I'm going to get pretty personal here with you all. . . So, here goes! I have a minivan. I don't LOVE my minivan. . . I mean with 3 kids ages 9 and under, it's super practical, but I'm not gonna lie. . . I would feel much cooler driving a Tahoe or sporty SUV.

At this very moment, my lovely minivan that my husband and I purchased used 6 or 7 years ago is in the shop in need of some major repairs — like, thousands of dollars of repairs, and I thought, here's my chance to convince my husband (who couldn’t care less what he drives, unlike most men and reason #23,503 why I love him) that it was time to trade in my minivan with its 160,000 miles for a NEW, Shiny, COOL SUV! I even joked with Tom, our auto repair guy, about a way we could convince my husband that it was time to trade her in. He actually agreed that it may be a good time, too. So, after I brought it up to Brandon, I was sure he would at least think about it. . . But, he didn't. Not even for a minute! He quickly reminded me that the minivan was still a great car and had about 3 to 5 more years in it. I was bummed, but I knew he was right. I checked the trade-in value online and figured I could maybe get $5,000, if I was lucky. So, I’ll stick with my minivan and be happy with it. After the repairs, she runs great, and at least she still has a nice body!

Now, let’s talk about my body. . . Eek! Before I dive in, let me tell you a little bit about my parents. I have awesome parents who are healthy, fit and active for the most part. They take care of their bodies by eating well and exercising on occasion. So, as you can see from the picture, I have good genes, but that doesn’t always guarantee a perfect body or exceptional health. I exercise, and I work hard! I also choose to eat nutritionally-rich foods most of the time and enjoy veggies almost as much as I enjoy a slice of cake! Seriously, it’s weird. (My mom taught me to eat the rainbow, and I don't mean Skittles!) So I am very pleased with my body, thanks to God, good genes and my effort. As I jumped back into the fitness world after having 3 babies, I entered a bit naive. I was teaching group fitness classes and boot camps, and I would often find myself comparing myself to the woman in spandex nearby, who was a little stronger, leaner, tighter or perkier, etc. I didn’t struggle for very long, and thankfully, I have never struggled with an eating disorder, but there was one particular area that I was super focused on changing. Other friends and moms went under the knife, but should I? My husband consistently responded with, “Babe, I love your body the way it is today!” He never once complained. So I decided to stop talking about it, although I continued to struggle from time to time with being content in my post-baby body. I joked about it to some ladies and confessed to close friends about my struggle. My close friends would listen to and encourage me. My husband would remind me of truth found in scripture, like Psalms 139:14 where David, a man after God’s own heart, says to the Lord, “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.” God didn’t make a mistake with my body. He doesn’t make mistakes. Wonderful are His works.

This past weekend, I watched the movie Age of Adeline (starring Blake Lively) with my husband and his parents, and it was a cute story of a beautiful, young woman who for some silly reason is incapable of aging. (SPOILER ALERT: I’m about to tell you how it ends. . . ) At the very end of the movie, she celebrates a simple gray hair. Drop dead gorgeous, Blake Lively, who may never give into her grays in real life, was elated by a single strand of gray hair. Like I said, the movie was cute, but that message was pretty profound. The movie displayed aging in a whole new light. We should WANT to age. Wrinkles will come, grays will eventually not be covered with hair dye, and our bodies will look older. Watch this video and see how one young couple reacts to seeing what they'll look like at 90.

It’s called LIFE . . . and I want to LIVE! I want to age, grow wiser and even look the part. I hope that the voice of "you are beautiful as you are" is louder than "you need this to make yourself look better and younger." Is that just too hard for us ladies? Do we all struggle with comparison? You may struggle less with comparing yourself to the woman beside you physically, but how about status or title or power or maybe for other reasons? I believe that "Comparison is the thief of JOY" (Theodore Roosevelt), and I think we all need to speak up and encourage one another. Let's be real and open about these topics. I do believe that each woman will choose to do different things to alter or enhance her outward appearance, but for me, I’ve decided that surgery is not an option. I am learning to love what aging brings, even though I’m not jumping up and down about a new gray hair. My kids are growing and learning and maturing. My love for my husband is amazingly rich as we recently celebrated 12 years.

My friendships are steady and meaningful. My relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the most important relationship in my life. He is giving me courage to speak up on topics like this, even now.

So, even though I will continue to fight this urge to trade in my body for a new shiny cool one, and I will continue to struggle with body image and comparison, among other things (yes, I'm in need of my Savior daily), I hope that I will struggle well and overcome small daily victories, and if along the way I can encourage one other woman . . . it will be a good day!

Most of us want to look young and attractive. It is in our nature to want to look good and feel good. We usually avoid things that make us uncomfortable or unattractive, and thankfully, there are healthy choices we can make to help us look and feel good. Exercising regularly and eating nutritionally-rich foods are two choices that are accessible to most people. Exercise keeps us fit and active. Just last week, I ran with a woman in her 70s during my run club. Let me just say, she didn't seem a day over 45. She inspired me. There are plenty of foods that are nutritionally rich for us to eat, and there are foods, beverages and other substances that age us and make us sick: fatty foods, processed foods, excessive alcohol, sugar, etc. You can choose to avoid the bad and consume the good. Though there are potions, pills, surgeries and plenty of ways to look and feel good, I will simply encourage you to exercise if you are able to, and eat well.

Let me know if you want my help with training and/or a nutrition plan. I would love to encourage you, and I would love to hear your story! Let's together encourage one another to "look beyond the mirror."

Email: info@gocustomfit.com

Phone: 512-650-9356

#aging, #bodyimage, #beautyisheartdeep, #comparison, #nutrition, #exercise