Day Dos: Vanity

Day two of my blogging, and let me tell you, it has been one heck of a day! I have felt somewhat drained all day, and I keep experiencing this weird eye issue, but I'm sucking it up for the moment.
What has really been on my mind today is vanity, or the lack thereof. A lot of times when we think of our health and of working out in general, we imagine our bodies, of course. Our physical appearance is certainly a huge aspect of fitness, but it's not everything, and I have learned that it really should not be our primary focus.
Learning this was really a process because it is natural, especially for girls, to be overly concerned with appearance. It's quite a cliche to say that "we live in a society that considers body image extremely important," but that's a true statement.
Growing up, I was not really one of those girls who tried to look like every other girl. I had my own style, and I was always happy to be different. Similar to most girls, though, the numbers on the scales and clothing tags were important to me, and they have remained important until lately. That's actually really stupid, though, and I hope I never again make a flat stomach the main reason for exercise.
Our bodies are all different, and it is not what we look like that deems us healthy, but how we treat our bodies. Not all "skinny" people are healthy, and a lot of not so skinny people are in great shape and could run a marathon without slowing for a breath.
I have decided that I do not want to wear a size zero jeans, and I do not necessarily have to meet my weight goal of 120 lbs. or so. If my body is in good shape, if I have strong endurance, and if I'm feeling healthy, I choose to be content--proud!--even if the scales do not say what I once envisioned them to say.
I think that a lot of times, we begin workout programs or diets with the wrong intentions, usually just wanting to be thinner, or weigh less, or wear a smaller size. That's probably why a lot of my previous attempts at fitness have failed hard. But good health should not be like that, and I propose that we stop being so vain to obsess over physicality. Because, think about it, if we feel good, we will look good. When we accomplish something, we will look in the mirror and see a strong, motivated bad 'a' who can defeat anyone and anything! I think that when we worry solely about our appearance, we are really worrying about how others perceive us. We are not in front of a mirror all day, but most of us are in front of people during the day.

So here's what I say:
To heck with setting an ideal weight,
To heck with staring lustfully at a pair of jeans that we may or may not ever fit into,
And to heck with being so concerned with how other people judge our bodies that we cannot even love ourselves!

Setting goals and working hard will result in results! If we feel accomplished and motivated, I think we will probably see more beauty than we ever would with our butts in a tiny pair of pants! Long live big booties! :O)

*I really want to add that I do not think there is ANYTHING wrong with wearing a size zero, being "skinny," or anything else of the sort. It's great when people can maintain a healthy size, be it via workout or even if they are just naturally small. I am just trying to emphasize the importance of not being completely driven by image. I guess it could go the same for people who want to gain body mass. Being healthy and strong is not strictly defined by size and appearance.

Daily Log
As said previously, I hope to keep a log of my daily food intake, exercise, and other contributors. Mostly for myself, but feel free to offer advice:)

Meals:
Breakfast: three small blueberry pancakes with fat free syrup, a glass of milk, and a cup of orange juice
Lunch: (don't laugh, it's the same as yesterday's) 12" spinach burrito with rice and pinto beans, cheese, tomatilla salsa, a handful of chips, and mango fruit tea. also a brownie from my favorite British girl, and a chocolate something or other (it was round and had an almond inside??)
Supper: half a ham and cheese sandwich with pickles, half a turkey sandwich with pickles and mustard, a few chips, and sweet tea.

*I failed to include my workout from yesterday, and since today lacked one, I will add yesterday's:

CIRCUIT:
~10-to-2 curling bar pyramid (30 lbs.)
(squats, standing overhead press, and squat to press) --note: I'm not certain on the official terms of certain moves, so I just try to be as specific as possible.
~50 crunches each rotation (so 250 altogether)
~side-bends with 15 lbs. each bend
~triceps (25 lb. barbell extended overhead, then behind the head). I did 5 sets of 10.

~Downward (?) arm press machine. (5 sets of 10 with 80 lbs.)
~Captain's chair- legs to chest (3 sets of 10)

Everyone have a wonderful night!

A friend shared this quote with me, and she added that it has really changed her thoughts on how people envision her. I thought it was a great quote:

"What others think of me is none of my business." (thanks Rebecca, if you're reading this!)