It’s summer and for some of you that means wearing sexy skimpy bikinis, having beachy waves, perfectly tan skin and rocking crop tops. For the rest of us, that means smashing tacos and margaritas during the day and wearing “loose and flowy” dresses at night. Whichever you are, do you! This blog is all about our bodies, how we are our own worst enemies and how we need to knock that shit off.

The other day I was talking to a friend at work and she said she had lost about 70lbs but had more she wanted to lose. She told me that she keeps telling herself “if you lose 25 more pounds, you’ll be happy” and then she’ll lose it and tell herself “if you lose 15 more pounds you’ll be happy” and then she’ll lose it and then again “if you loose 5 more pounds you’ll be happy” and she never finds herself that happy. 

So we were talking and I was telling her about how I want to lose some weight and she gives me a look and says “shut up, you don’t have any weight to lose.” 

I explained to her that I’m not a someone that says, “oh my god, I’m so fat” for attention, but I do have my own insecurities and my own goals.

Women especially, we struggle with this every single day. Weight. Bloating. The scale. Stretch marks. Imperfections. Love handles. Thick thighs. Thigh gaps. Cellulite. Scars. Pimples.  Burns. The list goes on. 

And we think others aren’t struggling and we wonder how they have so much confidence and why we don’t but we all are internally struggling with our own imperfections. 

“Another woman’s beauty does not mean the absence of our own.”

I want to preach that we are all perfect as we are and even though, I truly believe that God made us all beautiful, we are all human and I would be lying if I didn’t say I sit in my closet and hate how I look in my clothes or how I hate leaving the house without at least a little mascara.

I’m human. I have flaws. I have insecurities. I dissect my body. I criticize myself. But most importantly, I still love myself.

So, this summer…

Wear those crop tops!

Buy those shorts!

Try that new hairstyle!

When you get to the beach, rip that cover up off and strut to the water (yesssss bitch, strut!)

Rock those stretch marks! You either made a friggin’ baby with that body or you grew from an infant to a grown ass woman in that same exact skin you’re in.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimized by stretch marks?

Find the swimsuit that makes you feel unstoppable.

Apply that sunscreen. C’mon now, ya’ll know better. Take care of your skin!

 

Ways to show your body love:

Drink your 8 cups of water (and no, wine does not count.)

Eat yummy food that is nurturing for your body but also good for your soul (For instance… tacos). Seriously though, if you hate chicken, rice and broccoli then don’t make yourself miserable by only eating that because the likelihood that you’ll cheat or over indulge goes way up. Spend a day searching for new recipes that are good for you and that you will actually enjoy! For some weird reason, I love going to the grocery store and finding new exciting things to try that are good for me.

Take a look at the dessert menu! Life is short, get the brownie-cookie-ice cream-sundae for goodness sake!

Put the scale under the freakin cabinet and don’t take it out. Some days you will weigh more because of water weight. Some days you’ll be on you’re period and weigh more. And some days you will have went a little hard at the family cookout. Big whoop! Stop worrying about the number and focus on how you feel! Do you have good energy? Are you enjoying your food? Do you have a good relationship with food?

Stretch.

Get some quality sleep.

Workout– “not because you hate your body but because you love it.” Find a form of exercise that you actually enjoy (this is a very important!) and do it! Get your body moving! Use that good energy! I promise, no one every left the gym mad that they had a good workout.

Ways to show your mind love:

Take a bath or a long hot shower. Light a candle. Put some masque in your hair. A mask on your face. Shave your legs.  Paint your nails. Read a self-help book . Listen to a podcast (I recommend- Get Fit Babe or Rise Podcast). Pray. Journal. Jam to T-swift or Cardi-B. Have a glass of wine.

Just take some time for you and only you.

I can promise that you’ll feel like a new woman… a pruney woman, but definitely a rejuvenated one.

And if that doesn’t work, please talk to someone. Ladies, investing in your mental health is, without a doubt, the most important thing you can do for yourself. I really cannot stress that enough. A quiet spa night at home might not be enough to take the troubles away, but that does not mean you’re out of luck.

It’s okay to not be okay, but it’s not okay for you to not do anything about it. You have to fight for yourself because there are no guarantees someone else will.

For the girl behind this screen:

Take a deep breath. Realize it’s okay to have insecurities, but summer will come and go, and you have to love yourself all year long.

Love your mind and love your body. Respect them. Cherish them. Help them. Be thankful for them.

I am on the same exact journey you are on so don’t think for a second that you’re alone. I have my good days where I feel my very best and I have my bad when I just want to lay in a puddle of disgust on the couch. But life is all about growing and being better than we were the day before.

Let’s breathe confidence into each other. Let’s build each other up. Lets all rock it this summer!

I’m going to wrap up with two quotes:

(I made these so you can screenshot them and set them as your screensaver as a reminder of how beautiful and unstoppable you are.)

I also just want to take a minute and thank each and every one of you who take the time to read my blogs. Your positive feedback is so appreciated and the reason why I keep writing these. I started this blog for me, as a creative outlet and because it feels like a journal that I get to share with the world. If my blogs even help one other person then it is more than worth it to me. So thank you!

Okay my gorgeous ladies (&gents, if you’re here), until next time.

xoxo,

keanna