I've been thinking about this a lot lately - especially on my commute.

I'm 39 and my husband of nearly 20 years tells me it's taken me a LONG time to make peace with myself and my body.

As a teen and 20 something these were the images carved into my brain by society:

Long and lean meant beautiful and elegant.
Petite and small meant perky and adorable.

Sturdy and average meant .... sturdy and average. Come on, who wants to be that?

I see the same thing happening with my 5th grade students. I have a girl who can kick butt on the soccer field - but she's bigger than the other girls. She thinks she needs to lose 20 pounds. It's ridiculous. She's as tall as me and has some darn powerful legs. She doesn't need to lose any weight.

Being healthy is so much more important. I have 3 sisters and two brothers. Only two of us aren't on high blood pressure meds -me and my horseback riding sister! My two very overweight sisters insist it's genetic. Yeah - partly it is. We all have the same portly shaped thighs. That's not going to change. But eating healthy and getting some exercise would help. Those portly shaped thighs keep from purchasing the latest fashionable pants. I can't do low waist. But they are also getting me through a very difficult double century.

In conclusion - LOVE YOUR BODY AND TAKE CARE OF IT! It is the only one you're going to get.


V.