Yesterday's workout didn't go quite as planned, but I was able to get one in at the very least. When I was about to leave to head out for my run, BF mentioned that it was POURING out and that was no joke! I couldn't believe how hard it rained yesterday! The streets were flooding because of how quickly the rain was coming down and it was about 39 degrees when I left, so I decided...let's instead do a little treadmill workout at my dirty basement gym.
I am not the biggest fan of this Workout World location. Even though its only $10/month for full gym floor use or $20 a month for full gym floor use/classes/tanning/bring a guest every time you work out I,
1. never use tanning beds
2. never go to the classes, and,
3. never bring a friend with me.
I think BF and I are going to check out the Boston Sports Club at Wellington Circle today as they have newer/nicer facilities, a pool, and have a promotion where you pay $30 for 30 days of gym use.
Shut Down Fat Talk Campaign
Some of you may be aware of the Shhhhut Down Fat Talk campaign, which is popping up all over the internet via blogs, facebook, and internet newscasts. Special K is igniting a movement to encourage women to stop using negative language to describe their bodies. Special K has also released a series of videos to bring awareness to the very women who use social media as a way of "fat shaming" their own selves. Take a look:
Special K has also released a video that depicts women shopping in a jeans store, while women narrate the horrific task of shopping for jeans. Shopping in the "Rethink Your Jeans" store means having the sizes disappear. Getting the right fit requires the associate to measure your waist with a measuring tape that has once again relinquished the use of numbers as a way to define your size.
When I clicked on the next video in the series, Special K encourages women to explore what they "gain when they lose" (i.e., lose weight, most likely on the Special K diet). Women should instead measure their weight loss by the feelings they've developed, such as "self-esteem" and "confidence", as compared to the numbers they've lost when looking at the scale.
I will not be sharing my opinion on these videos, the campaign, or what I think Special K hopes to gain from launching these ads. I simply wanted to begin a conversation about what it would take for women to begin using positive language to discuss their own bodies and when describing the women around them.
I am one of the worst offenders of fat talking among my friends, peers, coworkers, family, etc., and I know that everyone has had enough of my negative thinking. I could guess as to where this learned behavior came from (modeling) and past experiences (I think I started to hate my body in middle school). I distinctly remember a boy telling me that I had a "bulge" like him, as we had both carried a little fat in my kangaroo pouch. I'll never forget it and I've hated my body in the years since. Managing my weight has always been a struggle, and it takes a lot of energy, me time, sleep, and shorter work weeks for me to feel my happiest. When things get stressful and I find that I'm eating less home-cooked meals and exercising with much less frequency, the fat talk continues to increase. Its such a sick cycle at times.
I am one of the worst offenders of fat talking among my friends, peers, coworkers, family, etc., and I know that everyone has had enough of my negative thinking. I could guess as to where this learned behavior came from (modeling) and past experiences (I think I started to hate my body in middle school). I distinctly remember a boy telling me that I had a "bulge" like him, as we had both carried a little fat in my kangaroo pouch. I'll never forget it and I've hated my body in the years since. Managing my weight has always been a struggle, and it takes a lot of energy, me time, sleep, and shorter work weeks for me to feel my happiest. When things get stressful and I find that I'm eating less home-cooked meals and exercising with much less frequency, the fat talk continues to increase. Its such a sick cycle at times.
So, what do you think encourages women to use negative language about their figures? What do you think it would take to get women to stop judging themselves and those around them so harshly? If you have been able to use positive language to describe your own body, what helped you to get there? Why do you think it is so hard to let go of the image that we should all be thin/petite in order to be happy?
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