IT'S OKAY TO LOVE YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE

So last night, I was scrolling through my newsfeed, cause well isn’t that what everyone does before falling asleep, right? A fellow Champion Maker posted about not accepting that she was obese because she loved her body but she knew logically that her weight wasn’t healthy. She was just posting for support/encouragement. Her post hit me like a ton of bricks. I was like, “Hey, that was me!” I have heard a lot of reasons why people decided to try AdvoCare to change their lifestyle. Most are crying about not being able to fit clothes or disgusted when they walk past a mirror. That wasn’t me. In fact, that word disgusting was so off putting to me. I had never thought of myself in that way. I love myself and I had an amazing and encouraging support system. I grew up learning to make deliciously full fat southern meals and encouraged to eat all you want as long as you’re not wasteful, my naps were encouraged as self care because I worked hard and I deserved to sleep before I got up and cooked dinner and I knew that I was loved and desired and I was reminded how beautiful I was daily. That sounds pretty great right?! It was. But it wasn’t healthy. I was working my way upto 260 lbs and not breathing at night when I slept, and having to sleep for an hour after work everyday before I cooked dinner was making my days pass even faster. I know all of that wasn’t based solely on one thing or another. I had suffered with depression, I worked at a job I cried going to everyday, I was infertile and I was struggling but knowing that so much was accepted and encouraged made it easier to not do anything to change it. Don’t get me wrong, I love naps. Savasana often turns into a power nap because I zone all the way out. But that’s when it’s self care, not when you need to nap because you don’t have the energy to cook dinner for your family. I’m happy to say now I get up for work, I’m gone for 10 hours, I go to workout, cook dinner, shower, and spend some quality time reading... or watching Parks & Rec… and yet not a single nap. I have energy, because I fuel my body to work the way it’s supposed to. I don’t wake up choking in the middle of the night. I control my cholesterol that is high thanks to PCOS. I learned that I could love me and not feel like I was betraying the body that I loved just because I wanted to be healthier. I wanted to live a long, life and have babies and those little things I was doing to make it through the day weren’t really necessary and I was losing time in life. I’m glad my story isn’t like everyone else's. I’m glad I’m fighting for so much more. If this sounds like you, if you know you wanna be healthy but don’t wanna betray your body believe me your body doesn’t care. It’ll be happy to have some good O2 flowing at night and a lower risk of heart disease and energy to do all the things you dream of doing. You’re worth living a long life. Remember it's okay to love you as you are, and it's okay to take the journey to be stronger and healthier at the exact same time.

I hope this made sense and I hope it helps. Helping others win is my goal in life. If you need someone to talk to or have questions shoot me a message. You’re amazing. I love you, you beautiful humans!