Are you pushing up rain?

Thinness, the pursuit of thinness, you can't-be-too-rich-or-too-thin attitudes, are all so common in society that I know of NO ONE that isn't watching their weight, dieting or controlling their food in some manner. Studies show 75% of women engage in disordered eating and exercise. This doesn't include those with eating disorders. The overwhelming majority of women are scrambling to "control" their figure.

I have stated this before but the first lie to be addressed is that awful height/weight chart. It was designed by an insurance company. Can any good thing be designed by an insurance company? I am NOT condoning a "let it all go" philosophy, but that chart is inaccurate. Very few athletes, who have excellent body health, fit into that chart. It is a poor measuring tool.

The second major lie is what we all see. One hundred percent of what you see in fashion magazines is retouched. 100%!!!! Even though the pictures look so very real, they are fake, like a cartoon. Even in movies, actors have specific stand ins for specific body parts. What you are seeing, cannot be trusted, but it imprints you mind, leaving you feeling flawed.

The third major belief that is a lie concerns food. Worth, goodness and even holiness are connected with food. Food is fuel, don't give it attributes it doesn't have.

The fourth lie we believe is that OUR worth is based on our body shape. I am a huge proponent of personal responsibility and caring for what you have, but throwing a stone at someone who struggles to do this is just ugly. I know body shape is not MY criteria for friendship. So isn't it logical to think, there are others?

Now here is application, are you badmouthing yourself? Heads up, children listen. Children who find you beautiful even if you have extra pounds. Don't berate what someone loves. Keep those mean thoughts to yourself. And consider, you may not have "arrived" but someone may be looking up to you. If you, who they see as prettier than themselves as is, are "too fat," you have now put them down, because they "know" you are prettier than themselves.

Your worth is because God sees you and loves you, not your bag of bones. Your carcass is inconsequential. Just as food is fuel. Your body is a vehicle. Care for it, but it's just what your getting around in, not your value.

So let's go over what is normal. In what areas should you stop beating yourself up? Women have more fat than men. Your not a man. Your DNA determines this. So the super cut muscle pictures of men, are not achievable by most women. Due to this, men burn more calories than women. So in the same exercise session, they reap quicker benefits. Accept it. It is feminine. It is not unhealthy.

You need body fat for your NORMAL HEALTHY hormone balance. You need fat for your brain health. Women have wider hips than men. We are designed to bear children. It's OK that your hips are wider than your waist. We also tend to put on weight there, it's normal. And our shoulders are generally more narrow than our hips. This is not an issue. This is not a figure flaw. Men are stronger. This puts the unisex sport movement in a predicament. Women can have strength and certain women are stronger than certain men. But men have a higher muscle content. They are stronger than women. To try to say that we are equal in strength is not true.

Eating and exercising with the goal of changing how you look is one of the least effective forms of exercise and diet. Instead, we should be eating for nourishment. And exercising is a way to de-stress, to form connections, and to care for our health. 97% of anyone who looses weight, regains it. Eat and exercise to care for your frame, and if you do it right, your shape is a side effect. Don't put the cart before the horse. Keep trying, you will know when you have found a piece of the puzzle.