Weight: it's such a controversial topic. I admire people who are content with their weight, especially when they're not a size 2/4 (like me - so no, please for the love of God stop saying I'm a size 0; I'm not, and I'm completely okay with that). People can look at gaining weight and think, 'it's okay - my body is changing'... and I shudder. Now, I believe everyone should have good body image, and love their bodies just the way they are - I mean, people don't just gain weight for fun; sometimes (because of pregnancy, serious injuries that prevent physical activity, etc.) it happens for real reasons - i.e. someone not just being lazy and eating crap food all the time.
But me? I'm going to be that crazy lady who's working out like a maniac until God takes me from His green earth, I already know that. I have a passion for healthy living - and that encompasses the physical, mental/emotional, and the spiritual. If any of those things are not being taken care of, it's a real issue to me. And I also love the way I look, just as I am. If I gained even ten pounds I would have major problems with that.
Here's where I'm going to get controversial (at least to some people). Someday I'm going to get married (most likely). And here's the hard fact: I already know I wouldn't be able to Stand being with someone who didn't work out as much (or even more, I guess!) as me. First of all, I think being a girl who works out six days a week (when it's usually the guy who loves to be pumping iron instead of the girl) warrants it. Secondly, um... have you Seen me? I'm Tiny! As in, 5' 1'', 105 pounds. A guy who is even average height that's overweight is going to Crush me. My last ex was fat. And when we made out it was like a beached whale was laying on top of me. (Now, I know that muscle weighs more than fat - so we're talking about enough fat to make up for that.) And, I mean... muscle just Looks better than fat.
It really, genuinely turns me off when a guy says he'll love me no matter what I look like or weigh; in fact, I take offense at that. So, does it not matter to him how I look?? I don't understand that comment. I'm no magazine model, but I know that to some extent I am beautiful (inside and out). I appreciate that he'll love me when I have wrinkles and age spots and things like that, but... a comment like that denotes to some extent (at least, it's my perception that this is true) that they don't care about their own weight, and that they assume their partner feels the same way. Not true with me. As someone aptly said, physical/sexual attraction and love go hand in hand...
But it's not just about the physical appearance, lest I sound completely vain and disgusting. I work out six days a week, I eat well (with a vegetarian diet), and I get enough sleep almost every single night; I'm working toward thinking more and more positively every day, I have a relationship with God, and I revel in the things I'm passionate about; I practice my violin hours every day; and even when I'm stressed and busy to the max, I still make time for the people who matter to me. I believe in constant maintenance - in how I look, feel, think, and work, as well as in my relationships. 'Letting myself go' in any sense of the term is something I shudder to think about. Here's why. We only get one body. It eventually does age, and with that comes complications. But here's the thing: by treating your body right, you can live a longer, fuller, and more fulfilled life. I believe in living every day, every moment, to the fullest. I knew someone once who refused to eat healthy or work out; he had small (or practically no) dreams, and lived a small life, wherein he thought negative things most of the time. It wasn't until later that I realized it, but... he is dead before his time. Oh, he's still breathing. But he's far from living.
So many people wake up in middle age or later, when they have health issues. They visit their doctors again and again, taking medications they hope will fix their problems - or at least take away their symptoms. Eventually they get surgery, sometimes many surgeries. Their muscles are weak, and cannot help them to a speedy recovery of any kind. They listen too much to their doctors and not enough to their bodies (hello, don't you know - most doctors are just in it to make money? Those prescriptions they give you are the newest thing they've been paid to peddle; but this is for a different post entirely). They don't know what foods they should be eating that could help them with their diseases (because they haven't been eating healthy all along). Maybe they live long, maybe they don't; it's really sort of a toss-up.
I'll tell you what this is: it's bad planning. If you know your body is eventually going to decline, why are you not working out, eating right, and taking care of yourself in every aspect Now, before it's too late? Why do people need to get a disease before they decide to live a healthier life? What ever happened to preventative medicine?
I don't look my age - many people have said it. And I'm proud of that fact. God gave me a strong body, and with all that I do, I am truly taking care of it. In this way, it is also a charge from God to exercise, eat right, sleep enough, and be disciplined about it.
In terms of other maintenance, why do so many marriages end up in divorce? I believe the first factor is that they married the wrong person. I know it's sort of taboo to give that sort of advice, especially to unhappily married people. But, if you married an asshole, you married an asshole; simple as that. The second factor is lack of maintenance. I don't plan on being any less romantic or poetic or any of that as my marriage goes on. Michael J. Fox once said, as marriage advice, that one should be prepared to fall in love all over again every day - and that's first and foremost a choice.
Nothing good comes for free. If I support any cliche, it is this one - because it is so true, and it's the bedrock of how I live my life. I don't expect anyone to give me anything. (Though it'd be nice if someone gave me about $150,000 right about now so I wouldn't be broke and owe my next 20 years to the government and every bank I've had to borrow from for college.) In fact, I'd Always rather work for something. Because you know what? When I finally achieve that thing I was working toward, it will mean more to me. And when I'm done with that? There will be more to work toward. Work has such a terrible connotation sometimes; if people don't live with their hearts put toward everything they do, and don't do everything with gratefulness and passion, then it's not work: it's torture. But I digress.
My ultimate point is this: life is a gift. Don't waste it hating your body, OR not taking care of yourself. Do your best in everything, and life will reward you - even if it takes more time than you'd like.
