I'mperfect Life Inspiration

   I'm not 100% sure when or where I first was introduced to Andrea @ I'mperfect Life, but she is so inspiring!

​   She made me re-think "perfect", "strong", and "fit".

   On her website, I'mperfectlife.net, she has an atricle titled "10 Reasons I Love My Ugly Body", and I think the title gives you an idea of how awesome she is! 

   Below is a photo of Andrea with this caption above it:

Even though I have lost 164 lbs and  I am at my doctor’s goal weight...
Even though I have been doing crossfit 4-5 days a week for almost 2 years and eat a very clean diet (90% of the time)…
Even though I am a certified personal trainer and a Spartan, a Rugged Maniac, a Warrior and a Triathlete....

This is what my body looks like (almost) naked

   
   She says of this article (emphasis mine), "My own mind-shift allowed me to see the value of my body far beyond its looks and truly appreciate it for what it allows me to do…live a life of freedom"

​   Amazing, right?!?

   I know so many people (myself included) who struggle with their own bodies instead of just seeing how amazing they are, right where they are!

   How many new Moms have said "oh, I'm so fat now, I need to get back into shape", while ignoring the fact that they just grew a baby inside of them!!!! That's pretty amazing, but we've become a society of people who think that being skinny is all that matters!

   When I first started working out to get healthy & fit again in March 2014, I remember finishing some workouts saying, "I cannot believe I got through that!!! I would feel so amazing for my hard work, but that high would only last until I saw that my body wasn't changing overnight!

​   "Gosh-darn-it, Amy-Lyn!" my current self would say to that former self! "Appreciate how hard you worked!", "Think of how many pushups you did!!!", "You completed Jillian Michaels '6 Week 6 Pack' series!", "You da bomb!" : )  Ok, no version of myself would have said that last bit, but my current self is now rooting and cheering for my former self! Why? Because I am learning to not scold and criticize my body!

   I have literally (literally!) been criticizing myself for as long as I can remember! Even as a young girl, I knew my butt was flat, I had a lower belly pooch, my shoulders were (are!) really broad for my pea-sized head! What purpose has this served except to leave me feeling unhappy about any effort I put in? 

   Andrea of I'mperfect Life has a dare, and I love it! I've done it, and it is a total game-changer!       

     I am daring you to do this! Start today!

     As a society, we didn't always see imperfections the way we do now! 

    I found something online that made me laugh, it said:

Dear society,

Can we please go back to the Middle Ages where being fat and pale was considered beautiful?

Sincerely,
Beautiful in the wrong century


    We swing back and forth in this culture on how we view beauty, but on either side of the pendulum, bodies are being valued by some societal system determined by who exactly....?  Too fat? Ugly. Too skinny? Ugly. Too this, too that, ugly, ugly.

    We are walking around as if life were only skin deep, which (we all know!) it is not!

    I tell my girls this very often; what matters most, what is most beautiful, is your heart! A heart that judges others and judges oneself is black and ugly. Seeing beauty in what matters is a life changer, a world changer!!!

   So, take this dare, and do it! Start by taking a look at yourself and say something nice! 

   I want to say this to you:
    

From "The Help" written by Kathryn Stockett

xoxoxo