Because we all have strengths…and not strengths

As a health and fitness blogger, it can be hard to find that balance between encouraging others to move past their comfort zone to become a better version of themselves and yet still providing affirmation that their current self is good. Essentially, you are awesome, but you have the potential for even more awesome. It is a slippery slope.

We cannot deny that the average female weight in America is twenty pounds heavier today than it was in 1990 – we have put on 20 pounds in just over 20 years.  Obesity is associated with increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, sexual dysfunction – just to name a few off the top of my head. Carrying this extra weight is not good for any of us. At the same time, an overweight person is not a bad person, and weight does not, and should not, define who you are as a woman.

I am not defined by my weight.
Because we all have strengths…and not strengths.

I am the same person at 115 pounds that I was a year ago at 145. I frequently hear that I have a great smile and give phenomenal hugs. I am also overly emotional, I worry to much, and I am stubborn. I have been known to stick my foot in my mouth on an occasion or two…or a hundred.  I enjoy listening to my friends’ successes and struggles, and I hope that I offer them the love and support they seek from me. None of that has changed.

That being said, I feel physically stronger today than I did a year ago, and because of that, there is a confidence about me that was not there before. I believe that I am capable of more now than I previously thought. Ask me five years ago if I would ever do a Warrior Dash and I would have asked if you were smokin’ crack. But I did a Warrior Dash not two months ago, and I am already signed up for two races like that next year.

Earlier this week, I posted a picture of my abs, a picture that I felt really proud to share. And now…I give you this:

In case you are unsure what the hell that is, that is my butt a mere two and a half weeks ago. I have not taken a new one this week – you have no idea how hard it is to take a picture of your own ass, and I forgot to ask my husband. He will be snapping a shot of my rear next week for the AdvoCare Challenge “After” shot. Let me be honest with you. I am not expecting much change in that view above.

Because we all have strengths…and not strengths.

I have always had awesome abs, only babies really ruined it for me. My butt? Ha! Cottage Cheese City for as long as I can remember. I spent years hating my butt and thighs. I have not had inner thigh clearance since…I do not know, eight years old? Even worse, my mom and sister have a flat butt and super-skinny thighs, so my Big Bertha stuck out even more in a sea of concave cheeks. (In case you are wondering, I can thank my paternal grandmother, Mary, for my butt.) I have always joked that God was distracted when he made me….narrow shoulders, scrawny torso and itty-bitty waist, and then BOOM! BOOTY! I do not care what size jeans I squeeze that baby into, I am squeezing it in.

Because we all have strengths…and not strengths. 

I could say “we all have strengths and weaknesses,” but did you notice something I said up above? That this is how God made me? Because that is the truth. I am not perfect, but I am perfect in God’s eyes. I have a flat stomach and a tiny waist to go along with my very large and jiggly hips, butt and thighs. I am so flexible that I can twist myself into a pretzel, but even at my fittest, I am terrible at cardio and people twice my size could run circles around me. I may have confidence enough to stand in front of a large group to talk, but do not dare ask me to pick up the phone and call someone out of the blue. Are these things weaknesses? Or just not my best things? There is nothing weak about me, as I am a kick ass woman with heart, drive, love and compassion. We all are.

Because we all have strengths…and not strengths.

So I ask you….

What strengths are you proud of? Do not be afraid of them. There are things everyone excels at, the first step is acknowledging what those things are for you.

What are your not strengths? Do not be afraid of these, either. They are part of what makes you who you are.

We are not the sum total of our body parts. You are awesome as you are, and there is even more awesomeness inside of you. I hope that by sharing my strengths and not strengths, you feel that you are not alone in this life endeavor, and we can inspire one another to find our own unique awesomeness-es.

(Know what else I am really good at? Making up words.)

Because we all have strengths…and not strengths.