Why I Took a Break From Blogging

A few months ago, i had a very interesting response from someone (a woman I highly respect) in regards to this blog. 

"Well, I enjoyed reading your blog until you started posting pictures of those girls with zero body fat and glorifying them like they are the ideal woman. I doubt most of those girls even have a period." 

Her words were disheartening. My intentions were/are not to make "normal" women feel "bad" about their bodies; only encourage and inspire us to all pursue health and fitness. For me, pictures like this:

 @laurasykora

Don't make me feel bad about my body but motivate me to get to the gym and work it out. hard; and NOT because I want to be skinny but desire to maintain long, lean, defined muscle. In my opinion, muscle says "yeah, I work hard and I care." 

And when I say muscle, I mean this...

 

And not this...(even though the dress is fabulous)

And NOT this.... 

 

When we eat healthfully and exercise 5 days a week, our bodies DO become harder, and more defined, with smaller fat cells. It's just what happens. And while the "perfect" body is 100% unattainable for me, a healthy toned body IS attainable (at least until I have kids! lol.).

And it's really, really not about what is on the exterior. 

Someone who is super health conscious and stressed out about it is most likely doing more harm than good, because of all the horrible things that stress does to the body. A healthy heart and mind is JUST as important as eating consciously and getting that heart rate up. SLEEP is super important too! And probably my biggest weakness. I am addicted to staying up late! It's terrible. 

We all have things we are working on. If the images on my blog cause you to feel insecure, or hateful, or obsessed, please send me an email and I will take the picture down. I don't want to create unhealthy thinking in the pursuit of an "ideal". God created your body to be your body, not Miranda Kerr's. You were created for a specific purpose, and your body was crafted for a specific purpose. 

If you are overweight or feel overweight and hate yourself for it, try to reverse your thinking.

Try to focus on what you are putting inside your body, instead of what the outside looks like. 

You will begin to love your body for what it can do rather than how it attracts people to you. 

You'll begin to love yourself, and instead of eating that piece of celery because it only has like 10 calories a stalk (exaggeration, I know!), you'll be eating it because of it's rich vitamin C content. 

You'll drink a green smoothie and appreciate all of the vitamins and minerals that are nourishing your system, and when you're hungry at 3pm you'll reach for some almond butter and apples, because you'll actually be able to taste the real sugar and enjoy the healthy fat. 

Work on the inside, and the outside will come with time. You won't feed your dog chocolate because it's bad for his digestion, so why do you put processed chemicals inside your stomach when you KNOW it is terrible for you? 

Yo Yo dieting is all because of your MINDSET. I used to do it when I had an eating disorder and STILL feel the temptation to do it, but the mentality is sickening. It's so vain! It's all about losing five pounds here, ten pounds there, and it's not about inner holistic health.

Quit the yoyoing. think about your BODY and what you are putting into it. Think whole foods, ones that aren't processed, ones that have a readable lable. If you can't read the ingredients, don't buy it. Stay away from sugars that will spike your stress levels. Pray. Relax. Go for a walk and enjoy the weather. Read a book. Laugh. Be with people. Make friends. Turn off the TV.

Cultivate a spirit of humility, 

a smile of joy, 

a calm center, 

a servant attitude toward the world around you, 

and you will begin to FEEL amazing. 

You'll be full of energy. 

You will look forward to your day at school, or the office, or your children, because you will soak in every moment and appreciate this beautiful life.

After a couple months contemplating the future of this blog, I will continue to post pics of women doing amazing things like kipping pull ups and handstands, because those women are amazing and they are an inspiration regarding how I want to live my life to the fullest and perform everything to the best of my ability. It's not about how they "look," but about their commitment and resolve to live a passionate life.

Take a deep breath. 

<3 Beth