Looking Good vs Feeling Good

Skinny jeans. SkinnyMom.com. Skinny Pop Popcorn. Skinnygirl Cocktails. Even skinny love. All this focus on skinny. What does skinny really mean? Does skinny equate to looking good and feeling good? While this may be something we say we want, to be skinny, but do we really know what we are wanting?

According to the dictionary, the definition of skinny is “very thin.” Synonyms for skinny include scrawny, emaciated, undernourished, and bony. Granted, there are some people who are simply born that way, who remain thin no matter what they eat. However, for the vast majority of us, our metabolism is not equipped that way. Calories in must be less or equal to the calories out, or the weight gets added to our frame. But let’s say that we lose weight and become skinny. Does looking good and feeling good go hand in hand?

There is a fine line between being too thin and being at a healthy weight for our height, age, and whether we are male or female. There is also a price to be paid if we cross that line into the unhealthy waters of skinny. Being healthy is really how you feel, not about the number on the scale. How you actually feel on a daily basis is a good indicator as to your overall health. But there is another way to look at it, too. You can be thin, but also extremely unhealthy. Your body may not have the nutrients nor body mass it needs to thrive. Likewise, being overweight is unhealthy, as well. The extra weight puts additional stress on the body. It can affect your sleep, your metabolism, plus create aches and pains. But if a majority of our population is overweight or obese, why are we letting ourselves stay this way? Is it because we are so use to feeling bad, we don’t know what good feels like anymore?

So, what does feeling good feel like? Perhaps letting go of the crutches we are using to get through each day would help us to see how we are really feeling? Letting go of the caffeine, alcohol, pain medications, sleep aids, elastic waistbands, and anti-depressants. How would we really feel if we stopped using these things to help us feel good? What if you knew that you could feel good again without the crutches? What if you knew that it was possible to feel good again, but it would take time? Would you be willing to let go of your crutches and find out?

A life of health and wellness requires work, just like anything worth having does. Feeling good is priceless, especially after spending years not experiencing it.

What are you waiting for?