Me Monday. It's Your Life!

Stop Body Bashing!

In last Monday’s post I shared the story of a conversation I’d overheard between two women at a restaurant.  They were hell-bent on pointing out every perceived flaw on their body.

This is simply a photo of attractive women.  They look happy to be together.

What if these women, I called Barbie and Sandy, had accepted a compliment instead of bashing their bodies?  How different would the conversation have been?  

Since it is my post, I am going to re-write the dialogue:

“You look great!” yelled Barbie over the din of the restaurant, “Lucky you.  I would love to wear shorts like that.", she continued.

Sandy, a tallish forty-something woman with a dark knot of a bun at the nap of her long neck, looked fit and vibrant; she possessed a confident posture and rich smile.  “Thanks.  I feel great.” She replied, punctuating her words.  “Jack and I haven’t been doing the nightly cocktails, I feel like a weight has lifted off my shoulders!”

“You what.  How in the heck are you doing?”,  Barbie, a petite, rosy-cheeked blond, asked.  Her eyebrows pulled up at the bridge of her button nose framing her concerned blue eyes.  She shook her pixied head in disbelief, “Aren’t you going crazy without your vino?  Geez, I’m proud of you.”, Barbie put up her right hand to Sandy’s reciprocal hand in a gentle high five, they held them together for a moment.

Sandy laughed then said, “Look at those ‘guns’ of yours!  What have you been doing?”

Look at those guns, Barbie!

“Nice of you to notice.  I started doing push-ups against a park bench during my regular walks.  Amazing how a little goes a long way.”  Barbie flexed her right biceps beaming her signature “inside-out” smile.

When we take care of our bodies to the best our lifestyle can handle, what more can we ask of it?  Do we suck fat from our thighs, add saline to our boobs, break a few ribs or squeeze into a suffocating body slimmer?  These are our choices, too, but when do we say, “when”?  When do we say, “thank you” to our bodies for the thirty, forty, fifty, sixty or more years it has nursed babies, run after toddlers, sat on freezing, hard bleachers, jogged around our neighborhoods, scrubbed floors, herded through airport security, pretzeled into yoga poses or simply functioned in good health?

"I'm just getting started?"

There is so much more joy in life when we cease to focus on how we measure up to some rating system of the acceptable body.  When we focus on feeling good in our body without shame, we are more present for our loved ones and careers.  Even better, we are more present to ourselves and, as a result, exude a confidence that is irresistible! 

I am asking each and every one of you NOT to body-bash the entire day.  Tell me how it feels. Was it easy or hard for you?  I’d love to hear your experience!

We are still those women from our past.  We still want to play.  We still want acceptance.
 It starts with the one looking at you in the mirror!

Me Monday, Focus on the Inner You

The Age of Body-Bashing


As a part of my training, Adrienne, of the The Rich Life on a Budget,  asked me what it is I want to share on my blog.  She suggested I get more specific, maintain my passion for wellness and blog on a regular schedule.  I can do that!  It’s how I work with my clients!

Please allow me to introduce:  Me Mondays ( focus on self-empowerment), Workout Wednesdays (my favorite and most effective body changing techniques) and Feasting Fridays (great recipes) -  all with a Bodeci attitude!

I make my body a priority as a result of my business. 
I know most people would say I have an attractive, fit body generally. 

Let’s get on with Me Monday.

Lately, I’ve noticed there seems to be an unsaid rule of conduct for women to speak poorly about their bodies.  Like the latest fashion, women are buying into an attitude, encouraged by the media, to rip on their butts or belly or arms …or all three.

I was made painfully aware of this behavior while having with lunch with a friend a few months ago.  A group of six women sat at the table next to us celebrating a friend’s birthday.  Their table was a noisy combination of laughter, expletives and exasperation.  When two women wanted to converse, they had to raise their voices to be heard.  I couldn’t help but overhear their conversation.  It went something like this:

“You look so great”, yelled the pretty blonde woman, who I call Barbie, “I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing shorts like that!” , she continued.

“But, look at your arms”, rebutted the other attractive brunette I named Sandy, “I swear mine are like cottage cheese in a plastic bag.  I’m sure as hell not wearing a sleeveless top like you!”

But give me a compliment and I am quick to point to my flaws.

“I’ve never had a problem with my upper body, it’s my ass and thighs that are so gross!” replied Barbie

“Hey, it’s not just my arms I’m hiding under this peasant top, honey, my gut has gotten so disgusting!”, says Sandy.  And on it went like a tennis match.

Later when the gang got up to leave, I saw Sandy’s long, sleek legs in a pair of mid-thigh, khaki shorts and wedged espadrilles.  She topped her look with a gauzy peasant top.  Barbie had on a long flowing skirt, a bright, fitted tank top and a wide leather belt that accentuated her narrow waist.  Both of these women could turn heads; they were very attractive and dressed to play off their individual body shapes and unique beauty.

My friend and I realized how often we do what Barbie and Sandy had done; put our bodies down as a counter to a compliment.  I call it body-bashing.  Has body-bashing become a socially acceptable norm today?  Do we do it because we feel uncomfortable when another notices our personal beauty or are we fishing for more compliments?  

I am interested in how you receive a compliment about your physical appearance.  How do you respond? 

It's my fifty-three year old belly and it is one I should be grateful for!