a weighty subject

In the last week, a minimum of 8 people made comments to me about my weight.  No one was overly critical, but there was a note of concern in more than one voice.  I can only imagine that if 8 people said something to my face, another 5 or 10 had said something behind my "tiny" back, right?  So, let's talk about it.

Yes, I have lost weight and, no, I'm not sick, thankfully.

The usual ways - more exercise, closer attention to what I eat, coffee and emotional energy. Not always in that order.

I feel great!  I am totally clued in to my body and its health.  I went to the chiropractor for the first time in a year and diagnosed the problem prior to walking in to the office - told him I felt my right hip rolling in and my glute stretching, and my foot on the same side, turning in as I ran.  He completely confirmed my assessment and gave me some exercises to help. get me back in alignment.  It was incredibly empowering, to me, to be that tuned in to what was going on with my strong body. Cool.

Speaking of cool, I figured out that abs come from breathing correctly!  I realized that I no longer felt rawness in my lungs because my breath was coming from another, deeper place - my abdomen!  That's how  it works.  Sorry, if I'm a little slow and, by the way, I don't run fast either, but I can run 4 miles and love almost every step of it.

My heart has had quite a workout in recent months, but it is stronger than ever.  The heart is a muscle, isn't it?  That's a factor as well, don't you think?

kind of proud of my ugly toenails...

I was looking for a random older photo on my computer - my iphoto goes back to 2007, just to compare my appearance from then to now.  I was struck by how many photo albums, or events, I had to scroll through before I found a picture of myself.  Wow - I was invisible!  I thought that maybe I had a bit of a  dysmorphic disorder going on, but after reading the definition, I say nope.  I definitely do not feel overly critical of my physical self - ugly toenails or not.  I just don't see the same changes to my appearance that some of you seem to see.  The pictures below help, but I think I look healthy and lean, not thin.

April 2011

June 2007

So often, weight is an indicator of happiness;  up, down, holding steady or coasting.  It isn't about that at all, for me.  It's about gaining control of my body by listening to it. So, when you tell me I'm too thin, I'll smile and listen to you, but  there's no reason to get heavy on me.  My body is speaking even louder.