WalkStrong ~ Getting Past the Superficial Perspective ... http://mcayzer.blogspot.com/

How many times are we bombarded by media and society regarding the "perfect" body? How many of us truly believe we can look like "barbie"? Don't get me wrong, we all can strive to be healthy, fit and active to the best of "our" abilities, "our" body and what we have been born with. I believe that we can be achieve the aforementioned but not compromise our values and principles.

At what cost are we willing to look "perfect"? ... What do you consider "perfect"? It took me close to 40 years to finally stop judging myself through other peoples eyes. Even after losing a significant amount of weight, changing my lifestyle, and changing my perspective I still have had the unfortunate experience of being judged ... being told I am just not good enough to participate ... being told that I could really stand to lose more, tone up more and really become the "ideal" candidate. Silence can be very loud and those that judge usually do with their eyes instead of their words.

So, where does that leave us ... well I for one am interested in "Getting past the Superficial Perspective". I want to work with those that want to help themselves, work from the inside out, understand why they are in the health state they are in, work on the emotional weight which will assist in achieving their ideal weight. Our "ideal" weight is not based on a guideline, or a table on the internet, or what someone else tells me, it is based on my health and wellness. This is the big picture scenerio ... how long can we starve ourselves to anorexia and bulimia only to find that we have comprimised our health. As a recovering bulimic, it is a challenge for me every day to not fall back into old habits. I work on this to ensure that I am aware of my "triggers". These triggers are what pull me back into a unhealthy, unhappy and dangerous lifestyle.

Here are some things I practice daily:

(1) First, change your thinking
If you need to make some lifestyle changes to get to a healthy weight, you'll have more success if you first change the way you think about certain things

(2) I don't compare myself to others.
Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Our culture focuses much too much on thinness, and thinness is just not realistic or natural for most of us. Yet we feel bad when we can't achieve such an unrealistic body size. Body size isn't as important as being healthy.

(3) Pay attention to how hungry or how full I feel.
When you eat, pay attention to why you're eating and how much you're eating.

(4) Forget about dieting.
Dieting almost never works over the long term.

(5) I decide that I will continue to improve my health and focus on the following :
**Become more fit
**Lower my blood pressure
**Lower my blood sugar (especially if you have diabetes or prediabetes)
**Lower my cholesterol
**Raise my HDL (good cholesterol)


A healthy lifestyle can help you feel good, stay at a healthy weight, and have plenty of energy for both work and play. More importantly, a healthy lifestyle can allow you to enjoy your LIFE, every moment, every day for what it really is ... a GIFT.


(http://mcayzer.blogspot.com/)