Beating Back the Demon

Body image.


I'm pretty sure it's something we all wrestle with, to varying degrees. We live in a culture that doesn't teach us to be comfortable in our own skin and, no matter how much we may try to rebel against the images and messages we get in the media, we're fighting a losing battle.

Most of the time, I'm very happy with my body - I'm healthy, my clothes fit, and my husband finds me attractive. Lately, though, I've been a lot harder on myself than usual. My clothes don't fit as well as they used to. It's taking me a while to get back into shape at the health club - teaching step class is a little harder than it used to be. I'm far softer in the middle than I'd like.

Graduate school, it seems, has expanded both my mind AND my ass.

I'm not about to go over the proverbial edge and starve myself, or head to my local GNC to stack up on diet pills and protein shakes. I'll continue to go to the gym - squeeze in another class somewhere, maybe even a weight training class or two - and I'll be a bit more mindful of what I'm eating. I'll try to stop confusing boredom with hunger. I'll drink more water and eat more veggies. I can bring myself back to where I want to be safely and sanely.

I just wish it didn't take so long, you know?