There is one thing I hate about fashion… and I say this as a person who grew up in the nineties (which probably informs this opinion) I have the heroin-chic level of thinness that the fashion industry loves. I hate it, but also I aspire to one day be that thin.
But also no. Because at the level of thinness you couldn’t eat anything. Also… and I have no proof of this, but I think that you’ll probably won’t feel too good. There was a point where I was pretty thin. I was living abroad in Northern Africa doing some language study. I was over there for about a year and along with every good thing about that experience was a ever-present upset tummy. Granted I can have eating-disorder tendencies. But recently it’s been about over-indulging. Back then, it was about restriction. I was extremely strict about over eating, so much so that I would stop eating a piece of cake halfway if I felt like my stomache was ‘full’.
My diet over there was pretty healthy, on my own I tend not to eat too much meat. And the fruits and vegetables in North Africa were divine. So much better than here in the west. It’s probably because they were grown and sold in the same country. But I cannot tell you how many watermelons and peaches I ate that summer. It was awesome.
But that whole time I had a mild case of loose stool, which probably helped with the thinness. It got pretty bad near the end, where I had to go to the local ‘ducan’ to buy bottled water. I even had to drink the Pepto Bismol I brought with me. It was bad, but I was thin. So thin that my tummy went into my jeans and did not bulge out.
But now? Five years later? I am not thin. But I’ve never been thin living in the west. And recently I’ve become more and more interested in becoming strong. Think like Ilona Mahr, do you remember her? She played rugby in the most recent Olympics in Paris. She’s strong. That’s the type of strong I want. And you know how you get strong like that? Strong with those beautiful muscles that build your physique out and allow you to do some pretty cool shit? Strength Training.
You know where you can do strength training? If you’re on the west coast in Canada and in BC, and are close to Victoria, I would recommend this place. They even have in home personal training or you could just go to their gym. I’ve recently started talking with Sarah Jane. Unfortunately I’m nowhere close to Victoria, but I’m thinking about working with her to cultivate a better program that what I was doing on my own.
I really like the Stronglifts 5*5 lifting program. And it is getting me some results, but I wonder if I can tweak it a bit. I want to put some muscle on! And I’m even thinking about joining a boxing studio. So, while I would love to be thin, I think this season for me is about being strong.
