It's "fess up" time...
So I've been body-conscious my whole life. Mostly because I basically came out of the womb with big hips, thunder thighs and a penchant for enjoying delicious fatty foods...and I was too lazy for exercise. It didn't help that all the magazine, tv and books I read reinforced the "perfect woman" as naturally thin, leggy, and without curves. (How many times can you read that Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield were twins who were a "perfect size 6?!")
I'll admit here and now that losing weight for me was TOTALLY about vanity at first. I had become too big for all my clothes and couldn't shop at my favorite stores. I'm embarrassed to admit that was ashamed to go into Lane Bryant and that THAT was the reason I started my journey.
Along the way, however, I learned a lot about myself, grew my confidence and began to truly appreciate my body. My goals shifted. I wanted to be the fittest, healthiest, strongest version of myself I could be, not the "ideal woman" I thought society wanted me to be.
I always avoided jumpsuits like the plague. They were tight on all the "wrong" places of my body, and showcased what I hated the most about how I looked. So when my 21 year old cousin came to town toting a super hot one for New Years Eve I asked to try it on - it was my version of throwing caution to the wind.
What did I see looking back at me in the mirror? A sexy body with curves. Hips for days. Strong legs. A fierce, powerful, strong badass. A beautiful woman. So I went ahead and got myself a jumpsuit of my own. And wore it with pride and confidence this Saturday.
How did I learn to love myself? It took a lot of personal development, perseverance, and the daily support of the fantastic people in the kinds of challenges I run today. It's part of my purpose to pay it forward and help other women (and men too!) learn to appreciate and love the people they are and the bodies they were born with. Nothing fills my heart with more joy than seeing others get stronger inside and out, and the light of confidence that begins to shine when someone I'm helping begins to TRULY love themselves. Yes, you need to eat healthy and feed your body well in order to treat it with the respect it deserves. Yes, you need to exercise to keep it running at optimum performance. But it's about SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.
If you're ready to make a change and start loving yourself again (or for the first time!) hit me up on fb.com/jaimepiazza and let's start a conversation that will change your life!
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