I recently started posting regularly on instagram, mainly photos of fitness accomplishments and food items, but I always use caution when I am on there, because I can easily get sucked into the comparison game. 

Is she stronger than I am, leaner, more muscular? Are her thighs thinner than mine? 

This trap is easy to fall into anywhere I go, even at the grocery store. Because I've suffered with anorexia,the comparison game is that much more deadly. One comparison and I feel like I'm on the downward track back to restricting, so I try to avoid doing this at all costs. 

However, I think on instagram, there is an even higher chance that I'll get sucked in because, and this is especially true if you are in the fitness field, there are millions of people posting about their gains, loses, transformations, and so on. It's kind of hard to avoid everything, without wanting to follow people. 

I won't take myself out of the running for this behavior though. I do it too, because it does make me feel good when people like a photo I've posted of myself flexing or something. A need for attention, anyone?!

So I do understand why so many people post these images. They are for themselves and maybe for a little bit of attention too. But I don't understand why people post these as a source of motivation. 

I've actually never understood why someone would use shredded and impossibly perfect images to motivate someone into working out or becoming better. For me, personally, they've only been a source of frustration and again, comparison. 

When I see one of these photos, I immediately go into panic mode, "ugh, I'll never look like her, she looks so amazing." "Why can't I look like that? I feel like a failure." etc, etc. You get the point.

There's nothing good that comes from these images, really. I mean I can't be too angry because I have succumb to this phenomenon, to some extent. I try not to post too many photos of me "showing off" because I know deep down, that what we look like is not a true reflection of who we are inside. And what our bodies look like isn't more important, in any way,  than what our bodies can do. 

It's all about what my body can do, for me, when it comes to fitness. Yes, lifting weights helps me feel better about my body, but it helps me feel better about who I am as a person 100% more. I love who I am when I am lifting, and loving myself does not come easy. 

The main point here is to be careful while on these social media websites, because it's so easy to get distracted and engulfed into the horrible flame of comparison. It's difficult just going outside and seeing the temptations, never mind having them in every nook and cranny of your computer. 

Just be careful, use common sense, and don't compare!

xoxo
Tayla

I love my body. 

Wow. A year ago, I wouldn't have even dreamed of saying those words and actually meaning them. 

Last year I hated my body. I didn't treat it well and it was constantly in suffering. I look back now and wish I could have grasped the idea sooner, that my body is sacred and needs nourishment, proper exercise, rest, and lots of love. Sure, I knew this in my heart, but ED blocked me from truly believing it. 

I guess I just want to let you guys know that it's important to treat our bodies well. They are the only place we have to live and without them, we wouldn't be here. 

That's enough right there to convince me (now) that I should take care of mine. How about you?

What is it that you hate so much about your body that you can't respect it? Why are you repressing it's needs and wants? What is the goal?

If it's to be thin or look a t certain way, there is no way you'll be able to love your body or treat it the way it deserves to be treated. Wanting to just look thinner than the other girls (or boys) is not what life is about. Being thin is not your purpose, believe me, you were meant for so much more than that. 

I want you to know that I have been through the body struggle and still have days where I look in the mirror and am not really happy with what I see. But instead of getting mad at myself or my body, and taking unhealthy actions to fix my feelings, I thank my body for all that it does for me and all that it is capable of. 

Because when you really think about it, our bodies are super amazing! It breathes without us even thinking about it and it allows us to walk and talk and have babies! Our bodies are miracles, really. 

I want you to try to see your body as a miracle too. It does so much for you and yet without thanking it by giving it what it needs, it cannot function at it's highest. 

Food is energy and your body needs it. Exercise is supposed to be for fun, not to abuse yourself or your body. And rest is essential to living. 

When I workout during the week, I make sure to rest and give my body the proper fuel it needs in order to preform the way I want it to. But when you are working out and not doing these things, your body makes compromises and begins to suffer with even your everyday activities. 

It's not fair to your body when you don't feed it. It has not done you wrong. You have done it wrong. When we learn to see this and truly believe it, recovery gets easier and our mind becomes more focused on listening to our hearts instead of ED. 

I hope you can see how beautiful you are, and how amazing your body is. 

You may have flaws you don't like, but so do I, and these are what make us unique and different. No one else is like you! And that should be good news...at least it is to me. 

Take care of your body today. Nourish it and give it rest. 

xoxo

Tayla