It’s all too easy to stand in front of the mirror and gaze at our reflections, longing for what once was: the healthy, radiant skin, the firm calves and quads, the toned biceps, all virtually glowing with youth.
It’s much harder to accept that our bodies will never be that way again, not after years of wear and tear, and certainly not after pregnancy.
Ashlie Molstad, a.k.a. Foodie Girl Fitness, is a self-described “31-year-old fitness junkie who loves to eat,”who constantly criticized her body until a couple years ago. That’s when she found an online community that helped keep her accountable, and she ultimately turned her journey into a blog to inspire others to love their bodies, too.
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In a recent Facebook post, she took a head-on approach to her large calves, “belly jelly”and other “flaws.”Sure, you can view them that way. But you can also choose to see them in a different, much more positive (and, frankly, realistic) light.
Instead of seeing flab, Ashlie views her belly as the origin of “my deepest belly laughs.”And those aren’t stretch marks, they’re “rad little lightning strikes to remind me I am a force of nature.”
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She writes,
I have large strong legs that aren’t the least bit feminine. My calves are so large I can only fit them into wide-calf boots. I have belly jelly and a pooch that can’t be hidden by my clothes. I do not have toned arms.
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My face is scarred from years of cystic acne. I have stretch marks on my thighs, breasts and butt. I don’t like wearing jeans anymore because they don’t always fit over my hips and if they do they generally cut into my stomach.
WAIT… let me try that again…
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I have strong legs that are capable of taking me anywhere I need to go, and have walked me across several half marathon finish lines, danced like crazy on some of my favorite evenings, and swam in the ocean under the sun as I’ve traveled to see parts of this world.
My stomach might be soft, but it was the home for my daughter for her first 9 months. It is the place that my deepest belly laughs come from. And just because it is soft, does not mean it isn’t strong. It holds me up, protects my back, and propels me through basically any movement I choose.
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My arms have allowed me to hug my favorite people on this planet, high-fived some serious rockstars, and I can do like, 15 pushups on my toes with their strength!
My face does have scars, but my skin isn’t the only thing that determines my beauty.
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Stretch marks might cover parts of my body, but those parts are strong and a part of me- and as far I can tell, they’re just rad little lightning strikes to remind me I am a force of nature.
I may not be able to fit into my jeans from a year ago, but leggings are more comfortable anyway. And I can wear the heck out of a smile.
Don’t ever forget my loves that your value isn’t in the circumference of your thighs, the softness of your belly, the marks on your body… you value is INFINITE. You don’t have to change your body, you just need to change your thoughts.
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What a positive way of looking at the way our bodies change and evolve! Share to spread this wisdom today!
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