The body comes in all shapes and sizes and most of us find ourselves comparing our body to ladies in the media. This often gives us an unrealistic view of health, and our goal should be to find our best version of healthy for us.
When I started my health journey, I hated my body but didn’t realize it until I started doing transformation photos. During the time that I was at my heaviest, I noticed I only took selfies, I could hardly find any full body photos. I was ashamed of my body, my weight and how uncomfortable I felt in my skin.
I would talk negatively about my body, make jokes so people would think I was okay with my weight and I would hide my body with baggy clothes which made me look bigger. But it was how I was coping with my weight gain. It was unhealthy because the more that I would talk about myself, the lower I felt inside and the more I would eat (emotional eaters, raise your hand). It was this endless cycle.
When I was diagnosed with diabetes and high cholesterol, I had a choice to make. Do I continue on this road or do I make peace with my body and start the healing process. I decided to start healing.
It was hard at first to change my mindset, but everyday, I thanked God that I was able to move my body through exercise, and I prayed to see the beauty that was me. Slowly but surely as I began the healing process, exercising and creating better habits, I started to fall in love with my body. Not because of the weight loss but because I realized how resilient and strong I was. That I was blessed with a body that had endless possibilities and could change the way other women saw themselves. With my belly, thick thighs, and extra meat under my arms, I just felt safe, secure and I loved what I saw even if not one else did. I could see that my body was amazing.
Every women’s body is sensational because we are shapely, curvy, tall, short, we can bare children, lift weights, run miles, dance our hearts out and all with a grace and presence that is truly unique and beautiful.
As I’ve grown to love the body that I am in, I make it a priority to give my body the self-care that it deserves. I do this in the form of exercise, nutrition, adequate rest, stress management and daily affirmations. The better we treat ourselves and our body, the more you’ll fall in love with who you are inside and out. I challenge you to stand in the mirror after your shower and affirm to your body, it’s beauty, resilience, strength, abilities, uniqueness and how it allows you to live this incredible life. Start to fall in love with her again!
Jana’e’ Holmes
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