Ever been here?
Oops, all the measurements show this is the heaviest, biggest, most sedentary I’ve ever been. I’ve been dedicated to my online work and research, I’ve just spent too much time at the computer.
I could put my head in my hands and sigh……but no
It Is Time.
If I want things to be different, and I do, then I shall have to change. I’ve made a firm decision and signed up for a 12 week Fat Loss Program. I shall keep you in the loop.
Meanwhile let’s take a look at things from a slightly different angle.
Starting with weight
It’s all about fashion….
For about 400 years, roughly between 1500 and 1900, bodily weight and volume, for both men and women, had a strong visual appeal. There were variations according to country and century in this standard of good looks, but in general it was considered not only beautiful but natural to look physically substantial. Taken from an article When Fat Was In Fashion submitted by Anne Hollander The New York Times date 23rd October 1977.
Indeed the famous 17th Century artist Rubens’ paintings are of plump well rounded people.
Even to this day, in some countries like South Africa, Fiji, & Tonga girth is considered synonymous with prosperity and health.
Our current fashion, showcases the desirability to be thin.
However it’s postulated that scarcity drives up desirability. The more rare an item is, the higher we value it. So once we’re all thin, are we going race to be bigger?
Have I got you thinking yet?
Ok, size next
This one, as far as I am concerned is confusion central. In our everyday life it is most usual that we take clothes labels for our indicator on sizing. And that’s where the confusion lies. You have the different countries and their own sizing systems, but even within your own country it can be exasperating with inconsistencies in sizing.
An extract from the New Zealand Herald written by Eloise Gibson on 4th August 2008, Size Does Not Matter.. Our fixation with numbers is “obscure” given that clothing size is not printed on the outside of the garment.
I for one, do not look at what someone is wearing and try and guess what size that is, I am way to busy for that!
Moving on, I would like to share with you some current conversation I had with friends. A number had expressed their dissatisfaction in their appearance. Additionally when they were younger, for example in their teens and early twenties, at that time they were also dissatisfied with either their body shape or size. They unanimously came to the realisation ‘I don’t know what I was worried about back then’
However, what occurred to me is, when they are twenty years in their future, will they be looking back at today and thinking in the same way about their current body?
We are so fixated on future outcomes or our past, we are not appreciating what we have now. When we’re doing that we’re selling ourselves short, we’re robbing ourselves of satisfaction in the moment, of appreciation of all that we have, of acceptance that it can’t be any other way than how it is right now. When will we decide to be content?
With this in mind I move on to health.
Health
I recently attended a Happiness Workshop where some research was discussed about a happiness experiment, which had had an unexpected side result of the participants surprisingly losing weight.
And they kept if off.
So I thought to myself, when we talk about being healthy are we considering our emotional health or is it just concentrated on our body? Are we trying to fix the wrong part?
See if this rings true for you?
What I’ve noticed is an exasperating pendulum effect. We get all worked up about something and decide to make changes. We invest our energy through concentration, determination and hope. We go all out. And then we burnout. The very change we so desperately sought, we’ve abandoned on the scrap heap of wishful thinking. Like the pendulum in motion, swinging high on one side of a topic, only to be swinging in equal measure in the opposite direction.
I find life is a process and lasting results usually happen over time. Yes, on occasion we can make a massive alteration and stick to it. If for example you had a life threatening medical diagnosis e.g. cancer and you thought blow this I’m really going to live my life. You give up work, you start to fully enjoy and see more of your family, you engage in activity doing the things you’ve been putting off. But for most of us life is progressive and balance is the key. Rather than going all out, keep making consistent incremental steps, preferably ones that give you satisfaction or joy. Use the long term view as you motivator or inspiration, and keep going.
You got this.
