It’s that time of year again. The time where Instagram ads are filled with bikini sales and gyms are filled with girls trying to get their “ultimate bikini bod.” Everyone knows what I’m talking about, the time when you try a new diet to lose those few extra pounds. The time when you spend extra time on cardio in the gym. For as long as I can remember, the spring is the peak time we always stress about our beach bodies.
My thighs are too close together. My stomach sticks out too far. My arms jiggle when I move them. Standing in front of my full length mirror is a dangerous thing. I’m not alone when it comes to these thoughts. Girls all over the world stare at their imperfections in the mirror, picking apart every inch of their body. We overwork ourselves in the gym to try and achieve the perfect body. When the gym doesn’t work fast enough we turn to diets. When it’s too hard to stick to the newest low-carb fad we turn to skipping meals. We do anything it takes just to look good in our new bathing suit.
It’s unhealthy, this obsession we have with looking perfect. For our entire lives we’ve been surrounded with photoshopped pictures of models, corrupting the way we think of the female body. We’re supposed to have these tiny waists while keeping Kardashian sized butts while at the same time looking like a Victoria’s Secret angel. How are we ever supposed to be satisfied with our own bodies when everywhere we look we’re bombarded with altered pictures? Ads on the treadmills pop up, reminding us it’s time to work on our perfect beach body. How do we ignore it when even our workout equipment is nagging us to lose some weight? It’s time we forget about this unachievable goal. This picture perfect body that has been fixated in our minds for so long. It’s easier said than done, but we need to start loving our bodies for what they are. Loving our legs for all of the places they’ve taken us. Loving our arms for all of the friends and family we’ve hugged. Loving our stomach for all of the tasty meals it’s digested. It’s time we stop hating and start thanking our body for all that it’s done for us. It’s time to own what we’ve got.
So here’s to a new beginning. A spring full of enjoy our workouts and our meals. A spring full of healthy changes and achievable goals. A spring that will soon turn into summer and ready or not, when summer rolls around we’ll put on our trendy swimsuits and hit the beach, because honestly, your body is perfect just the way it is.