I have said all of these things to myself in the mirror at different times in my life. It’s so heart-breaking to think that I felt that way, but I know a lot of us have, and still do. I believe it starts in childhood when we are finding out who we are, and what kind of person we will be.
I was the tall skinny girl, with the frizzy hair, allergies, and braces. I was repeatedly made fun of, up until I was out of high-school. This really damaged my self-esteem, and it has taken years to repair the damage that was done. But I finally learned to overcome complexes.
As you can see in my childhood photo, I went through an ugly duckling phase. My hair was VERY curly, and frizzy, and the eyebrows were out of control. Needless to say, I was a target for the bullies in school. I remember being treated like an ugly, disgusting human being, and it is difficult to get past that.
As I grew up, I learned to control the hair and eyebrows, my allergies improved, and the braces were removed. I started to look and feel better about myself, but I still struggled. I wanted to gain weight, since I was told I looked “anorexic”, or “too skinny”, at least once a week. And I gained weight! I gained 60 pounds in a year! I was happy at first, and then it hit me…..I am overweight. This is where the inconsistent exercise started, and the yo-yo dieting.
Oh what fun those years were! It wasn’t until about 7 years ago, that I decided it was enough, and I had to get my life, and my health, on track. I started strength training with a Personal Trainer, and it changed my whole outlook on life, and how I felt about myself.
I was more confident, I felt healthier, and looked better. I noticed how strong I was, and how my constant back pain was improving.
After seeing these improvements, and changes in my life, I became a consistent exerciser, and a Certified Personal Trainer.
If you’re looking for motivation to exercise, think to yourself, “Will I feel better?”, “Will my self-esteem improve?”, “Will I become confident?”. I have the answer, and it is YES.
