You may or may not know that this week was National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. I wanted to do a post in honor of it, but I’ve been struggling to figure out exactly what I want to say.
This past weekend, I visited my grandmother at a rehab center in Connecticut. Two months ago, she had her second hip surgery of her lifetime, after breaking her pelvis due mostly to complete loss of bone. She no longer has a hip and will walk with a walker for the rest of her life.
I also saw my other grandmother, who has had more than a couple hospital stays in the past year.
More and more, I notice how much effort it now takes both of them simply to move from a seated position to standing on their feet. Walking down the hallway expels enormous effort for them both. Whether it be their hearts, their bones, their muscles – simple movements we take for granted are a constant struggle.
a baked egg experiment, pre-oven. i seem to be posting eggs every other day, but i promise i’ve been eating a much wider variety].
I brought my lunch with me to visit my grandmother. I cobbled it together from the contents of my mom’s kitchen: a salad of any vegetable in the fridge, avocado, and hummus; a Greek yogurt with many spoonfuls from the bag of granola I keep stashed in her pantry.
While I chatted with my grandma in the dining room, she asked me all about my lunch. And she told my dad, “I’m going to learn how to eat like Leslie.” She didn’t say she wanted to imitate my habits to mimic my appearance. It wasn’t about being thin.
She said, “I want to learn from Leslie so I can be healthy and strong.”
I want that too.
a whole foods and vegetable filled meal.
It’s unfortunate (to make an understatement) that there is so much nonchalance about real, actual health until later in life, while such emphasis is placed on our outer appearance from our pre-teenage years. Society has ingrained in us such backwards thinking. It took me over two decades to realize that the real reflection of my health can’t be seen by the naked eye: it exists inside me – in my bones, my heart, my blood.
I hate seeing so many women [and men] punishing their bodies – out of fear, out of self-consciousness, out of comparison, out of depression, out of pressure. We have to take care of ourselves while we can, because when we’re fifty, sixty, seventy – we can’t undo the damage that’s been done.
I’m a woman who loves style, so I’ll never deny that I care about my appearance. But as time goes on, the way I live has become about so much more. It’s a lifestyle – one that protects my potentially weak bones, keeps my muscles strong and stretched, keeps my heart pumping when I know heart disease runs throughout my entire family history. It’s about living in a way that doesn’t run me into the ground in a search for perfection, but instead, as my grandma wisely said, keeps me healthy and keeps me strong.
This body is all I’ve got, and I’m sorry I ever pushed it too hard, denied it enough, questioned what it told me. But now, I am committed to spending the many decades I have ahead treating it the very best that I know how. I’m devoted to my health, my happiness, and most of all: to my life.
Tell me something you do to treat your body well.
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Love this post girl. I’m completely with you. Being healthy used to equal being thin in my eyes. But now, I know that I was so wrong. Being healthy is about so much more. It’s about fueling your body properly when you ask it to perform at high levels, listening to your body, feeding it nutrients and vitamins… we only have this ONE body. That’s it. No do-overs here. We have to take care of it.
I try to eat more whole foods and less processed foods :D
Style and body have never been my issue. Function and energy is. That is the worth there. Pretty things do not bother me not anymore, I want to experience peace and simply life itself.
Such a well-written post. I treat my body well with sleep. I’ve learned the hard way how important it is.
love love love this post. I agree with every word. Bodies have become so much more in people’s eyes than their real purpose- and in a negative way- a source of judgement and criticism, self-punishment..We need to give our bodies the value they deserve, “if we don’t have our health we don’t have anything.” I’m really working hard to get back to loving my self and treating my body right. At the moment, I’m making sure I get enough sleep as my body needs it, not pushing my body to work without rest.
xx
Great post, Leslie. This is something I think about a lot these days- as I’ve gotten older, my priorities have changed. I think about my bones and how I can make them stronger. I think about my organs and how what I do affects them- I look back and feel sad about the teenage ‘me’ that wasn’t able to think beyond that moment she was in. Right now, I am focusing on nutrition.
wow, Leslie! this really struck a chord with me. we really shouldn’t put so much focus on the right now. it’s how right now is going to impact our later years. gosh, this was a great post!!! it really made me reflect :]
i treat myself well with water, sleep, and nourishing (not just ‘safe’) foods.
You took the words out of my mouth!
It’s amazing when I talk with my older family members (who have health conditions). The way that they talk about nutrition for its true value rather than appearance is truly what health and happiness is all about.
<3
Sara
This was a wonderful, sound, and uplifting post. It’s so easy to miss the point of staying active and maintaining a nourishing diet. For the most ridiculous reasons, it’s easier to obsess about superflous things like flat stomachs and dress size. I’m totally guilty of paying needless attention to the vain aspects of nutrition/fitness, but at the end of the day, I know all the efforts I make towards living a healthy lifestyle have more to do with keeping my body vital and thriving. Thanks for that reminder!
This is a really beautiful post. Thank you! =]
For people that have recovered from their eating disorders, or were healthy to begin with, it helps remind them how lucky they are, and to not take anything for granted…especialyl their health.
For those of us that are still struggling, this gives added motivation to get healthy, so our bodies can flourish the way they were intended to.
Thank you for this bit of inspiration, Leslie. And I’m sorry about your grandmother’s poor hip! You’re both in my prayers…
♥Alexandra
i LOVE this post girl! so beautifully written. its amazing how we forget the important things in life and really obsess over temporary, unattainable things. thank you for writing this.
and thank you for your comment! although we may have different faiths, we can still come together and unite for one purpose!
I treat myself well with lots of water and exercise. I TRY to eat healthy…some days are better than others, but my constant effort to always do better will *hopefully* get me to where I want to be one day! I’ve cut my emotional eating about in half, so I guess that’s a good start :)
http://www.firednfabulous.blogspot.com/
Many years ago, when I was struggling with my own food and exercise issues, I watched my mom’s best friend die of cancer. Watching other people who couldn’t control their health made me 100% committed to appreciating and honoring the healthy body I have had so far. Damaging it is out of the question. I eat well, in moderation, exercise but also allow myself lots of rest time. Lovely post.
Thank you for the beautiful comment, as always.
And wow, this post really made me think. There are others who would give up everything to have stronger muscles and better joint movement. If only it were easier to train our brains to appreciate what we’re so blessed to have.
I hope YOU’RE doing well, darling
xo bec