One week in with my 24 Day Challenge. The first phase of my challenge is the cleanse phase in which I have 3 more days. Along with the cleanse and getting rid of the toxin in my body in order to better aid my hopeful weight loss, I've been doing a mental cleanse. They say a good cleanse is good once in a while.
As I have stated before, I have always struggled with my weight. Always gone up and down. At the same time I have always been mostly active, working out up to 6 days a week. Staying as active as I possibly can mostly because I want to FEEL good and have energy. All the while secretly wanting to have those rock hard abs and sculpted legs. To which has been a life long struggle..when it comes to the sculpted legs...I don't know that I have ever achieved that part..even with working out at the gym 6 days a week, my legs looked a heck of a lot better than they do now..but I still had the cellulite! AND.... that my friends, is what has attributed to MY poor body image.
Body image is one's body perception and judgement of one's size, shape, weight and other aspects that relate to body appearance (hair, skin tone).
*Can be different from how body actually appears to outside observers
*Influential factors in body image, reactions by others about one's appearance, comparison w/others and to cultural ideals, physical characteristics, parents, siblings, teachers, peers, coaches, media.
So part of the mental cleanse I am doing is to remember why I feel the way I do about my body and what I need to do to purge those negative perceptions that I've acquired and allowed to take a hold of my life.
I've told you all about my negative thoughts about my legs. I remember two distinctive episodes in my life that I know have attributed to that negative view of my legs which has made it my life long mission to over come it. ONLY two times has an outside observer said a negative thing and I have allowed those two times to "scar" me for life?!?
I have challenged that negative voice inside me before and I've won the battle....but lately, I've realized I am falling back into listening to that negative voice once again.
My mental cleanse once again has started with taking my weight loss goals seriously and my workouts seriously. Taking those goals seriously has opened up the inner beast and I am ready to face the negative voice that says I can't and tries to shame me into hiding. It is about shedding/cleansing those years of self hatred, shame, and misplaced criticism. They really don't belong in the here and now!
I love the quote "don't let anyone dull your sparkle". I'm not gonna let that negative voice dull my sparkle!
Have a great week and stay warm!
Love,
Marcy
body image (something i also deal with) - it's partially what the world says is cool...
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