Your best shape
This summer, a friend said to me, “You look great! Better than you ever did in college!”
Um, thanks?
Not to bash this friend – I know she meant it as a compliment. But ouch! The truth HURTS! Most of my five years of college were spent very overweight. And you know why? I felt like I had NO control over my schedule (until my last year). And I was STRESSED out. No time to exercise + stress eating = overweight Kim.
Now, I have a more stable schedule and a very supportive husband. Of course it’s easier to fit exercise in now, and make healthier meals (that doesn’t mean I’m not overweight now, I most definitely AM!). I don’t all the time, but I try.
That comment from my friend made me think – when do I want to be in my best shape? Should it have been in college? Should it be now? Should it be a goal for the future?
Sadly, there was a time when I told myself “You have years to get healthy. Eat those sweets, who cares?!” Whoa, that is MESSED-UP thinking right there. And why would I even ask myself to set a goal to be in my best shape? I would like to get there, and stay there, forever. I want to be one of those ladies who’s 60 but looks like she’s 50 because she’s so fit and active.
Do you think about this? Do you feel like you’re in your best shape now, or where in the past? Are you working on getting there?
Side Note: Don’t forget to enter my Eating Animals Giveaway!
Themocracy
Ugh this strikes very close to home… I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life, and I’ve been this way for a few years now… I didn’t realise how much weight was creeping up on me during my first six months or so as a jobless bum, yet the weight has kept creeping up, making me extremely and fundamentally unhappy with myself. I’ve had at least two people ask me when I’m due. In my last trip back to Malaysia when I met up with a few schoolmates I’d not seen in 15 years, through indirect talk I came to realise they thought I was preggers too. It’s… irritating. frustrating. even a bit depressing.
Back in 1998, when I was strictly adhering to The Zone diet, I was probably at my lightest and fittest. I remember even then that my weight didn’t go below 54kg, and that I didn’t feel thin (altho a pic of me at that time shows a scrawny neck!), but I felt fit. I wanted to explore options of becoming an aerobics instructor, in order to make sure I would get the exercise I needed and craved. … then came a relationship crisis or three, and I let myself go to pot.
…. so now… I’ve struggled with weight loss, mostly unsuccessfully. And most recently, I’ve developed an aversion to just treadmilling/ellipticalling, so I’ve not seriously looked into joining a gym here in Springfield. Instead, I’m looking for a few aerobic/cardio classes that will make me sweat ~and~ have fun: my gentle/mindful yoga 2x/week is a good extension of my meditation, so it’s good for inner health, but the physical health also needs to be upped. I’m waiting impatiently for 2010 to come around, because then i can jump in to this Nia class I’ve been wanting to join (http://www.nianow.com/home), which clashed with the yoga I’d already paid up for so didn’t want to waste. … I’m quietly hoping that I will so like Nia that I’ll work towards getting certification to teach it, thus providing me with a way to work for myself ~and~ keep a good exercise at the same time.
(Sorry for the long comment!!)
.-= Author’s last blog post… Springfield, IL: What’s for dinner? =-.
I’m definitely still working on getting there. I probably started the journey when I got to college, but I have a hard time being consistent with eating and working out so it has been a slow journey. I used to have that messed-up kind of thinking to, though, and still have it occasionally with eating too much (eat those cookies, who cares? You’ll be eating them eventually anyway!). Good post! 🙂
.-= Author’s last blog post… Esas son puras mentiras, esa noche yo no andaba alli =-.
I think about this too! I was definitely not in my best shape in college– health-wise or weight-wise. I feel so much stronger and healthier now, and I think that has made me more confident in my looks, overall. I not only feel stronger and more fit, but I just feel…prettier, and I think a lot of that has to do with just becoming more comfortable in my own skin. I’m definitely more accepting of my flaws now than I was back then.
I hear you on wanting to be that fit 60 year-old. My mom is a great role model for me there– she’s still working out daily, and she’s almost 60.
Good post!
.-= Author’s last blog post… Sometimes you feel like a (health) nut… =-.
I definitely think about this all the time. I think I am close to being in my best shape, but it has resulted from a complete lifestyle change. In college I would go on a strict diets and lose the weight, not any more. I have educated myself on eating healthier and effects of the foods that I eat on my body and with exercise I have been able to transform my body shape to where I am. My husband tells me that since I started eating healthier my skin has a glow to it. I think he is right, I wear less make up now because a lot of times I feel like my skin looks fresh and I don’t want clog it with chemicals.
.-= Author’s last blog post… Gluten Intolerance! =-.
I am definitely in my best shape now. Probably because of blogging. It makes me more accountable and if I ever need some motivation I just get my google reader fired up and see what everyone else is doing.
Being in the best possible shape you can be, no matter your age, is like putting years in the bank for old age. How successful someone ages can often be predicted by how well they took care of themselves in their younger years. Believe me, the older you get, the more glaring this truth becomes. I’ve seen 80 year old runners and I’ve seen 65 year old nursing home residents. At some point, either we all make the decision to get healthy, or our refusal to make the decision decides it for us. At 53, I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been but there is always lots of room for improvement!
I’ve often told myself that I want to be in my best shape now! last year was probably the time I looked and felt the best but it came at a price: two hours spent in the gym every day, no fried food, no soda, no eating out, no fast food and pretty much all chicken and turkey, spinach and broccoli with some slim fast peppered in there. I felt great, I looked great but it was taxing on the rest of my life (namely social). Several of my friends are personal trainers so they advocate looking your best while you have the time and while you are young, I suppose so that you form long-lasting health & wellness programs? At any rate, I know how you feel. I’m a bit more out of shape than I was at this time last year and while I”m working on getting it back, I do know that I don’t want to be borderline obese when I’m older (or now, for that matter).
.-= Author’s last blog post… Nora Confessions, Part IV =-.
ummm….I don’t like “compliments” like that. 🙂 I never know how to react or what to think?! But you know you’re lookin’ good now!!
I think SO many of us can say we weren’t “at our best” in college or high school. It’s too tempting with all of the yummy food (hello pizza! and, okay, beer) around!
I’m in my best shape now, but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I do best on a set schedule. College was HARD for me because my routine was different everyday! So gym was always put off. But now, I just schedule my workout time everyday – plus, it helps not to have drunken feasts on breadsticks and pizza a couple times a week. 🙂
.-= Author’s last blog post… Soup Nazi =-.
I agree with Holly, compliments like that make me uneasy… and make me feel like, ok, fine, I know I was fat but did you have to call me out on it?!?! Um, I’m not in the worst shape of my life but not the best either… I’m (somewhat) ok with that… if I could find some motivation that would really help!!!
=^..^=
.-= Author’s last blog post… Happy Thanksgiving =-.
I’m in my best shape now and I was in my best shape in HS as well. College and for several years post college I was way overweight and it was ridiculous. In college it wasn’t too bad because I still had to walk everywhere carrying a terribly heavy Backpack. After college is when exercise dropped off until about 4 years ago. Now I’m awesome and totally happy with myself for getting back in shape and eating healthy again. 😀
P.S. Back-handed compliments are the worst! There’s always a hidden meaning in them and I hate that kind of passive-aggressive behavior.
.-= Author’s last blog post… December 2nd, 2009: spicy chocolate covered feet =-.
We had an amazing fitness facility where I went to college…but I hardly used it. Even when I literally lived across the street. I’m certainly in better shape now than I was then. However, I have some slightly disordered thinking regarding when I’m in “my best shape”. Will it be when I can run a half marathon under two hours? Will it be when I can do 100 push ups? Will it be when I no longer hate my thighs? Will it be when my stomach is flatter? I just don’t know. I do know, though, that I don’t want to ever look at someone who works out and takes care of themselves and think they are crazy. I always want it to be part of my life.
.-= Author’s last blog post… Decisions, Decisions =-.
I am currently in the best shape of my life. And I am happy. And I know it will sound like I am ungrateful, but at my reunion, I heard “You look so great” like a broken record. I didnt think I looked that bad (in fact, I thought I looked the same) in HS but people were seriously gushing. And while I know they meant well, I actually got a little hurt by it, you know! But then thing is, I think people were really just surprised by my lifestyle (I was a bit of a partier…smoker…etc) and impressed by my efforts. So in the end, I decided to embrace it. Cause the truth is, I do look awesome and I waited a long time for people to notice. Confidence is sexy right?
.-= Author’s last blog post… Three Things Tuesday =-.
I know I’m in better shape than I was in college. Working many hours, then doing homework (people who say art majors have no homework don’t know what they’re talking about!) and being under so much stress and being with a guy who was very lethargic was not conducive to my lifestyle. I got up to 145, nearly 150, I think. Then immediately after college, I dropped 25-30 pounds of it going down to 120. Bearing in mind I’m 5’10”. But was I even healthy then? Just because I was skinny? No! I still had no cardiovascular strength. Now I’m a respectable 135lbs and I couldn’t be happier. I have been this way for more than a year, never going over 138 and only going under 130 after a marathon. I actually have a feeling that if I was to stop running, I would be skinner cause I wouldn’t eat as much. But again, it’s not weight for me. I can run a marathon. I can climb a wall. I can swim many laps. My lungs, heart and cardio system are in the best shape. I’m a vegetarian, can’t ask for anything better than to add that onto it either! I like knowing that I can do those things more than how much I weigh factor into it.
I can’t believe you think you are overweight. I have no idea what you weigh, but I do know that you are BEAUTIFUL!
Ironically (is this actual irony or am I using it like the alanis song where it isn’t irony, it just is a coincidence and sucks?), the time I would say I was in my best shape was immediately before I found out I had cancer.
I told one of my brother-in-laws that I probably didn’t look as tall as I used to (I’m 6-foot-4) because I am overweight. He said, “Yeah, you don’t look very tall at all.”
He didn’t mean to upset me. Hell, I brought it up!
All I could think of saying was, “Yeah, you don’t look as ‘bald’ as you used to since you started shaving your head.”
But I didn’t say anyting.
.-= Author’s last blog post… The New Boyfriend =-.
I’m definitely not in the best shape of my life. At my heaviest I was 40 lbs heavier than I was when I started dating my husband 6 years ago. I got back down to that in 2005, but it was by being depressed and not eating… not the healthy way! So now I’m eating better and thinking about what I shovel into my pie hole (let me tell ya, it’s not pie!). I’m down 12 lbs (before Thanksgiving anyway), but it’s slow-going. Adding exercise today!
.-= Author’s last blog post… Random Things =-.
I was thinking about posting about my weight issues and where I’m at, but I haven’t gotten around to it.
I hate compliments like that! Even when meant to be nice.
I am at my healthiest right now. However, there have been times where I might have looked healthier just by merit of being thinner. Before kids, and even after my first one, I was naturally thin (but ate like crap, didn’t exercise, etc.) Then I started having to work at it and I have been yo-yoing up and down 20 pounds ever since. I think that I am at my happy weight right now. No, I’m not the size 4 I was as recently as my last yo-yo cycle, but I had to think about maintaining that weight constantly and for me, it’s just not worth it just so I can “look” a certain way when I already feel really good. I’m halfway between my heavy weight and my light weight and this is a weight where I feel great, can eat freely and feel semi-attractive (sometimes)–and I don’t have to think about it, count calories, etc. If I’m watching what I eat now, it’s because I want to be healthy, not because of weight issues. This is the first time in my life (even when I was thin) where I have not been thinking, “Oh, I’m going to go on a diet tomorrow” or “better count every calorie”. I’m not as prone to picking myself apart now that I realize how lucky I am to feel healthy and strong.
.-= Author’s last blog post… The Fashionista and a Weak Run =-.
I’m going to guess that very few active people would classify their college years as the most fit years of their lives. Mine most certainly weren’t (hello beer and fraternity parties and little sleep and poor eating!). My most fit years were in my mid-20s when I had few responsibilities and could spend a lot of time focused on me. That has all changed now, so I’m not as fit as I once was. But, I do think I can get close again if I stay focused. What’s for dinner? Oh wait, focus? I don’t have it. =)
.-= Author’s last blog post… Trivia =-.
I am in the best PHYSICAL shape of my life due to running, but I am not in the best …ooh, she is HOTT shape of my life…that was my freshman year of college….
But I am working to combine the two to be in the best shape of all time by the time I am 45!
.-= Author’s last blog post… Best ADVENT calendar EVA =-.
I think I’m in my best shape now (thought maybe not RIGHT now, probably two months ago, before the marathon). In any event, I still have the mentality of “I want to be in the best shape of my life in my 20s while I’m still young and have firm skim and fewer responsibilities. It’s probably some kind of vicious cycle where I should just work towards health and fitness all the time.
.-= Author’s last blog post… Look what I can do! =-.
amen! I was not overweight in college, but I was def about 10 lbs heavier than I am now. Beer and college food was to thank for that. Its amazing how much you can justify when you’re living it up haha.
When I was in fourth grade, my pediatrician put me on a diet because I was overweight. Thanks to puberty, I shed a lot of that weight and was very thin in high school, but I never, EVER worked out. I turned my nose up at fruits and vegetables and mostly ate foods processed within an inch of their respective lives. This happened all the way through college up until about three or four years ago when I realized I was steadily gaining weight, particularly around my midsection. Then I got a physical and my cholesterol came back at 217(!). It all scared me enough to get a gym membership. The nicest guy worked there and he gave me a bunch of free training sessions to get me started and make me feel comfortable. Shortly after that I started, little by little, removing certain bad foods from my diet (hello, Kool-Aid) and incorporating better foods (like those fruits and veggies). These days, I continue to work out (sometimes more, sometimes less) and try to maintain a relatively healthy diet (what can I say, I love me some baked goods). For the most part, I like the way I look and I really like the way I feel. And most of all, I’m proud of myself for making what were, to me, some pretty drastic changes in my life.
haaa. i always think i’m *just about* to be my Fittest Ever, and.. um.. that keeps not happening 🙂 i was probably my most fit at about 26, when i was playing a lot of ultimate frisbee, but my body just won’t let me do that these days. but i’m always “working towards” that awesome physique that i’m just a liiiittle too lazy to attain…. ;-P
.-= Author’s last blog post… my first vlog! featuring oliver the cat =-.
I actually was my littlest in college, believe it or not. I was so freakin’ active, involved in everything, went to the gym almost daily, trotted across campus and back, and was too busy buzzing around to eat very much. I don’t know that I was healthy, but I was tiny. Admittedly, back then I also didn’t have to try as hard.
I’m probably the fittest I’ve been since 7th grade when I played volleyball and tennis on a regular basis. We’d all love to lose more, but I’m pretty darn happy with how I look for someone who is 34.
Also, I have to agree that I just don’t understand where this “overweight” perception is coming from. I mean maybe you are according to some statistic somewhere, but I don’t see it at all.
What I thought was my “best shape” back in high school turned out to be NOT! I checked out a picture of my graduation and I looked like Skeletors baby sister. Collar bones stickin’ out. Ewww.
I like where I’m out now as I journey to “even better”.
.-= Author’s last blog post… Stupid Diet Tip #429 =-.
I like this post, very thought provoking. Being pregnant I’m of course NOT in the best shape of my life now, but for me it has always been a constant goal..well at least for the last 5 years or so. I don’t think it’s something I’ll ever achieve, but for me the fun and accomplishment comes from the constant striving to push the limits/try new sports/etc. to get in shape both physically and mentally. I think I’ll be trying to get in the best shape of my life for the rest of my life.
.-= Author’s last blog post… 3 Things Thursday =-.