3 posts tagged “working out”

This week has been a complete emotional whirlwind for many, many reasons.

One of those reasons that Iain was officially made redundant at his job today, and as of Monday will be at home all day with me.

Aside from the worries and concerns that you can probably all guess and would have if you had been made redundant - we're actually a bit excited about this.

Our plan has always been to work together from home. To run a business together. To work for ourselves.

And now, unexpectedly, those plans will be possible as of Monday.

Throw that in with Obama's presidency and a few other things and I can barely keep my head from exploding.

It's all just a little too much.

But we're positive. We're hopeful...we're just a bit shocked, still.

We've deicded that since neither one of us will be working in an office 9-5, we should start going to the gym at lunch time.

Iain: "We should really be going to the gym five days a week."

Me: "FIVE DAYS A WEEK? I can't do that."

Iain: "Yes you can, it's not that hard. You only have to do carbs every other day."

Me: "Carbs?"

Iain: "I mean cardio."

Me: "We can totally do carbs five days a week."

 

Dear Women at the gym,

Hello. I know we haven't properly met, but I wanted to take this opportunity to reach out to you, considering we've been seeing a lot of each other lately.

(Yes, once a week is 'a lot' to me.)

 I'm sure you must know who I am, as you have spent plenty a minute observing me. See, I'm the girl on the Elliptical machine next to you only going for 10 minutes at a speed of 6.7. I know you enjoy how slow I'm going because you keep looking over to make sure you're going faster than me.

I assure you, you are. You're the fastest Ellipitcal machine rider of all time. You win.

(Plus, it's my WARM-UP!!!)

And yes, that was me next to you on the treadmill ranting to my husband that I can't, "FUCKING believe I have to come to THE GYM and then am forced to stare at some dancer's FUCKING ass JIGGLE all over the place!!! This isn't a music video! THIS IS SOFTCORE PORN!!!" in between sweaty pants as I power walk because I "don't do running."

And just because I know you heard it, yes, that was me who farted next to you while you were taking up the whole floor doing your pilates exercises. It slipped. I'm sorry.

I can imagine why this was so alarming for you because clearly, you don't have gas. That would require eating.

I also just wanted you to know that YES, that's me in the lime green bikini from Old Navy two years ago that walked past you while you were perched on the jaccuzzi wall.

And,yeah, I could totally seeing you staring at my ass in horror as I walked by.

Our eyes met when I purposely turned around to catch you staring at my ass, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed how startled you were that OH MY GOD THE WOMAN THAT THE ASS IS ATTACHED TO HAS EYES.

I know it must be quite alarming, that I dare turn around and catch you in your sneaky past time of staring at other women who dare display the fat on their bodies IN PUBLIC and critiquing them and reassuring yourself that No...My ass is definitely smaller. Thank God. If I ever get that fat, I'll just kill myself. Ugh.

I know I have some nerve obstructing your view of the hallway to the steam room with my stretch marks.

And my cellulite.

And that ingrown hair on my shin.

Dude, I'm totally sorry. I know.

I'm, like, tooootally nastified.

But here's the thing. I'm going to the gym for a reason. And it's probably not why you're here.

I'm here, ladies, for my mental health. I'm here, for my physical health. And yeah, I'm to stay a bit more toned so I can eat my pizza and cupcakes and not have to keep buying a bigger pair of jeans every fucking 3 months.

To the girls in the pink track suits afraid of going any faster than 3.2 on the Elliptical because you're afraid of sweating, GOD ALMIGHTY GO HOME.

If you have nothing better to do than stare at other women and their fat in the pool area, why don't you go busy yourself with a session with a personal trainer, or go suck on a popsicle?

I may not be as dedicated as you are on the Power Plate, or lifting as much weight on the abduction machine, or be afraid of walking around in my bathing suit because everyone will see my thighs jiggle but that doesn't give you any more right to be here than me.

So, ladies. I just wanted to cut you a deal.

If you happen to be one of those women talking in the steam room about the £1million home in Cobham you were just looking at and how crazy you are because you forgot to tell your husband you were going to be at Yoga until 10pm last night I'm going to make you as uncomfortable as possible.

Yes, that was me who farted in the shower. (Again. It slipped.)

That was me standing there naked as long as possible while you and your gal pal Sandy discussed preschool prices and low fat salad dressing.

It may not seem like the most clever revenge I can get on your rudeness and irritating way of breathing, but being all offensive with my size 14 ass, and my offensively large tits, and tattoo, and stretch marks, and PUBIC HAIR (because, sorry, I'm not down with some chick waxing that shit all off) is the best I can think of.

I enjoy that when I do this y'all clearly get really fucking uncomfortable with having a naked chic who clearly doesn't do Yoga at 7:30 every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday night standing 2 feet away from you.
 
Ladies, I am comfortable with myself and comfortable with my body and CLEARLY that makes you uncomfortable.

Do me a favor and stop staring at my "flaws". If you're staring because you're impressed with my magnificent tits, than just say so. (I mean, you have every right to be. Let's be real.)

Otherwise, if you're staring at me with disgust and I catch you, you're going to get The Stare, and possibly a nipple in your eye if you happen to have a locker near mine.

You have been warned.

Kisses!!!

See you next Tuesday....

-Cate

xx

The British Fashion Council has refused to ban the use of 'Size 0' models in London's Fashion Week.

Instead, they have requested that all designers use "healthy models" ages 16 and over...

(Because clearly fashion designers have a tight grip on what healthy looks like...)

Recently, Brazilian supermodel, Gisele Bundchen, claims that she has never suffered from anorexia because she "had a very strong family base" and that "The parents are responsible, not fashion."

Never mind that in the past month 3 women from Brazil have died from this disease, including 21 year old fashion model Ana Caolina Reston.

Fuck you, Gisele.

I'd say "Fuck You" to the British Fashion Council but I'd doubt they'd hear me as their heads are probably stuffed a toilet regurgitating their Sunday Roasts, or busy snorting coke off of Kate Moss' ribs.

Plus, the owner of Topshop -Sir Phillip Green- has pretty much given a big FUCK YOU to the BFC by taking some fucking responsibility by banning "waif" models:

"We all know what the definition of unhealthy is and we want to try to act correctly, responsibly and without causing a rift. Everyone wants to see people being healthy and we have got lots of good-looking girls who can be a healthy weight and look great."

Now, while it's great that a male owned fashion company is saying it wants to use "healthy" models and their website models don't look shockingly emaciated, they're certainly not exactly screaming,"LOOK I'M HEALTHY! I EAT!"

But still. At least his chickpea sized testicles had enough oomph  to set an good example. Or, if nothing else, a PC PR move.

And Gisele? Oh please. PLEASE.

Look, I'm glad that she had such a sweet, and sugary home life and that her family apparently loved her enough to prevent her from feeling like she needed to starve herself.

What the fuck was that comment supposed to mean?

Does that mean that all those poor girls who feel so disgusted and horrible about themselves that the only way they can cope is to indirectly address their problems by depriving and starving themselves, should blame their parents for not loving them enough, or the "right way"?

Parents have a massive, colossal responsibility to educate, nurture their children. I agree whole heartedly and will thoroughly acknowledge that in a moment...

But PLEASE do not tell me, Gisele, that it is only PARENTS to blame for the GLOBAL issue of poor body image, low self-esteem, and eating disorders amongst young women and girls.

NOT FASHION?

If it's not fashion, than it's not fashion magazines, either, I suppose. It's not ads, or commercials. It's not TV. It's not movies. It's not lingerie catalogues. It's not runway shoes. It's just the parents fault.

Ummmm.....

Remember that whole Parental Advisory thing? Apparently, society, and the government think that certain types of media can be harmful to children, despite having a "strong family base".That sticker means that the music industry, despite it being forced, are still helping out parents by saying "Dude, you may not want your 13 year old son listening to this."

Globally, the film industry admits "Yeah, sure. We'll help a brother out" and rates it's movies, giving parents a heads up that "This gay love scene between 2 sexually frustrated cowboys may not be suitable for your 9 year old."

Holy crap, Gisele. Even TELEVISION agrees that parents, despite loving their children and doing their gosh darndest to raise their kids in a way that would cause them to not want to starve themselves to death, need some help and therefore RATE THEIR TELEVISION SHOWS to guide parents on which programs are appropriate for children.

The UK even has this nifty little thing called the ITCwhich even helps monitor which adverts should be played at certain times; the more 'family friendly' adverts playing during when children are more likely to be watching.

Oh yeah. Even video games have a rating system, as some language, themes, and violent scenes may be too intense for youngins.

So, on the whole, some of the biggest media outlets agree that their music/programs/films/games/advertisements contain content that could possibly be inappropriate and damaging to children.

While all of these sources of media cannot be made, for the most part, to remove this material -freedom of speech, etc- it is their legal, and some would say, social responsibility to warn parents and consumers that it contains such material.

There are absolutely times when parents need to take full responsibility for their children's actions, but choose to blame "the media", instead. (For example, the parents blaming Marilyn Manson for the Columbine murders.)

Globally, parents and consumers alike have agreed there are things in the media that can distort, alter, confuse, and even damage children.

Kids stab each other because they "saw it on Power Rangers". They accidentally shoot someone because they played a violent video game and didn't understand people die. They jump off the roof into a swimming pool and light themselves on fire because Johnny Knoxville did it.

We all cried out, "Where were the parents??!!" and "Why is this crap even on TV?"

It seems those in power are taking responsibility, as I've mentioned above, are trying to limit the amount of inappropriate sex, drugs, violence, and harsh language that children are exposed to.

However, how many girls need to die while trying to achieve the standards of beauty that they have learned from the exact some media outlets?

We have a global issue on our hands.

We have millions, and millions of women and girls all over the world who think they're ugly, and fat, and worthless, and disgusting, and are slowly killing themselves to try to obtain this unobtainable, western, media/fashion created image of "beauty".

Again, I agree that parenting has a HUGE impact on this, but where does this image come from?

OH. Fashion. Fashion Magazines. Movies. TV. Ads. Commercials. Even music.

The ONE issue that no body seems to want to touch, or take responsibility for is their influence on young girl's body image, and self-esteem.

Models, fashion agencies, fashion editors, designers, directors have all defended their use of skinny ass, unrealistic looking women by excusing it the problem away.

Models are just skinny. They're supposed to be, right?

Gisele says, "Everybody knows the standard for models is to be thin."

Right. Well, does everybody also know that in 1998, just 3 years after US television shows were introduced to Fiji, 12 out of 100 girls had bulimia?**

Did you know 70% of all 9 year olds are dieting?

Does everybody know that 90% of all women overestimate their body size by an average of 25%, and that 40% of all women see at least one body part as being 50% larger than it really is.

And WHY is this?

If someone says, "My thighs are big..." They're big compared to...what?

"My legs aren't supposed to look like this."....Why?

"My breasts are too small?"....Small compared to what?

You're "FAT"?....Fat compared to what??

The WHAT and the WHY are the images, the air brushed, starved, entourage created, digitally altered, surgically enhanced, UNREALISTIC, unobtainable, projection of what beauty is supposed to look like that we are bombarded with from every single media outlet across the world.

Our entire basis of what sexy, attractive, beautiful, pretty, hot, cute, and fuckable are, is based on what FASHION and MEDIA tell us it's based on. It always has.

But when is enough, enough?

Are the fashion industries really that disgusting that instead of taking responsibility, they will just pass the blame on bad parenting, and pick money and endorsements and playing nice with designers OVER the health of women?

I believe that the Fashion industry won't take any responsibility for these issues as their situation is a bit more unique than any other media outlet's. It's not as simple as just issuing a ratings system, is it?

What are they going to do? Make a "This magazine may cause images that will negatively influence your daughter's self image and greatly increases her chances of developing an eating disorder" sticker for every issue of Vogue?

That's not going to happen. Therefore the body image and beauty standards of the western world, that are poisoning the rest of the globe, need to CHANGE.

Where is the fucking responsibility?

Why will no one stand up? While will no one change? Why, are these poor, hurting girls allowed to feel ugly, and fat, and disgusting and unloved, and have no one in power speak up and MAKE A CHANGE?!!?

Why is it that 76% of UK women, and 59% of all US women feel that it is hard to feel personally beautiful when confronted with the media's ideals of beauty??

This is beyond the typical bulimic ballerina, the anorexic models, and the workout crazy fashionistas.

This is YOUR DAUGHTER.

This is YOU..

And this is even me.

I do not have an eating disorder..but, I don't think anyone can honestly say that they don't wish they were thinner, or lighter, or bigger busted.

It's not just "Oh the grass is always greener" or "Of course, everyone wants to change something about their body" or "just a woman thing".

Our minds are poisoned with an image of what women are SUPPOSED to be and look like.

How many times have I thought to myself, "My ass shouldn't look like this...I'm not supposed to have cellulite there...No one else has breasts shaped like this, do they?...Are my hips supposed to look like that in jeans?"

It all starts very young.

As young girls, when our bodies are changing and stretching, we're afraid. We're fragile. Is this supposed to be happening this way?

So we look for examples, we look for support, we look for validation that we are beautiful, just as we are.

And it gets to a point that we don't believe our mothers, anymore...They're our MOTHERS, they're SUPPOSED to think we're beautiful!

So, what else is there?

Hello, Media. Hello, Fashion World. Hello EVERY SINGLE MAGAZINE COVER, TV SHOW AND MOVIE.

No one else has hips like mine. No one else seems to have fat on their body like this....

I'm fat.

I don't look like I'm supposed to look. I'm not beautiful. I'm not loveable. I'm not worthy.

I am disgusted and ashamed to admit that growing up I would cry, and cry because I felt fat. The first time I remember thinking I was "too big" was when I was 12, and was just starting to reach puberty. I was embarrassed of my thighs...AT 12.

I remember dieting for the first time at 14...

I had low self esteem, my parents divorce to live with, and depression that either caused, or stemmed from all of this..I've never had an eating disorder...But my body image has been FUCKED UP.

I'm just now learning to love myself, and love my body. Really love my body. To look in the mirror and instead of saying "I know I'm pretty, but I just have these floppy bits..."  to just look, and like what I see without beating myself up over some aspect of my appearance that isn't as it "should be".

I am learning to appreciate my own REAL BEAUTY.

And this brings me to Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty.

I am so grateful, moved even, that finally...Finally we have people out there who are willing to DO SOMETHING about this horrible psychological epidemic that is killing young women all over the world.

A company that puts beautiful, gorgeous, real women out in the open.

Tattooed, scared, curvy, "imperfect" women who are real. And gorgeous....And that can help lift the shame.

Lift the shame that we all feel for not looking like the "ideal women" should.

I feel that there are hardly any causes greater than the need to improve the self-esteem, self-worth, and mental health of young women out there than this.

What reason do we have to not be passionate and proactive about this?

The depression, self-esteem issues, eating disorders, and psychological disorders that so many girls and women suffer from do not just develop from thin air.

I firmly believe young girls and boys desperately need their parents to set a positive standard for them. They need to feel loved, and nurtured, and intelligent, beautiful, unique, and worthy of love.

Dove is launching a program/workshop in the UK called "Body Talk" to "help young girls (and boys) understand and deal with feelings about their physical appearance, and learn how 'ideal' images of beauty are created".

They also emphasize the importance of positive role models for young women, and that they need positive self-esteem boosts BEFORE it ever occurs to them to think otherwise...

They even have a "Mums and Daughters" booklet that answers questions and gives advice to Mums (or other parental figures) on how to handle tough situations regarding self-esteem and body image, and also gives advice on how to set a postive example and encourage their daughter's self-esteem.

There are extreme cases where mothers or parents have been very harsh critics, negative, and sometimes deadly influences on their daughter's self-esteem.

Parents need to realize that their daughter is or will very soon be faced with these negative influences on their body image.

We need our parents. We need our mothers, we need other women to reach out to us BEFORE it ever crosses our mind that we need to be thin or big breasted or tiny to be worthy of love. We need to complimented, and receive attention for things other than just 'looking good' or being 'thin and pretty'.

I believe a lot of mothers need help on how to deal with their daughter's self-esteem, as many mothers (or parental figures) have/are still suffering from poor body image, and low self-esteem.

Real beauty...

Doesn't that just sound good?

Isn't it nice to say "curvy" and not have it be social code for "fat"? Curvy is beautiful, curves are beautiful.

We need to embrace health. As a society, I don't think we understand what "healthy" even means any more.

We're afraid of fat, we're afraid of eating fat...You're either a health freak, or a couch potato....

Where is the happy medium between being obese, anorexic, and being miserable that we our bodies are not how we think they should look?

The entire world needs to relearn what the world "healthy" really means.

And we need to open our eyes, and look at the real world, and discover that real, tangible beauty is all around....

I'm not condemning those who are thin and beautiful.

There are so many beautiful girls that are just naturally thin and tall. Just like there are many, many beautiful girls who are shorter that 5'8 and weigh plenty more than 115lbs.

 I'm not saying that  those of us, like myself, who are struggling with their body image must be ignorant or suffer from an eating disorder...We're trying to learn how to be healthy, and have a healthy body image.

We need to learn and acknowledge that we can still be BEAUTIFUL even despite having gained weight, or going up a jeans size...as long as you're HEALTHY.

Whoever said that healthy wasn't having any fat on your body? Having a perfectly toned ass?

Healthy doesn't mean that you're lean and trim. Healthy doesn't mean THIN.

At my thinnest, I was also my most unhealthy.

 I was smoking, barely eating, barely sleeping, and living off of taco bell quesedillas, espresso, tea, and day old Starbucks pastries.

Healthy is beautiful. Happy is beautiful.

There is nothing wrong with being "bigger" as long as your health is not in serious risk, and you are HAPPY.

There is nothing wrong with being curvy. Or having a "muffin top", or cellulite, or stretch marks, or wonky tits.

Just look at Tyra Banks.

She's been criticized for gaining 30lbs since she stopped modelling. She's being called fat.

TYRA BANKS is being called FAT.

She is an ambitious, beautiful, intelligent woman who is NOT fat. She is curvy, she is not emaciated, she does not have a perfect stomach, or a perfect face, or a size 6 ass....

She is a real beauty. A real woman. SHE is a woman to look up to and idolize.

This subject is huge, and complex, and upsetting. To get out all of my feelings on this subject, I would probably have to write for a year without stopping. (I have wireless, that may be possible..)

The Dove videos, you've probably already seen them...but please watch them again.

There are moments where I just want to weep...because they're just real. They're honest.

I cannot preach about how to feel better about yourself, as I am a women who is still learning.

I can only share what I've learned.

But this is the most important journey of my life. To truly love and be confident with my mind and body...There is no greater journey, really.

Before we can cleanse the world of stereotypes and prejudices, and unobtainable body images, we first need to cleanse ourselves.

I'm starting with me.

May you do the same...and so on, and so forth.

 

**All statistics can be found on Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty website.