As a 20 something millennial, I get frustrated when I scroll through Instagram, and see girls my age looking flawless and unbelievably skinny, where their only job seems to be to look good and promote detox teas and hair growth gummy vitamins. Although I am not overweight, and in no ways am complaining that I am fat, I have my own insecurities with my body as anyone else does. I often keep quiet about them because I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining about nothing. But the truth is, while other people can’t see these small flaws, we know our own bodies better than anyone else, and they are very apparent to us.
It’s easy to get discouraged about your body when everyone around you seems to be in perfect shape. As I looked at Liane V’s newest instagram, holding up her MateFit and smiling, I caved in. I decided to give these detox teas a shot, because why not? I was miserable with my body and wanted to lose weight desperately. So as I punched my card number in, and confirmed my order, I was pretty excited. I purchased my detox tea with the mindset that if someone like Liane V was promoting it, it would bring me one step closer to achieving the perfect body all these girls seemed to have.
When it came in the mail, I was ecstatic. I couldn’t wait to start using it and work out, so I could finally get rid of my belly weight and be fit for summer. I used the morning and night tea, carefully reading the instructions and working out 30 mins after like it advised. I used it every day until the entire 28 day detox set ran out.
The results were disappointing. I was pretty crushed when I saw no difference in my body, and felt pretty stupid. Maybe I didn’t work out hard enough, or maybe the detox tea was just a placebo effect. Either way, I felt like it was a waste of money and time. The truth was that I was using the tea as a way to feel better about my body and place unrealistic expectations on myself. I was tired of the body I had, and wanted something better. I wanted the toned stomach, the big butt, everything that I didn’t have. I was stupid in thinking purchasing detox tea would drastically change me.
Now, I exercise because I genuinely enjoy it. I don’t do it with the mindset of trying to become skinny like the Instagram models I see, but because I want to be healthy and be active. Of course I also do it to lose weight, but I don’t work out with my insecurities in mind. I’ve realized the way I went about working out before was unhealthy. I would excessively write down how many calories I burned every time I went, and put myself down in my mind when I was running to motivate me to work harder. I saved pictures of the bodies I thought were perfect and used them to beat myself up, and work out harder.
Now, I’ve come to be more accepting of my body, even though it doesn’t always come easy. Although I still feel a little tinge of jealousy when I see these Instagram models, I know better than to body shame myself for not being able to achieve the body type that they have. I also realized that there are no quick fixes when it comes to losing weight. Maybe the detox tea helped a little, but ultimately, losing weight takes patience, consistency and effort. It’s easy to get caught up in detox teas and diets but don’t work out to try and fit some ideal body image. Own the body you have, and be proud of it.
