Category: health and fitness

The unfortunate link between body mass and self worth

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In an episode of Big Bang Theory Sheldon asked Penny “Is your body mass somehow tied into your self worth?” The answer? sadly yes

(www.freedigitalphotos.net)

Getting ready for a funeral on Saturday I stood in the mirror where I found myself tugging and pulling and hoping I could somehow manipulate my clothes into not making me look like a smartly dressed sausage.
 I glanced over at my mom, her small frame half reflecting in my mirror, and saw the same fear in her eyes…”what will people say?” She covered up and tugged and pulled with what I can only imagine was a hope of not “offending” and getting comments about her size.

And in that moment I thought of how body shaming was practically a form of abuse which you get subjected to on either side of the scale. Unless you’re the ideal body type…(then I dunno, I only know my less than  ideal story,lol)

Weight has always been an issue with me…apart from a brief stint around 2008-2010 where I could actually go shopping and grab something off the rail,bypass the fitting room and pay for it with a “this looks about right” shrug, it’s always been a yo-yo situation around these parts.

Before my brief stint in “Averageville”  I was a real skinnymirinx, looking back at pictures I was quite lollipop head looking actually … I recall padding my bra (cringe) and wearing two pants at a time to look more curvy, meanwhile my legs in boots looked like orchids in potplants.

I got gasps of “why are you so skinny”, “do you eat”, “you look like a little boy”, “you must shop in the kiddies section”, “you bf must have pedophile tendencies;you look 12…”
It hurt!

Kinda like it hurts my chubby thigh-ed, button popping self now when people comment;
“You eat so little,I’d expect you to be skinnier”, ” joh I hardly recognised you” and my personal favourite “sheesh what happened to you, you used to be so…”

– Body shaming is not a new thing I had “two mom’s” growing up…
First there was my biological mom who I watched having to defend her small stature time and time again…Her skinniness seemed to offend people. “How could a mother of three be so tiny? It’s insane I tell you”. Random women would find a way to work her size into most conversations.

Meanwhile my “other mom” my late Godmother, fought the opposite battle, she was always on some diet ALWAYS although she was undeniably beautiful her weight issues followed her around like a bully taunting her with the phrase “you’re not good enough”… oh you got another degree,another promotion,another achievement…pity you’re a fatty.

That was years ago but the sentiment remains the same, people are still mean.
I have turned down invitations to events (sorry guys) due to feeling “too fat to function” (Mean Girls reference) and fearing what people could say. Meanwhile I know of a friend who is in great shape (she wouldn’t agree) who gets nervous when choosing clothes because of snarky comments which range from … “must be nice to be able to gym so much” to “could you dress sexier maybe”… All with the “intention” of “just kidding”

I wish people could just lay off each other…I just wish we could all just support each other (men and women) and work on being healthy and for heavens sake stop being meanies…

I’m guilty too…I’d get defensive after being called out at looking like a stick figure and would remark to a friend that so and so is one to talk with her big booty. More recently I’d think that so and so had quite a nerve to call me fat when Victoria secret wasn’t exactly knocking on their door… its not nice, I’m not proud…

These days I’m making a conscious decision to find something beautiful in everyone I see especially in myself, because quite honestly, I have the decency to think snarky things about others and keep it in my head, but with myself I use it like ammunition which no armor can fend off.
“look at you, you are disgusting”, “heels? really? you look like an elephant in stilts”, “why do you even exercise, its in your genes, you are destined to be a fatty”

Here is a collage of me over the past 8 or so years… I’ve been every size  but I’ve never been really happy… I think it’s time I stop tying my self worth into my body mass (currently I’m the size in the chair, sigh)…the buck stops here (it would help if people stopped being asshats though, just saying)


Tips to kick your sugar habit

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I was never the kid smoking behind the bleachers and although I had some binge nights in my twenties, drinking never really took off with me either.

I honestly don’t have an addictive personality, I don’t even have a series I SIMPLY HAVE TO watch.

Or so I thought…

I have come to realise I have an addiction though….SUGAR!

WHAT?!?! No really!!! The girl who drinks her black coffee with half a Canderel and has to water down her juice has a sugar addiction.

I’m insulin resistant so this is NOT a good plan!!! Really!

Also now sugar has been added to the list of things that will kill you! Somewhere between bacon and terrorist attacks I think. It has become even more important to kick the habit.

I try not to get caught up in the hype of “food fear mongering” you know how sugar is basically killing you from the inside right now and you are actually a sugar fuelled zombie  (is that a thing? I’m sure I read that)

I’m not going to hide in a bunker when sweets are in the vicinity but I do know I need to cut down, I know that it is empty calories and has been linked to a number of illnesses.

So step one, I already know it is bad for you…I’m not dumb, I bet you all those people addicted to drinking, smoking, porn, whatever are also aware that it’s not the best thing for them. Step two is the hard part; getting started.

It is just so hard to kick and I get my fix in fruit oh so much fruit(not necessarily dangerous but not the best if you are insulin resistant) and baked goods and chocolate and juice and jelly based sweets (jelly tots, gummy worms…)

I want to be better especially since I know that sugar has been linked to depression and I have been linked to depression myself (see what I did there).

Aidan has a sweet tooth too, luckily a  few of raisins, an apple, a yogurt of a block of dark chocolate can take care of that  (why is my two year old more mature than me?)

 

Here are some tips I found to cut sugar… The are from Health.com so go there for more info

 

–          Read food labels just because something is not sweet does not mean there is no sugar added (the myfitnesspal app helps with this)

–          Learn sugar aliases because it is not going to say sugar on the label it will say something-ose you know like sucrose

–          Buy the unsweetened options, you know the no extra sugar was used in the making of this type products

–          Don’t go cold turkey – this was my downfall I just cut it all out and was left licking other peoples discarded sugar packets in the break room (joking joking it was chocolate wrappers)

–          Increase your protein and fat intake (and all the Banting’ers are shouting, I told you so)

–         Add your own calorie free flavours like cinnamon and cocoa

–          Don’t drink sugar, remember that bottled drinks even the “healthy ones” like smoothies and ice-tea are sugar filled

–          Stick with it… soon a bite of cake will be waaaay  more than you need

Is it too late for a new year resolution

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*freedigitalphotos.net

So like thousands (millions even) of people who have come across their reflection and stood mortified as they realised how close bikini season is… I am embarking on a “weight loss trip”

I saw a picture of me the other day and HATED IT!!! I look like an “aunty”! you know, like frumpy and boring and big… Now I firmly believe that you can look good at any size, you can embrace your body and be fabulous at any size. BUT! you can only do it if you feel comfortable in your body which I currently DO NOT!

Not only because nothing fits or because I realise it’s summer and I will need to expose my arms to the world or the world to my arms…but because I just don’t feel healthy and energised.

With my medical history; fatty liver disease, insulin resistance and unexplained water retention (they have run EVERY TEST possible) I have known for a while that  I couldn’t live all “willy nilly” eating just anything. For the most part I’ve been good, steam instead of fry… low sugar, low salt, low fat and my Dr. even commended me for keeping my liver from acquiring more spots and keeping insulin under control all without medication. So I’m not doing horribly.

I realised though that if I wanted to feel comfortable in my own skin again I am going to have to become more active and eat even cleaner…

So that’s where I am today… I’m embarking on (yes every few months I say this, don’t be judgy, I’m trying)  a health journey… I’m back on MyFitnessPal which is an app that diarises your calories and exercise and “keeps you honest” if used correctly. I’ve had great success with it in the past so it’s time I put the effort in again.

More than the eating thing though, I want to get more active, that’s the point of all this. I really miss “fit Eleanor” I want to be able to run and jump and body board again… I can’t even carry Aidan for a long time even though he insists (I’m not that heavy mommy, just try, you can do it).
I don’t know if it’s because the sun is out, but I feel like I should be running outside enjoying the weather with my son, but the stairs put me in ICU… so no more excuses! here goes nothing, no in fact, here goes EVERYTHING

Get your health and fitness questions answered!

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I’ve got awesome news! For the next four weeks we have someone who specialises in Biokinetics ready and willing to answer our questions 🙂

You know those health and fitness questions you were never sure who to ask like, what activity should I be careful of after an injury or how can I increase fitness within my own limitations. Damian of Damian Zealand Biokinetics promises to answer to the best of his abilities and tell you whether you would benefit from biokinetics.
Damian (who I met when he was practically a baby because I went to school with his sisters and would see him at events and play dates…) is pretty awesome, he is a nice guy who has truly found his calling.  In his twenties the father of a gorgeous little boy has gone from intern, to partner to owning his own practice in record time… I asked him a few questions so you could get to know him a little better.
What is Biokinetics?

Biokinetics is final phase rehabilitation through exercise prescription. Usually if an injury or condition exists, and the physio has finished his or her rehabilitation with the patient, the biokineticist should then take over, and start with getting the patient fully functional while still keeping the constraints and limitations (both physical and psychological) in mind. So, if a physio restores a patients’ range of motion, reduces swelling and their pain, following a knee operation, the biokineticist will then take over and strengthen to the point of full function.
Who is Damian Zealand?

​Small town guy with a global and metropolitan mindset hungry for ever-changing information to better myself and my surroundings​. My passion and love for my job, sports, life and most of all family and friends need to ooze out of my being on a daily basis.


How did you get into this?

​Well, I applied for physiotherapy directly out of school, and didn’t get accepted. I then went with my second choice of BSc Sport science. I ‘ve gotta say that that must’ve been the best thing that God put on my path. Its the typical…If one door closes another opens.
After completing an honours in Biokinetics, I did my internship at what was Christelle Smit Biokinetics​, then became her managing bio…then partner, and now owning Damian Zealand Biokinetics.

What does Damian Zealand Biokinetics specialise in? 
I specialise in orthopedic rehabilitation and hydrotherapy.


What does a working day look like?

​Getting up at 4.30am to start at about 6.30am (people need their daily dose of biokinetics before work) and work till 6pm. The patients will vary in conditions (Both chronic conditions and orthopedic conditions), and the type of rehab will differ (land based vs water based – hydrotherapy). So in short…literally ANY physical ailment can be seen and treated.​


​Other than the specialized rehab, there’s also running the business and making sure admin is up to date. So being your own boss means that you’re the HR guy, the I.T. guy, the operations manager and at times the reception!​


 

What is the most common misconception of biokinetics?

​That we’re physiotherapist or glorified personal trainers!!!​



 
How can you help plebs like us trying to regain our fitness levels
Well, you gotta come to the practice and see for yourself! But you’re guaranteed scientific exercise programs.​
( If you have any queries you think he could help with please email me at edouglasmeyers@gmail.com )