Studies show that the top 3 resolutions for the new year are to eat healthier, exercise more and lose weight.
These are amazing resolutions, but these are also resolutions that are harshly judged in the public eye.
As a curvy woman, I used to feel beyond insecure about going to the gym or ordering a salad from a restaurant. In my head, all I thought about was people saying "she's doing that wrong" or "I know she didn't get that way by eating salads" or some other negative comment that I saw being commented somewhere else. As result, I'd stop going to the gym and begin eating poorly.
I know what you might be thinking. These are things all in my head or I shouldn't let some random person make me feel less. Yet some people aren't as strong as others when it comes to these harsh comments. There is a high expectation for what our bodies should look like and when people tell us we don't fit in that category, we start to not like ourselves.
Luckily over the years, I have gained so much more confidence because of who I surround myself with. But I know that is not the case for everyone.
Granted there are people who positively encourage this change, but it's those negative comments that hurt a person more. There can be 100 comments saying how someone is looking great and looked at as an inspiration, but as I said, it only takes one comment/person to make someone feel highly discouraged from reaching their goal.
Losing weight is seen as the 'basic resolution' but it's not a basic action. It is life changing experience and no one should make that goal seem unreachable.
Already I have seen so many Snapchat /Instagram mentions about how annoying it is when a gym is full of 'those new years resolution people" at the beginning of the month. The biggest thing I ask when someone I know says this is "since when do you get to decide how another person should live their life" and sometimes I'm petty and will say "last time I checked it's not your gym sweetie", I'm sorry but it's not. Gyms build a person mentally and physically, don't take that away from someone because you think you can dictate on who comes in the gym.
It doesn't matter if it's a stranger or even your friend who has this solution, take it seriously and encourage them to follow through with their goal rather than discourage.
Rather than judging someone for wanting to make a positive change in their lives, we need to encourage them and let that person do them.
So before you comment on someone's looks, body, lifestyle, think to yourself "how is this going to make that person feel?" or "what kind of person does that make me if I decide to tear that person down?"
I wish all those people whose resolution is to eat healthier, exercise more and lose weight the best of luck because I'm about to go through that life-changing experience myself. No matter what your goal is, it can be reached one way or another.
Feminism Redefined
