I've struggled with body image ever since I was 10 years old. I was always worried people wouldn't like me because I wasn't super skinny and flawless. Throughout high school, I was so set on just losing weight just to lose weight. I wasn't focused on the health aspect of it.
Today at the age of 21 I don't fall for these fad diets. I don't try to starve myself because I'm scared of gaining a bunch of weight. I don't run every single day until I pass out of exhaustion. Today, I stand here before you with a goal of not just losing weight, but becoming a stronger person who is more in touch with their body.
When I moved out of my parent's house the second time around, I ended up gaining a lot of weight. As a kid, going out to eat was a luxury that I rarely got to enjoy. So as an adult, I went out to eat all of the time. You can only imagine how much weight you put on with living up the road from a Wendy's and enough money to splurge. I was absolutely disgusted by my own appearance. I couldn't stand to look in the mirror. I was terrified of ever leaving the house in my own clothes because I didn't want people to see how much weight I've gained.
I used to tell myself it was impossible to lose weight without getting on a treadmill and killing myself for thirty minutes a day. This was the biggest reason I never worked out was that the treadmill did such a toll on me it was hard to breathe, I had major headaches afterward, and I didn't enjoy spending thirty minutes of my time struggling.
The other depressing part about gaining weight is feeling so tired and held down all of the time. I was in constant pain just doing basic household chores. It became so bad I just got lazy instead. What I found out was taking a little bit of time out of your day to do strength training helps so much.
What I have been doing is just using basic workout apps on my phone for 10-15 minutes a day. I typically target my stomach as that is where most of my weight went. The apps I typically use are the Daily ABS Lumowell app and the 30-day fitness challenge app. They both will give you different options for what you are wanting to target. Lumowell has an app for different parts of your body. You still get tired out, but you feel so much better the next day.
I noticed small changes from my thighs, my spine, and even my stomach. I started to feel better in my shoulders and I feel a little muscle on my arms now. I don't get as tired as much and I am able to get my household chores done!
The newest thing I have been doing to help get more in-touch with my body is bellydancing. It's very fun to do, and it helps you loosen up your whole body and really makes you feel in touch with all of your muscles.
Am I still overweight? Of course. I'm at that awkward in-between phase. I wear an XL and a Large yet I don't feel like a super big girl. However, I feel like I'm not only losing weight but I'm strengthing my body overall and its such a good feeling.
My best advice to anyone that is struggling is to love and respect your body. If you look in the mirror and feel absolutely disgusted with yourself on a daily basis, try baby steps to work on yourself day by day. Some days you won't want to work out and that's OKAY. You have to take breaks! Don't give up and keep pushing for a better you!
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