Today Mariah is bringing the Wholesomely Fit content with some great information on being fit, not skinny because as I have always said, skinny doesn’t always mean healthy.
Let’s hear it from Mariah:
Fitness is an important aspect of my life. Since I was a little girl, I was active. I played multiple sports throughout middle school and high school. In college, I played basketball and then I switched over to running. Now, I run almost every day. I don’t workout because I have to. I workout because I want to. Exercising clears my mind and activates my muscles so I have strength throughout the day. After a hard workout, my body craves nutrition. My diet consists of good fats and protein because that is what fuels my body. For instance, I eat mostly veggies, meat, legumes, lentils, rice, almonds, and quinoa. I don’t really crave unhealthy food anymore. In high school, I used to be a garbage gut. After suffering from various stomach issues, I had to alter my diet. It was all for good though. I now crave whole foods and feel stronger throughout the day.
With that being said, I never really focus on my weight. I believe that if we eat healthy and exercise, our body will stay at its natural weight. For me, that has been the case. I have been the same size since high school, only fluctuating five pounds and seven at the most. I am a harsh critic of fad diets. I don’t think we should ever encourage dieting! Instead, we should encourage a healthy lifestyle; one that someone can sustain throughout their lifetime. Yes, I think portion control is important. However, if people feel like they are dieting, they will hate it. Most people don’t want to starve themselves, and they shouldn’t have to. In fact, if you starve yourself, you will just want to eat more the next day. We should encourage people to eat well-balanced portioned meals and exercise. It is that simple; with the exception of those who suffer from debilitating diseases.
In addition, I am a harsh critic of body standards. I think they are archaic and do not represent the broad spectrum of body types. For one, they foster the idea that only one body type is beautiful which is simply not true. In addition, these standards ignore the fact that we are all built different. As such, healthy looks different on all of us. For instance, some people are naturally more muscular and have a wider frame. It is difficult for them to achieve a size zero and it would be unhealthy for them to try. By the same token, there are those who are naturally a size two. They have smaller bones and a narrow frame. They are not healthier than a natural size eight just because they are skinnier. They just happen to have a different build.
All in all, we should not encourage people to achieve a certain size. We need to foster a healthy community through open-mindedness and inclusion. This can be achieved by simply encouraging others to exercise and eat healthy. Along the way, we need to encourage each other and stay away from body shaming super skinny people and body shaming bigger people.
Until Next Time Be Whole and Be Fit