Wellness Wednesdays with Diana: Your Weekly Dose of Happiness, Nutrition and Fitness Tips
Thanks, But No Thanks!
The thing with dropping four dress sizes in less than a year is that you can’t exactly be low-key about it; I feel like I owe my loyal readers an explanation. Because you’ve supported me through my last three columns, I’m ready to share a personal wellness story with you.
I did not grow up in a society of political correctness. Euphemisms were nonexistent in the suburbs of Cairo, Egypt. Every pound that I gained—or kilo for my non-American friends—someone was sure to point out. Aunts and uncles wouldn’t hesitate to pass a judgmental glare, as I’d reach for that second Kit Kat. My older cousins would suggest I go for the frozen yoghurt instead of the gelato. My friends would jump out of their seats, as they’d spot me reach for the whole milk at Starbucks.
If your life is anything like mine, you are no stranger to the unsolicited advice of others and to that I’d like to tell all the concerned family members and friends “Thanks, But No Thanks.” My wellness tip of the week is not ground-breaking, but it’s amazing how many people let it slip their mind: The only person who should inspire you to change anything about yourself is you.
The only reason my most recent endeavor to get in shape succeeded, despite miserable attempts throughout my middle school years, is that this time my motives were intrinsic. I didn’t lose weight because my Middle Eastern family members upheld ridiculous body image standards. I didn’t lose weight to get a boy’s attention. I did it for me, and only me.
Flashback to April 2014. I left my house fifteen minutes before class. I walked into College Hall around 10:50. Fast forward to ten minutes past 11; I was late to class. How did it happen?
I had made a semester-long habit of waiting for the elevator to gracefully lift me up to the third floor. When the elevator didn’t arrive in time, I still waited. I forgot about that obvious, foreign option—a little practice known as taking-the-goddamn-stairs. That was when my universe smacked me across the head, begging me to change my lifestyle.
There was nothing wrong with my previous size. Absolutely nothing. But I do recognize that there was something wrong with the fact that as a 20-year-old, with my whole life ahead of me, I was panting each time I climbed a couple of flights of stairs. I knew I had to make a change because I was too young to lead a voluntarily unhealthy existence.
Losing weight was never the plan. It was the byproduct of my plan to lead a healthier lifestyle.
Your motivation and inspiration towards wellness has to come from within. It can’t come from ridiculous American Apparel ads. It can’t come from your pushy extended family. It can’t come from your friends. It has to come from you because when it does, it’s usually for the right reasons. I trust you more than I trust society.
So for anyone who has ever felt the need to share an unnecessary comment or suggestion about your body, I’d like you to look them in the eye and say: “Thanks, But No Thanks.” They might naively mean well when they tell you to gain a few pounds or drop a couple of pounds, but bodies don’t work that way. Metabolism doesn’t work that way. And health is not always in line with society’s beauty standards.
I now understand that I can only ask myself to strive not for a particular size, but for my overall wellness.
And that ladies and gentlemen is why I started getting in shape. Keep reading “Wellness Wednesdays with Diana” to learn about how I did it.
Diana Gonimah is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania from Cairo, Egypt. She is a writer, Features Editor, and Recruiting Chair at the UPenn chapter of Her Campus. She’s passionate about psychology, journalism, creative writing, and helping people in any capacity. Check our website every Wednesday for Diana’s column!