Thursday, July 28, 2011

Zeeta's Corner: Gonna make you Sweat…Baby



 I trust that all is well and that last week’s heat dome didn’t melt away your love for the summer! It was a bit of a challenge but water is definitely our best friend in situations like that. It’s been a minute and I would like to say, it’s not because of a lack of topics and or time…it is due to the fact that my mind is racing with topics and I couldn’t settle on one to just start writing about!

Therefore, in the end, which is completely stupid, I didn’t write at all! It’s almost like that feeling of being overwhelmed with having too many things to do so you procrastinate – but once you actually start you see that it’s not as daunting as you thought it would be and then just get pissed at yourself for waiting so long to start! (That’s pretty much how I feel about dieting! – Tomorrow’s always the best day to start!)

Speaking of which, my sister shed some light to me on her take on being healthier and I think it’s a simple and realistic approach … here it is: Honestly, we are busy people. Booked, double booked and always running from work to events to meetings etc. Well there’s no need to feel badly about being on the run, just be mindful.

If you know you are going to have a hectic day – think ahead and brown bag nutritious snacks and even a good ole’ turkey sandwich. It will fuel you with the right nutrients, it won’t pump your body with preservative friendly alternatives and it’ll save you time and money as you move through your day. This isn’t anything new, but when she said to me. “don’t get overwhelmed just take it one meal at a time. And, per meal if you can think about how you can do something to make it a bit healthier for you then you’re on to something.” 

If you know you have a birthday dinner (where there will be mouth watering cake) go easy on your lunch so you don’t have to feel bad when you go in … and be reasonable with the amount you’re having. I don’t see the point in excluding things from your palate. My take on that is that you’ll start craving and then you might binge so have a bit, not don’t be excessive.

It’s no lie and or shouldn’t come as a big shock that I’m overweight…I’m a plus size model! I’ve been able to make something that I use to use as a measuring stick of my own success (or lack thereof) as a viable and awesomely empowering career! It has taken me quite some time to be open and comfortable enough to talk about this, but this is a place where I’m being honest so why not! 

When I was younger I would base everything, success, failures, popularity etc, on my weight and compare it to my sister’s who are both older than me and slimmer. I hated it. But this is who I am, I’m been thicker, or juicier, as I like to call it,  than the average girl my entire life. I’m healthy and don’t have any weight associated issues…I’m just thick. It didn’t dawn on my to look at my lineage until later on in life and see that I am a reflection of my family. I went to Trinidad and met aunties and cousins and realized then that it was absolutely normal for me to be a bit thicker. So bit by bit I started to get over it…but it still plagues me.

It is because of pop culture? The media? Magazine representations? Clothing stores? All the above? Probably…maybe that’s why I feel like this is my calling. If I can help even one young person embrace who they are then I am doing what I’m meant to do. It’s not an easy process and we always find something to criticize but I truly believe that having a bit of meat on you and being healthy is more attractive than having an emaciated and frail look to you. So, I’m on a new quest to be healthier and lose between 20 to 30 pounds. (I shouldn’t say lose, but ‘put off’ because once it’s gone, I really don’t want to find it again!!!)

To celebrate my success, I think I’m going to hit the beach! I will still be at a size where I would be technically considered a plus size model and I’m curious to see what the opportunities are like for me then. So, I implore you to get involved with me and see if you can commit to making healthier choices and feeling better about your overall body. I’m not doing this because of peer pressure, or an insecurity – I would be happier with that size and so I’m doing it for me. I think that’s an important place to start. 



Read more at  Zeeta.ca

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