Love Thyself

You don't have to worry because I'm not going to get all emo on you very often. You can keep expecting vegan desert recipes, workout reviews, and lots and lots of selfies (kidding. maybe). But I had an experience that I haven't been able to get out of my mind and kinda thought I'd share. So here ya go:

A few days ago  I was running on the treadmill at the gym when I glanced over my shoulder.  I saw a blonde chick hauling ass on the treadmill next to me and in that millisecond, here's what passed through my mind:

1. That girl is so fast

2. I wish my upper back looked like that.

And as quickly as the thoughts registered, my brain also registered the fact that I was looking in a freaking mirror. I mean, literally.

I had seen and been envious of my own reflection. Twilight Zone.

Here's where this becomes all sorts of confusing:  I was feeling like crap about myself when I walked into the gym. I'd convinced myself that I was bloated, puffy, and feeling sluggish as I ran (it was an off day). But the girl I saw looked like she was flying and had nice arms and a pretty sweet upper back.

It's hard to comprehend that before I realized that my reflection was actually me, I was really rather impressed by the person I was looking at, despite having been bummed an hour before about how "tight" my workout clothes were feeling (newsflash: spandex is always tight).



I'm not telling you this story to be like, "I'm so fast on the treadmill and I have an amazing upper back."  No, it's still uncomfortable even describing myself that way. I'm sharing because I'm just so perplexed by the weirdness and realness of the situation.  I had not been loving my body that particular morning (earmuffs please boys: I had PMS), but I was definitely jealous of the stranger running next to me.

It  breaks my heart to think of how screwy and distorted our perceptions of ourselves can be.  I can't tell you how many drop dead gorgeous women I know who are so flipping  hard on themselves. As women (men too, increasingly), we need to chill out when it comes to judging ourselves.  We complain out loud, in front of each other, in front of our kids. We are so self-critical of every minute little detail and it's totally, completely, 100% not the right way to live.

That moment was empowering. Seeing myself 100% objectively even for just that split second and actually feel a twinge of envy, well, it put things in perspective. I spent the rest of the day in a  legit state of gratitude and I will tell you, that's a fantastic way to feel. And when you start feeling thankful for what's yours it's amazing how much that reflection staring back at ya looks like the person you want her to.  When you appreciate and love what you've got, treating it as such (read: putting good stuff in your body) becomes easy.

Crazy stuff man.

I hope each of you see yourself the way you really are, you gorgeous sexy thangs! Go look in the mirror and wink at yourself all sexy-like, smile big (give yourself a hug if you're really feelin' it) and stay healthy, my friends.

XO

M