to a meal and making sure that I have enough protein in the day. If I say to someone I’m not happy with the way I look the responses I get can vary from “why, there’s nothing wrong with you”, “I’d kill to look like you” or “there’s nothing to you.” All these would get to me as it wasn’t the point of I don’t like my body as I deem myself “big” I want to be able to have a balanced relationship with exercise and food I want to be able to tone up everywhere but this comes with time. Don't get me wrong I do love my food and drink, the amount of chocolate I could consume in one sitting is frightening.. ( and gin oops..)

Accepting yourself understanding, no matter your shape or size, your sibling, best friend, cousin or next door neighbour are not going to be the same size as you. I did a workout this morning with my boyfriend working at similar intensities I burnt 100 calories and he burnt 185. I don’t do it to burn calories but I sometimes get annoyed and feel like I’m not working hard when in reality what I should take into consideration is we are different shapes I have less to burn through and this isn’t an issue.

In essence of this, be grateful for what you have as our body keeps us going through the day therefore the way you treat it is how it shall treat you throughout the day. Be your own motivator and positive Polly. I know I give out sufficient advice to my family or friends when they hate their body so if you do the same, listen to yourself and start loving YOU. If you want to exercise do it for you, not because someone else has told you or because you want to look like all the people you follow on social media, be your own goal. Take photos of yourself every couple of weeks to see change as this will encourage you. Eat the foods you enjoy and drink what you want don’t hold back because “it’s not good for you” everything is good in moderation and life should be loved.

You should never look in the mirror and hate yourself, you have been given the body you have for a reason. Look at your scars and appreciate what you’ve been through. I have four scars on my arm from an injury when I was younger. I had to have metal rods put in as my Ulna and Radius snapped, I had to go through surgery four times. I couldn’t accept them for ages I hated them as I got told one looks like “a coffee stain” but I’ve learnt they are not that visible, and I am very thankful to still have my arm. Step off the scales and don’t get caught into the routine of weighing yourself and not seeing any results. You’ll find a love for exercising and your body a lot more when you learn to do this.

Sorry for the lengthy blog but this is something I feel it is good to talk about these things as we can get so caught up in the latest trends and feel as though we have to look a certain way, appreciate what you’ve been through in life or what you are going through and understand that you are unique and don’t let anybody else tell you differently.

Skye x