Let’s Talk Body Image
“The success of yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures, but in how it positively changes the way we live our life.” – T.K.V. Desikachar
I’ve been holding onto these photos for a long time because I haven’t wanted to just post them as another outfit… instead I wanted to have a chat with you guys! Way more fun.
So, if you asked me 10 years ago what I thought of exercise, I would probably say something along the lines of “meh.” Haha real talk. I had been to yoga classes at that point, but I barely practiced while I was at college at all. I would occasionally hit the elliptical at the gym, and I usually counted down the minutes until my dance classes were over. And then all of a sudden, I shifted. A lot of it had to do with cleaning up my diet. The better I ate, the more I wanted to exercise. The more I exercised, the more I wanted to eat well. And slowly but surely, it led me to where I am today.
See, I eat well and work out, but I am not the skinniest person in the world. I do not have a thigh gap, nor am I not crazy ripped. I still have body insecurities. So why do I exercise if it’s not solely to make my outside appearance as perfect as possible?! Ahhh… do yourself a favor and scroll back up to read that quote again ❤️
I exercise because it positively effects my entire life. If my body gets stronger, I get stronger. If I flip myself upside down in class, I can try to see things from other perspectives outside of class, too. If I nourish my body and treat it well, I can spend less time worrying about how it isn’t perfect and more time focusing on everything it’s allowed me to do in my life.
But here’s the thing: it’s easy to write this stuff when I’m in a great mood on a great day.
But what about the rough days? What about the first time you put a bikini on? Or go shopping for white jeans? What if you’re surrounded by a bunch of gorgeous tall gals? What about when you hear naturally skinny girls joke about how they never work out? It can get in your head. It gets in mine! I start to think… if I did harder workouts, if I went more often, if I committed more, if I stopped eating pasta (?), if I ate less in general, if, if, if… THEN I would have the perfect body. But quite honestly, who CARES if I have the perfect body?
You know what I really want? A healthy body.
Again, how easy is that to type from behind a computer? I don’t want a perfect body? Pshhh, of course I do! But life is so much better when you can be grateful for what you have instead of putting yourself down for what you don’t.
For me, I need to remind myself to shift from “my arms look fat” to “my arms are never going to be super skinny, so let’s try to make them strong.” And honestly, one of the reasons why I’ve started wearing sports bras/crop tops to yoga the past few years is because it helps me train myself not to judge so harshly. Depending on what position I’m in or which way I’m bending, sometimes I can see my muscles and sometimes I can see my rolls… and both of those things are OKAY! What a concept! That is my attempt to be grateful for all of it. I mean, what if this quote was really true?!
“Exercise is a celebration of what your body can do. Not a punishment for what you ate.”
Now I know some of you intense athletes might be rolling your eyes a little… this girl just doesn’t want to push herself to her limits! In a way, you’d be right. Woops.
Here’s the bottom line: I firmly believe in finding workouts you ENJOY, instead of ones you suffer through. I look forward to yoga, barre and spin. I honestly LIKE them! That’s half the battle for me. If I don’t like the workout or the teacher, I won’t go as often. Simple as that.
For example, a lot of my favorite yoga instructors have left or changed their class times at my closest studio, and I’ve been having trouble finding new teachers that I connect with. This means I’ve been going to barre more than yoga – and why not?! Once I find new CPY teachers that I love, then I’ll be right back into #YogaEveryDamnDay ? It’s all about finding what speaks to you.
What about you?
Do you struggle with your body image? Do you find exercising makes a difference? Which ones make you feel the best? I’d love to know!!
Shop the look:
April 20, 2017 @ 11:58 am
Lauren this is an amazing post and resignations with me so much! You’ve put into words the thoughts that I’ve had many days! I’m not the best yogi, but most days my practice is more for my mind then my body. I love this post, thank you far sharing! And you look very strong in this cute workout outfit! 🙂
xo, Sarah
April 20, 2017 @ 12:09 pm
Ahh I’m so glad this spoke to you! We can be so hard on ourselves – it helps to reconnect to what is actually most important!
April 20, 2017 @ 2:06 pm
love love this post. I go to body toning and abs classes at my gym because, like you, I know I won’t ever have super skinny arms but I want strong arms. I also had to learn to find what I enjoy doing and do that, who cares if it isn’t the popular thing to do right now!
April 20, 2017 @ 2:13 pm
AMEN to all of this, Lydia!!
April 20, 2017 @ 3:18 pm
YOU GO GIRL! I loved reading this post, and I can totally relate. I’ll never be super skinny, but I can be super healthy. Thanks for opening up.
http://www.shannoninthecity.com/
April 20, 2017 @ 3:43 pm
Hi, Lauren! I have been a reader for the past couple of months and I really enjoy your blog! Actually, not to be creepy, but you were in the Flybarre class a couple mats away from me on Monday. I had to go home and check your face/name to be sure ::) Anyway, this post is awesome. You look so strong and are a far better model for that outfit than anybody in an airbrushed magazine. Get it!
April 20, 2017 @ 3:48 pm
Ahh thanks so much for commenting – and say hi next time we’re in the same class!! (I’ll be there tonight haha!)
April 20, 2017 @ 5:37 pm
Loved this post, Lauren! I also have had trouble finding teachers I connect with at CPY lately (and I go to Old Town so I’m pretty sure we’re in the same boat) but I’m working on going to different studios and exploring new classes. Also could not relate more on body image! I love feeling strong, not necessarily skinny. Love this look too!
April 20, 2017 @ 8:19 pm
Right? So many of my favorites have left CPY Old Town and I miss them! Let me know if you try any new ones that you love though!
April 20, 2017 @ 7:01 pm
I feel the same way – I exercise because I want to be strong, not skinny! Strong bodies can lift heavy things and run marathons! Also, I do burlesque, so I’m surrounded by so many different types of bodies that are all beautiful because of their uniqueness.
April 20, 2017 @ 8:20 pm
Woah, I didn’t know you did burlesque! So cool!
April 20, 2017 @ 7:50 pm
When I saw your Insta Story on this post I was hesitant to read it and boy am I glad I came over and read it anyway. Talk about “real talk” this is everything in the post. Thank you for sharing this.
April 20, 2017 @ 8:20 pm
Thanks so much for reading, Tracy! I’m so glad you decided to stop by 🙂
April 20, 2017 @ 8:07 pm
Amazing post, thanks for sharing!
April 21, 2017 @ 6:48 am
Thanks for reading!
April 20, 2017 @ 8:52 pm
This post was exactly what I needed today after having a slight slip-up with my diet! I’ve always admired your style + look and never would have imagined you have the same doubts and insecurities as me. I love your positive approach to maintaining physical and mental health — thank you for sharing!
April 21, 2017 @ 6:48 am
We ALL have doubts and insecurities, Sarah! You’re definitely not alone 🙂
April 22, 2017 @ 9:49 am
Lauren, I love this post and thanks for sharing! I do agree that while we want the perfect body that when we workout we should reward ourselves about what our body can do! Thank you so much for sharing!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
April 27, 2017 @ 8:21 am
I love this post! For sure needed this after thinking I should start pushing myself even harder to start seeing the real results that I want. Nice to take a step back and read this. Thanks for sharing Lauren!
April 30, 2017 @ 7:03 am
Love this:) it’s very easy for me to get down on my body for all kinds of reasons. But it’s done incredible things for me. I ran a marathon for crying out loud! This is a great reminder to be grateful to your body and take care of it rather than beating it up.