My Body Positivity Journey

By Hand On The Hip - 6/19/2019

Hello guys!

"Body Positivity" is certainly a buzzword you wouldn't have missed in the last couple of years. According to Wikipedia, body positivity is a social movement rooted in the belief that all human beings should have a positive body image, while challenging the ways in which society presents and views the physical body. The movement advocates the acceptance of all bodies no matter the form, size, or appearance. While that makes perfect sense to me, I strongly believe these words have also been misinterpreted by many. Today I thought of sharing my two cents on this topic and my journey hoping I can motivate some of you at least.

We have all seen and have grown up watching women with hourglass figures setting unattainable beauty standards. Thanks to media, I also grew up believing that I need to look like those women. As a teenager, getting that "perfect bod" was my life goal! I was really insecure about my thunder thighs and chubby calves. Instead of prepping for my board exams in 12th grade, I was too busy focusing on crash diets and over enthusiastic cycling sessions. Although I was a mere 40 kgs or so, I felt hideous about my body and was too conscious about wearing skirts or skinny jeans. I had heard from someone that Kareena Kapoor lost tonnes of weight by just eating oranges and as shocking as this may seem, I tried doing the same! I am sure there are tonnes of women out there who have gone through this phase and probably still do.

But then at some point in my life, I realized that what I was doing to myself was unhealthy on so many levels. I was always weak and low on energy because I was low on nutrients. I was constantly counting calories and I never enjoyed my food. I would look at slimmer women and feel terrible about myself. I felt like I couldn't wear a lot of different types of clothing that others could. As I grew older, I started to realize that what I was feeling was only in my head. Nobody really cared about how I look or how fat or thin I am and even if they did, it shouldn't matter to me.

By the time I joined college, I had started eating well and because I was suffering with PCOD, my weight shot up by almost 10 kgs! I was hopelessly worried and I started skipping meals again. After nearly 10 years of experimenting with my diet, my exercise and my lifestyle, I now know what works for me and what doesn't. I have finally found a fitness routine that suits me. I eat everything I like, but in moderation. A balanced diet, a non-sedentary lifestyle and a positive mind is all it takes! I do weigh a lot more than 40 kgs now, but I am not complaining because I am healthy, energetic and happy with myself. I wear whatever I want and I love my body!

I have learnt to love myself the way I am, but I am highly conscious of the fact that I need to constantly work towards staying fit. If you think it's okay to be unfit and unhealthy in the name of "body positivity", then trust me, you are only fooling yourselves. Body positivity does not mean you just binge eat and don't bother exercising. Body positivity does not promote obesity or anorexia. You should definitely love yourself the way you are and every shape is beautiful, but at the same time, you should also embrace a healthy lifestyle, strive to be the fittest, healthiest version of yourself. With that, I am gonna sign off now and I will be back soon to talk more about my fitness routine and how I motivate myself to work out.