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.
* healthy starts on the inside
* cultivating a positive body image
* 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.
Girl, you look great! While I sipped my coffee and read your post, your toned mid-section and strong arms reminded me I better get up off my bum and go for that run….bc I have been slacking this week! Haha, seriously though, I am almost 31 and every now and then I get a big, pesty pimple still… just had to buy fresh cover up the other month (which I was mad about bc I thought at 30, I wouldn’t need it anymore!) I think, like our bodies, we all have different skin, we just have to accept that we won’t all look the same. For me, my face always seems to get red and splotchy (pain skin issues)…and now that I am getting older, I am seeing wrinkles around my eyes, ahhh! Oh well, such is life…. 🙂 Have a fabulous weekend.
Well thanks! If only we just never got zits past the age of like, 14. Hah. Just get them all over with during puberty. 🙂
* that was supposed to say: (PAIL skin issues) opps
First – I love your hair short!!! I get the whole short hair thing – I like mine short for the simplicity but then I see people with gorgeous long hair and I don’t feel cute at all! I think that breakouts as an adult are often related to some type of hormonal thing but….
Second – I totally get the struggles. 95% of the time I’m happy with my body. However, there are definitely times that I wish I could put on skinny jeans and look good (never gonna happen with my hips!). Sometimes it helps to finish a tough run or workout and remind myself that strength and health is much better than anything else!
And, I think you look amazing!!!
Kim, I am the same way with the short hair. Every now and then I wish it was long and flowy. My hairstylist tells me to just buy a wig for those days! I know I would never have enough patience to grow it out any longer.
And such a great reminder. I usually feel pretty awesome after a workout, so keeping those positive feelings around is a good plan!
Honestly I am so so glad I read your post today! I have been having one of those days where I have been bloated from the moment I woke up, I have those chocolate cravings (pms) and have been eating terrible today. I haven’t felt like I have even had real meals, just snacking all day. It doesn’t help that I am sore too haha not in the good way but the don’t touch my side way because it feels like I got ran over by a car and my stomach and digestive issues have been at an all time high this week! But reading this makes me realize that you know what who cares! Who cares if I’m bloated, I mean it happens to everyone right. I’m not always going to feel confident and that is just life right! I love that you talked about your flaws too, it is so good knowing that everyone thinks they have them, so it is ok to not be 100 % confident all the time!
hey girl! glad you were encouraged by the post, but so sorry to hear about your tummy troubles. i’ve been there and it can be just no fun. hopefully you are doing better today. and yes, i totally agree with you. i think it’s okay to not be 100% confident all the time. sometimes those off days will come, and sometimes you just gotta embrace them and know that the next day will be better!
I love this post!! I think we are our own worst enemy when it comes to our bodies. We are so critical of how we look, even if we are in shape. I know I am guilty of it! Don’t get me wrong, I am happy with my body, but I always will find the flaw first before finding what I am happy with.