welcome to saturday sessions.

it seems like in the past few weeks i have read so many encouraging articles on body image. and i love it.
after writing about gaining 7 pounds, i knew i wanted to start a blog series about body love.

for me, saturday mornings have become a time when i take things slow. relax a bit (either before or after my workout). i love to sip on hot lemon water or eat some pancakes while i read through blogs. or spend time on pinterest. because you can’t pin just one pin. am i right or am i right?

so, i decided saturday’s are the perfect day for this series. hopefully, you will be taking the morning slow, catching up on blogs. hopefully you’ll be able to relate to my ramblings about how i am learning to love my body. hopefully i can encourage you to start learning to love your body.

just think of this as a virtual coffee date of sorts. just girlfriends chatting and encouraging each other.

so grab you lemon water. or coffee. or tea. or a fork for your panckes.
settle in.
and read on.
…

over the past few weeks, i haven’t felt very pretty, especially the past week.

i’m major breaking out on my face. i thought it originally was because of my candida, but my tongue is pretty clear, which is usually my measuring stick. i read a few times that breakouts on the cheeks and in between the eyebrows/forehead can be caused by digestive and liver issues. after everything i’ve been doing to try and heal my gut, it’s hard to believe that things could still out of whack…or that there may be something i need to cut out of my diet. or maybe i’m just getting acne at almost 27 years old.

i’ve been doing the oil cleansing method for at least a month now, andd haven’t really noticed a change. i put egg on my face and wash with honey every few days as well.
all i want is some clear skin. it’s been so long since i’ve had a clear face! i just want to wake up and have it all be gone! how do i make that happen?

i got my hair cut last week. it’s really short. i love it. but at the same time, i feel a little self conscious about it. i can tell it surprised the people i work with. and i feel like the short hair highlights the breakouts even more. (side note: as i am typing this, two ladies walked into starbucks and told me how cute my hair is).

it’s been hard to look in the mirror this week. when i look in the mirror, i see a spotty face. i don’t see glowing skin.
…

if i could wear flowy dresses and workout clothes every day, i’d be a happy girl.
or just walk around in my underwear (i hate the word panties!) and sports bra.
because i feel most beautiful that way lately.

when i read this article from little honey bee, i felt the exact same way. lately, clothes just do not fit like the used too. my muscles are getting bigger. i’m filling out in my hips and legs and those size o skinny jeans, made for stick skinny girls, are only making me feel fat.

in shorts and skirts, i can show off my legs. i can wear short sleeves or tanks that show off my toned arms and back.
i feel strong. i feel confident. i feel beautiful.

when i look in the mirror, with minimal clothes, i am happy with what i see probably 90% of the time. there are times when i wish my stomach was flatter and less bloated. or when i wish my double butt would just firm up. yes, double butt. if it was appropriate to take a photo, i’d show you.
but when i look in the mirror, from the neck down, i see hard work. i see muscle. i see shape. i see definition.

…
the mirror.
makes you feel two different ways based on what you are looking at. why is that?

the mirror should not dictate the way we feel about ourselves, but i feel like it does so much sometimes.

it can highlights those little, usually insignificant insecurities. do you ever just have those times where one little insecurity paves the way for other insecurities and eventually you just lose sight of how awesome you are? that you forget there is more to you than what you see in the mirror?

i have this week.

so how do i deal?

pray about it. talk to the Lord about it. be encouraged by read stories of other women that struggle with the same thing and realize that i am not the only one. isn’t it so easy to think that you are the only one struggling to love their body? it’s tough. and it’s tough to feel l like we have to live up to this idea of what is beautiful.

the media tells me that to be pretty, i need to be skinny. and have clear skin.

i don’t have clear skin. i’m thin, but curvy. now, my it’s not like i am super muscular or anything, but i definitely have definition. i don’t see many women walking around that look like me.

and the thing is, beauty is not just based on outward appearance, right? there are so many other things that make me awesome, it’s just easy to forget that when what you see in the mirror is not what you fee like on the inside.
…
i feel like i should have some big ending to this post. some tips on how to learn to love your body. things i am doing. honestly, i haven’t got it all figured out yet. i’m working on remembering that there is more to me than what i see in the mirror. i am remembering that psm time is upon me and that usually makes me a little more emotional than usual. realizing that just because i have breakouts does not mean that i am any less awesome or that people will like me less.

maybe next week or the week after i can have some steps for you.

but for today, you get some ramblings. you get my brain jumble. because if we are really enjoying coffee together, chatting it up like girlfriends do, i listen to your ramblings, you’d listen to mine.

i’d tell you that i understand what you are going through. you’d tell me that you feel the same way sometimes, but that it will get better.

we’d say we would pray for each other and make sure to encourage each other this week.
and then we’d chat about cute new shoes at target. or the cute boy that just walked into the coffee shop (and no, he is not married, like every other man in the indianapolis area!)

but i will leave you with a list of a few of my favorite posts recently (all featured on well, hello monday… posts) that have been super encouraging when it comes to loving your body.

* 50% more body love

* healthy starts on the inside

* cultivating a positive body image 

* we are REAL

* creating a positive body image (this is a podcast, but more than worth it)

* body image movement and embrace video <– much more to come on this!

…

feel free to ramble below as well. i’d love to read.

– jena.

p.s. are you loving your body? do you just have those ‘off days’ or weeks?

want more burpees for breakfast? find me on facebook. instagram. twitter. bloglovin. and pinterest.