Sizing Me Up…

So often as women, it seems to be “greener on the other side of the fence” when it comes to body type. I want to talk about this because recently I went through all of my belongings from my past life, including my TINY clothing from a few years back. I can’t lie, there were a few times, going through the garment stacks, that I winced at not being able to fit into a couple of my favorite pieces. But honestly, at this point in my life, I am happier than I’ve ever been and far happier than when I wore microscopic sizes. It is critical to appreciate and acknowledge body type and stop beating ourselves up for a feminine ideal that is so often Photo Shopped. It is a boxing match we cannot win and honestly, life is too amazing to put so much effort toward the comparisons.

I used to spend hours watching Fashion Television when I was 13. This was back when Claudia, Nadja, Linda,  Christy, Cindy, and Carla (the current first lady of France) partied with Versace and George Michael was smoking hot (yes—a very long time ago). Since I was only 13, I thought I would have this huge growth spurt and my limbs would thin out and take off like willowy wild flower stems. Um….no. Didn’t happen. I’m a mesomorph, meaning I have a muscular build.

In high school I excelled in sports, largely because I had muscle strength, but oh how I still longed to be twiggy. In my twenties, I realized I could manipulate my body type by extreme dieting, deprivation, and working out so often at Lifetime Fitness that even the cleaning crew knew my name.

I came across a photo of my recent self and realized that the muscular build had definitely returned. At first I winced because I adore dancer arms and mine are a bit from barre worthy. But then I realized that I liked my new derriere a hell of a lot better than when my arms were twigs. Where am I going with this? Stop wasting so much time ripping apart your self-worth. Instead, appreciate and take care of what you have.

Now, I’m not saying let yourself go. You need to eat clean, exercise and make time for yourself. But your body maintenance shouldn’t be so extreme that it’s bordering on masochistic.

1)   Realize what kind of body type you are: Ectomorph (apple shaped), mesomorph (muscular, tom boy), endomorph (tall and thin) and the 4th type I like to call “LA Actress” (just all around tiny). This seems straightforward, but many women don’t come to terms with their bone structure.

2)   Before you focus on what you don’t like, take a second to list what you do like about your body type.  (long legs, sexy hips, dimples, great neck, gap in teeth aka the Lauren Hutton, Lara Stone, Georgia May Jagger craze, etc).

3)   Then…slowly call out what “needs some love.” Not “WHAT YOU HATE” but what could use some attention. And take the necessary steps to make this a priority for your wellness.

Love yourself girlfriends! Be on the look out for stylish mom and guest blogger, Susie Rahaim’s next Essential to being a happy, healthy mother: Exercise. Carpe Diem! Chelsea