Now a days, everyone is so body conscious. With all of the health issues, it is understandable, especially since obesity is a national crisis in our country that is the cause of several major health problems.
Obesity is always the main focus and with it comes the pressure to adhere to crazy diet and exercise regimes that only create a dysfunctional health conscious obsession with weight--especially among women. The main focus, is the pressure to be thin and slender, which can be an insurmountable challenge for women who are not naturally built that way.
Like the obsession to stay thin, other women face similar body image concerns, the same pressures, body image, and poor self-esteem that most women feel...accept their body issue are the reverse, too thin.
I know these feelings because I have lived it. One of the most irksome feelings is societies focus just on weight loss and never target women who are trying to gain weight...
My Story
It was more than vanity reasons for me for wanting to gain weight. I was labeled a sickly child growing up, suffered chronic asthma and allergies (often not being able to partake in common children's sports and physical activities which made me feel alien among the rest of my peers.) and because of poor diet, I was chronically underweight with underdeveloped bones (asthma medications often cause children to lose bone density during critical developmental years like puberty).
Looking for ways to combat my asthma, I joined a gymnast club because I genuinely loved sports and competitive physical activities. Unfortunately, I was again faced my physical setback--my ultra thin physique was often criticized for not being strong enough to perform the strenuous movements it took to be successful at gymnastics. I felt myself to be poor and unhealthy at the ripe old age of 12 and my mindset stayed there up into my early 20's.
Despite the fact that I struggled with chronic severe asthma all the way until teenhood, I struggled with body image as well. Being a teen is tough for most kids. The pressure to be accepted and physically beautiful unfortunately outweigh the pressure to be emotionally sound and at peace with your inner self and your body. I was teased by both girls and guys for not being as developed as the rest of my peers as well as being picked on because I was sickly; how easy it is to pick on someone is more physically "weaker" than everyone else.
It wasn't until senior year in high school when I began to take my ‘feel sorry for my self attitude’ and change myself. I worked on creating a new me, body wise yes, but most importantly, spiritually and emotionally.
I joined Kenpo Karate and loved how the art form empowered my physically & mentally. I felt stronger and healthier, though still underweight, I was not powerless.
As I went to college, I sought out to pack on the extra pounds in a healthy way, focusing my attention on strength. To my surprise, taking care of myself made such a powerful transition for my body. I began to feel healthier, and thus, my body followed suit.
I DID gain weight through a better diet and most importantly, by working out at the gym and doing weight bearing exercises. But my quest for more weight gain became more prominent as I came to an annoying plateau. I was more toned and healthier, weighing 11 pounds more than I did in high school. But I was still underweight! Yes, I was that slender leaving high school, standing at 5’7 99 pounds (dripping wet). Junior year in college I was 112.
Frustrated, I tried everything from more time lifting weights in the gym to investing in nasty tasting supplements and at my lowest, avoiding major physical activity (because now I felt I was burning too many calories by exercising) What happened after that? I lost weight; way to go for someone doing everything she could in order to gain. I was about to just give it up….
My Solution
After so many trials and errors and frustrations out to the max, I decided to get myself together spiritually and began some heavy duty soul searching, wanting to take myself back to the empowering days when I was in martial arts.
After learning to surrender all of my problems to my higher source, God, I truly became awakened in ways I cannot even describe. To put it simply, my self improvement phase came when I was feeling lowest in my life, unworthy not just in my personal relationships, but the unworthiness transferred into my professional life. I felt bad about my body and myself. But when I truly began my quest to find my inner being, that’s when things changed dramatically for me.
After my soul hinted that I do more in-depth research into getting my health back and the body that I have always dreamed of, I came to the conclusion that the best way to gain is by loving myself for who I was at the time while embracing what I looked like. God does not make any mistakes, especially with your body. I learned that there was a reason for my chronic battle with asthma, my low body weight, and all other trials and tribulations.
For if I did not have them, I would not be on the path of success today. Self-enhancement is okay, but remember to love yourself earnestly. The body is just our temporary form, but true self enhancement will never come if you don’t learn that you are more than your body. When I got this concept and starting treating my self like I was somebody special, the weight came on so fast that after it was all said and done with, I was shocked.
My main goal is to help women who face body image problems, those that may feel too thin, gain the self esteem and focus on finding your inner self, BEFORE they do the proven methods of gaining weight.
I have done the research and you can gain weight efficiently and the less painful way. All of my methods WORK and they WORK WELL. But know that they work even better with a sound mind and loving yourself.
Women, it is so important that you focus on the positive and be grateful for what your body can do for you instead of looking at your body in a negative sense. I believe in the law of attraction. What you focus on will keep showing up in your life. If you are grateful for what your body can do as oppose to how you hate your “skinny calves” or your “small chest” or compare yourself to supposedly other women’s perfect bodies, then you will see the universe, your higher source, reward you and give you your desires and more. Trust. Belive. Have Faith. Expect RESULTS!
