Accept You

I always have believed acceptance of body image has to come from within.  Meaning it has to start from within oneself to move outward into the world.

I am a big body acceptance type of person.  Just because someone is not my ideal of beauty or health doesn’t mean I have the right to outwardly shame them for how they are.  Life happens, health issues arise, or one might not be psychologically ready to make the change.  Regardless, it really is none of my business.  If they are happy then let them be happy.

I have been working on myself for me.  And I like the progress that I have been making.  I know I have some completely petty and not very PC motivators in my mind that keep me doing squats when I rather be doing a Netflix marathon.  Top one would be all those girls that I am 10 years older than who have pancake butt.  Bring on the next squat!

Even with all those changes that I see that I like, there are still issues with my body that I am going to have to learn to accept.  I can’t scoop the extra body fat into my bra and gravity is a cruel mistress.  That isn’t something I can fix with hard work and dedication.  That is something I am going to have to accept.  There are a lot of things that sometimes you just have to work on accepting.

It’s OK that we cannot get younger.  Embrace the age that you are and rock it.  I rather live this life feeling attractive and strong even if it doesn’t fit society’s standards.  I will not have a thigh gap, my waist isn’t going to shrink to a zero and I may always have a kangaroo pouch.  But I have a whole long list of things that I like about myself.  Some of those things are completely vain and some of them have a deeper level of meaning.

In the end I rather be a hot, confident 30 year old with laugh lines and the start of white hair that rivals a unicorn, than a pancake butt 20 year old who is struggling to fit with what the magazine cover says is hot this year.  Wherever you are in your journey, love yourself.  You are the one you have to go to bed with every single night.  The one you won’t be able to escape when the days drag you down.  We won’t get out of life alive, spend your time enjoying it the best way you can.