Posted by AVM
And so begins the general malaise that sets in right after new year’s day until you see the first crocuses poke their heads up through the thawing ground. Gone is the cozy feeling of a snowy white holiday and in its place is the is-winter-ever-going-to-end attitude we all share. It’s inevitable. Let’s get through it together, shall we?
I read a lot of blogs. Too many. I’d say 60-70% of the posts I read over the last couple of days were all about how losing weight and getting in shape are THE resolutions for 2010. I can’t ever remember having another resolution, honestly. I’ve been on a diet since I’ve been 12 years old. In fact, looking at old photos of myself from high school and college – times where I was equally as unhappy with my figure as I am now – I realize that I had nothing to complain about back then. Nothing to hate. I wasn’t rail thin, but I was fine. Healthy. I looked great (ok, I could have REALLY used an eyebrow waxing). Maybe if I had been kinder and less judgmental to the girl in those pictures, I wouldn’t be where I am now – truly in need of dropping some serious weight. Ladies, what’s the matter with us? I want to go back and have a chat with that young, pretty girl. I’d have more to say to her than I could write here, but she is my inspiration for my new and improved new year’s resolution. I resolve to lead by example for my daughters. That means exercising and eating healthy and losing weight. I want them to admire me – not for being thin – but for valuing myself enough to treat my body the right way. And in moments of weakness, I promise to remember that this is for my family, three people I would do anything for, and a healthier life is hardly a sacrifice. I’ll be updating you all on my progress. And now that it’s out there, I can’t take it back.
January 4, 2010 at 2:09 pm
you can do it AVM! We’ll be cheering you on. Oh and I feel the same way when I look back at old photos of myself, it’s like “why was I so critical of her?” Let your post remind us to be kinder to ourselves.
January 4, 2010 at 4:29 pm
That’s the best resolution you can make — simply to aim for a healthier lifestyle for you and your family and being mindful of your example in that regard. After just hearing about a classmate of my daughter’s who is 2.5 and whose mother obsesses about the little girl’s diet because she thinks her 2.5YO is fat (she isn’t, BTW), I think the aim for a better role model is the best gift you can give her.
January 4, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Right on Sista! I recently stumbled upon a photo of me in the park with my son who was maybe two at the time. I remember that girl – and I like her. I posted her as my FB profile for a while just so that I could see her and feel a reconnection. Thanks for the reminder – to be kinder to ourselves. We accept others, don’t we? I think it was Nelson Mandela who said in a speech, “We ask ourselves, who are we to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are we not to be?…As we are liberated from our own fear,our presence automatically liberates others.”
Happy New Year!
January 6, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Great post! I agree….and I had to laugh at the part about your eyebrows. I always think the same thing in looking at old photos!!
January 11, 2010 at 10:29 am
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January 25, 2010 at 10:19 am
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