The pursuit of perfection

Yes, we can all agree that Social Media plays quite a large role of what society considers to be perfect. We sit and scroll through our Facebook and Instagram feeds comparing ourselves to every image we see. "Oh, I'd love to have that body", "Oh imagine I had a house that house". The scary yet most exciting thing is that we can have anything we want. Yes, anything. If we want that house we can work hard to be able to afford it and if we want that body and we make the choices that we know will contribute to a healthier you.

So what's the problem? Problem is are we ever satisfied? Is there always something we want more, is what we are working towards ever enough?
I am no different, I am sucked into the digital world, this selective hub of images and words spoken by people I have never met. I sit and get inspired and convince myself that I'm going to make a change. But how long does that motivation really last? What really turns motivation into habit?

It took me a while to really convince myself that I was capable of changing my body. How does one enjoy food without guilt? How do we really find 'that balance'? Am I going to always have this unhealthy relationship with food? All these questions circulate in my head and I came to the conclusion that what's not perfect is the perception YOU have.

Yes YOU. I too contribute to what society portrays as the ideal body. The one thing I have learnt to do is love my body and with this I keep my social media images as realistic as possible. I recall starting this fitness journey & I was forever desperate trying to find images of what bodybuilders and fitness models looked like prior to their journey or even a realistic day shot but it was all filled with images of past photo shoots. Why? Because they too fear judgement.

So I leave you with this thought...

"The scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity. It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength or love. Don't give the scale more power than it has earned."
-Steve Marabali

Diet? What diet? I'm Lebanese, we don't diet...

Having a middle eastern background, growing up we were always taught to finish our plates especially at family gatherings. That if we didn't finish it was 'haram' as there were less fortunate people in the world and we were taking our food for granted (sounds dramatic right).

Our servings weren't of the ordinary size, they were over-flowing with food and not only did we finish what we were given we would always go for seconds. It didn't just stop at seconds, the desserts and fruit then came out and we taught ourselves to force these treats down as it was too delicious to pass by.

Portion control? What portion control.. It was devour as much as you could until you couldn't breath and felt the need to lie down to help aide digestion. I talk like this is the past middle eastern behaviour but truth is it still happens, I still attend family gatherings and get overwhelmed by the amount of food.

If your origins aren't from an ethnic background you probably find this hard to comprehend. The biggest struggle I had "eating well" was the feeling that I was continually missing out. Every time I visited friends or relatives I was greeted with a treat, chocolate, nuts or whatever it may be and perceived as unsocial if I didn't consume it.

Embarking on a healthy lifestyle where I manage my portion controls and say 'no' once in a while was the most liberating choice I have made. Taking a step back and building a routine of fuelling my body and eating to train rather than dieting and exercising has really allowed me to enjoy these family moments where I'm not forever bloated and filled with guilt. Do I still indulge? Hell yea, I'd never give up such precious family time.

Fill my plate please! I don't diet.. I'm fuelling my body for that epic workout that's about to happen.