Don’t Worry About Belly Jelly
I recently posted an inspiring meme on my Facebook page, called Belly Jelly.
If you watch, you’ll see that the purpose isn’t to poke fun at imperfections or to spotlight how we look. The video, to me, tells the story of loving yourself where you are, even if you’re on a journey to change.
It’s easy to go down the road of self-depreciation. To look at your muffin top and be angry about it. To think that your thighs are too big or your stomach too jiggly. But this puts yourself in the wrong mindset.
It may sound idealistic, but my body is a vessel that carried four children. And when I think about it that way, how can I be negative about my body? This perspective gives me the grace and comfort I need to adjust my mindset when needed.
Today’s world focuses so much on image and appearance. But you need to find what’s realistic for you. Because as I approach 50, I know that I can get back to where I was at 25. With twice the work I had to put in then.
So many people fight the aging process, and that’s totally their prerogative. I used to be able to get by with eating 70 percent healthy, and I was happy with the way I felt. But with hormone changes and metabolism slowing, I have to eat 90 percent healthy—maybe even closer to 100 percent—if I want to maintain myself.
And, honestly, I’m not really ready to do that. I don’t think I will ever want to do that again.
When you think about your health and fitness goals, you need to ask yourself two key questions.
- What do I really want?
- How hard am I willing to work to get there?
As you age, maintaining that “perfect” body gets more difficult. You need to spend more and more time working out, measuring food and even depriving yourself of that one taste of sweets.
Personally, I’m not really willing to go that route. Life’s too short to feel like I’m depriving myself of a treat or my kids of time with me.
I’ve done it. I’ve worked my butt off to achieve an ideal figure. And I was hungry and mean a lot of the time.
Of course, you won’t know until you go on that journey.
I’m not giving up working out or eating right; I’m just giving up on being hard on myself. I’m happy being me and taking the time to feel good about myself so I can be a positive influence for others (my kids and family included).
