Loving The Skin You’re In – A New Blog Series!

I heard an alarming statistic the other day:

50% of us women are on a diet at any given time.

Yikes! Could that really be? I did some searching and found this statistic to be true.

We’re bombarded with all sorts of messages on social media telling us we’re not enough.

We turn on the t.v. and see the screen filled with women fit and trim, and maybe even a little underweight. It’s possible to think, “I want to look like her.”

We flip through magazines with pages filled of photos of women who look like they have the “perfect” bodies. We might say to ourselves, “I want her body,” even if the photos have been “enhanced.” Sometimes we want “enhanced” bodies.

As we notice other women in real life it’s tempting to compare our bodies to theirs. “She’s taller than me.” “Her stomach is flatter than mine.” “Her thighs are slimmer than mine.” “She looks toned, and I do not.” “She has less wrinkles than I do.” And the thoughts go on, and on, and on.

How do I know of these behaviors?

Because, friend, I do them or have done them. Have you? Have you recently looked at another woman on t.v., in a magazine, or in real life and compared your body to hers? I hope you haven’t, but if you have, take comfort in knowing you’re not alone.

The thing is, though, I believe there’s a better way. I believe we can accept our bodies, they way we look, the way we see ourselves, and love the skin we’re in.

After all, beauty is only skin-deep, right?

I’d like for us to change the way we see ourselves. To begin to embrace who God created us to be, including how He formed our bodies. After all, true beauty is found beneath the skin. I’d also love to see us stop this madness of comparing ourselves to one another and to begin accepting our bodies as the amazing gifts they are.

To be completely real and authentic, however, I’m one of the 50% who is dieting today.

Yep, right or wrong, I am. Over last winter and into spring, my clothes began to not fit so well. So much so, the majority of my summer clothes stayed all summer long in the tote they were stored in over winter. I couldn’t fit in them. (Yeah, that was fun.)

I can contribute this to too many french fries dipped in ranch and numerous servings of homemade snack mix and not eating the best. I got out of the habit of exercising regularly. And, it probably doesn’t help that in this stage of life, I am seeing my body change. (Oh, yay.)

The thing with me is though, the scale doesn’t fluctuate much. It’s strange, but it generally stays within 5 pounds, give or take. So, I’m not out to “lose weight.” I just want to fit in my clothes again. I want to be healthy, not just physically healthy, but healthy in every way. So, I’m doing what I can do in making positive lifestyle changes including eating healthier, exercising daily, staying hydrated, and getting rest.

As I do so, I am working on loving the skin I’m in.

Easier said than done. Maybe it’s that way for most of us. I don’t know. But, to be healthy, thriving women, loving the skin we’re in is key.

Because I believe so strongly in this, I’m starting this new series on the blog, Loving The Skin You’re In. We’ll not only look at ways we can love our physical bodies, but we’ll also look at who you and I are as people. Real, created-by-God, designed-to-thrive people. We all know we’re much more than who we are physically!

Join me for this new blog series, Loving The Skin You’re In!

I invite you on this journey with me in the days to come. Stop back when you can. It’ll be fun to expand our thinking together and to inspire one another as we do.

Let’s learn how to love the skin we’re in, together!

Blessings,