As young women, we’re all about health — how much we work out, what we’re eating and how we’re feeling. It’s smart to be in touch with your body, but when is the obsession too much? Here are eight friendly reminders about what’s really important when taking care of ourselves:
- It’s not possible to gain five pounds overnight.
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To actually store five pounds of fat, your meal would need to contain a whopping 17,500 calories (which is not humanly possible in one sitting). So eat that ice cream sundae! Eat ice cream all weekend long, and then eat really well during the week. If for some reason your scale jumps up three pounds overnight, don’t sweat it — it’s likely to be water weight. Which brings me to my next point…
- Over half of your body is water, so drink it.
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Water is a good thing. Always. The average total body water percentage for a healthy female adult is anywhere from 45 percent to 60 percent. Sure, water isn’t half as exciting as a cold Diet Coke, but it makes a substantial difference in how you feel. Water allows our organs to function, regulates body temperature, aids digestion and helps our muscles contract and relax. So if you’re reading this right now, go take a swig of water – your body will thank you.
- Health is not determined by body size.
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Just because the girl next to you can put away half a pizza on a weekly basis and can still find room in her size 0 jeans, it doesn’t mean she’s healthy. Being healthy is more than just a size, shape or number on a tag (and those vary from brand to brand, anyway!). What matters is how you feel in your skin, or your clothes. As long as you think you look good, all other opinions are irrelevant.
- Trust your body when it tells you something.
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Learn to tell the difference between the pain you feel after a long, hard workout and the pain you feel after twisting into a yoga pretzel-like pose your body wasn’t ready for. Once you know that difference, you’ll be saving yourself injury-related trips to a physician, and will know when you can push yourself harder in the gym and when to call it quits. And while we’re at it — being hungry is normal. You need food to live! Don’t ever try to mentally block your body’s signals — if you gotta eat, you gotta eat.
- No one cares about how your body looks as much as you do.
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Do you walk around the pool deck with your arms crossed against your stomach because you’re self-conscious? I’m guilty as much as the next girl, but people aren’t visually searching out your imperfections. So your second toe is longer than your big toe and you think that’s absurd? Nobody’s noticed this but you! Until you complain about something or draw attention to it, most people won’t have a clue. Not to mention, everyone thinks their feet look weird. Feet. Are. Weird.
- If someone doesn’t like some part of your body, you don’t need to change – they do.
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Hear me out on this one. You may be head over heels for someone and they might give you butterflies, but anyone who makes you feel poor about your body is not worth it. They don’t deserve a spot in your life. There’s a pretty good chance they’re unhappy with their own body, because happy people don’t strive to make other people feel bad. One day, someone will walk into your life who thinks all your “problem areas” are the cutest thing on this planet. Love someone who loves all parts of you!
- Sleep!
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Sometimes, staying up with your bestie til 3:00 a.m. is definitely worth the stories you’ll tell at her wedding, but nothing feels better than a great night of sleep. Your skin radiates, your smile gets a little wider and your eyes twinkle— I mean, that’s not a scientific fact, but you’ve got to agree. An “I woke up like this” selfie is totally appropriate after eight or more glorious hours of rest. Catch some zzzzzz’s girl.
- Everyone has things they wish they could change.
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From Supermodel Chrissy Teigen Instagramming her stretch marks to Amber Rose walking the runway with her powerhouse strong legs, our favorite celebs have “flaws” they don’t love about their bodies. Our bodies are always changing, growing and getting older. Embrace the ups and downs the changes and the growth. Everyone has things they wish they could change. Move on, sister.