So, to summarise ... Toned + Meaningful Tatoos = Sexy = Body Lovin'!
Showing posts with label body. Show all posts
Showing posts with label body. Show all posts
I Wanna Get Naked With Gok Wan!
Ok, maybe not literally naked ( although i sure could use a makeover ). So what am i on about? The gorgeous Dani over at Danimezza was lucky enough to not only meet but interview the fabulous Mr Wan, and she wants to share a special part of that with her readers - by giving away a copy Gok's latest book, " Through Thick and Thin ". To enter Dani's competition, we need to make a " positive body image " kind of post, and share our favourite body part with the world... and for me that part is this:
Yep, those are my shoulders right there. I have to say looking at them in a plain old photo they dont really look anything special but i really do like them. My shoulders and upper arms are quite toned, and have stayed that way even through pregnancy and weight ups and downs. As you can see, i have two small crows tattooed on my shoulders, and though some people think tattoos on women look cheap and nasty, i think mine only add to my shoulder-love. The tattoos, being crows ( who in various mythologies carry or protect the souls of the dead ) represent two people i have lost in my life, and i think they add a sexiness to my already nice shape. Its the same thing with my upper arms:
I love how toned they look in strapless dresses or singlets ( thanks a great weights routine pre-baby, and lugging said baby around since... ) and i love this tattoo. Its Chinese script and it roughly translates to " have faith in yourself ". Its there as an everyday reminder to never fall back into the black hole of depression, and to trust that i can do whatever i put my mind to.
So, to summarise ... Toned + Meaningful Tatoos = Sexy = Body Lovin'!
So, to summarise ... Toned + Meaningful Tatoos = Sexy = Body Lovin'!
Carson Kressley - stylist, fabulously flamboyant gay man, inspiration
So here's the thing - i desperately want for Carson Kressley to be my cliche gay friend. So does my sister. Maybe we could share him, and we'd be this cool, well-dressed little trio. I'm obsessed by fashion makeover shows and, if i had cable or pay tv, i'd probably only ever watch the fashion channel. Point is, Carson is my favourite of all the celebrity style gurus. I'm loving his new show here on Channel 10 - " How To Look Good Naked ". Ironically, apparently the key to looking good naked is knowing how to dress yourself, or so the theory goes. See, the basis of the show is that Carson takes a woman who has body issues and teaches her to love her figure by showing her how to dress for her best assets. Its actually kind of a theory i wrote about in a post a few months back - only i didnt exactly advocate the getting naked part.
Anyhoo, this brings me to the crux of my post. After this weeks episode, my sister and i discussed the parts of our bodies we like - and, i'm glad to note, we both had positive things to say. I dont know if i've mentioned it before, but although my sister and i both wear the same clothing size, we have vastly different body shapes , plus she is 7 years younger than me, so it was nice to be able to share and compare with someone who was going to have something different to say. My sister, in my perspective, is tall and thin, with long-ish legs and a small upper body. She's the kind of girl that can pull of a micro-mini, where as i am not - but thats all good. I totally rock a pencil skirt because of my curves, where as my coltish sister probably wouldnt be able to get away with it.
And so, this brings me to the shortlist of things i like about my body. Yep, even though i do blog about going to the gym, and trying not to eat crap, it doesnt mean i'm suffering on a diet or having overwhelming body-hate issues. Here it is, a post where i, a young, modern, woman, lists the things she LIKES about her body:
1. My waist - so alright, i like my waist. Its a small, defined, waist. I'm not going to give a measurement ( even though i know it ) but suffice to say i go (slightly) out at the chest, in in the middle, and out at the hips. Having a well defined waist means that when i wear my favourite pencil skirt with a fitted top, or a cute fitted dress, i get that awesome, old school, hourglass shape. I like that, too.
2. My upper arms/shoulders/decollatege - so technically thats three things in one, but they're all kind of inter-related. What i like about the aforementioned area is that its toned and tight, a legacy of yoga and light weights training. I dont have that flabby, old lady upper arm thing - which is not to say i would hate myself if i did, or anyone else for that matter - but i've worked hard and it shows. I'm proud of that. It means i can pull off strapless dresses or cute little camis and still look trim and toned.
3. My eyes - i know most women would list their eyes as one of their favourite features - because its really hard to find fault with them - but i really do like mine. Their big and their brown, and i have naturally long eyelashes that only look better when coated with lashings of black mascara. They get played up by purple shadow or liner, and are the first thing i choose to highlight for special occasions make up. Its kind of hard to go wrong with my eyes ( unless i let my 2 and half year old neice do my make-up - it was a fun game but she's not coming at me with an eyeshadow brush next time i hit the pub ).
So there you be. Any ladies readers feel free to take this as a challenge to list your own body loves, and male readers should feel free to take it upon themselves to list what they really love about the female species. Share the love, y'all, share the love!
Anyhoo, this brings me to the crux of my post. After this weeks episode, my sister and i discussed the parts of our bodies we like - and, i'm glad to note, we both had positive things to say. I dont know if i've mentioned it before, but although my sister and i both wear the same clothing size, we have vastly different body shapes , plus she is 7 years younger than me, so it was nice to be able to share and compare with someone who was going to have something different to say. My sister, in my perspective, is tall and thin, with long-ish legs and a small upper body. She's the kind of girl that can pull of a micro-mini, where as i am not - but thats all good. I totally rock a pencil skirt because of my curves, where as my coltish sister probably wouldnt be able to get away with it.
And so, this brings me to the shortlist of things i like about my body. Yep, even though i do blog about going to the gym, and trying not to eat crap, it doesnt mean i'm suffering on a diet or having overwhelming body-hate issues. Here it is, a post where i, a young, modern, woman, lists the things she LIKES about her body:
1. My waist - so alright, i like my waist. Its a small, defined, waist. I'm not going to give a measurement ( even though i know it ) but suffice to say i go (slightly) out at the chest, in in the middle, and out at the hips. Having a well defined waist means that when i wear my favourite pencil skirt with a fitted top, or a cute fitted dress, i get that awesome, old school, hourglass shape. I like that, too.
2. My upper arms/shoulders/decollatege - so technically thats three things in one, but they're all kind of inter-related. What i like about the aforementioned area is that its toned and tight, a legacy of yoga and light weights training. I dont have that flabby, old lady upper arm thing - which is not to say i would hate myself if i did, or anyone else for that matter - but i've worked hard and it shows. I'm proud of that. It means i can pull off strapless dresses or cute little camis and still look trim and toned.
3. My eyes - i know most women would list their eyes as one of their favourite features - because its really hard to find fault with them - but i really do like mine. Their big and their brown, and i have naturally long eyelashes that only look better when coated with lashings of black mascara. They get played up by purple shadow or liner, and are the first thing i choose to highlight for special occasions make up. Its kind of hard to go wrong with my eyes ( unless i let my 2 and half year old neice do my make-up - it was a fun game but she's not coming at me with an eyeshadow brush next time i hit the pub ).
So there you be. Any ladies readers feel free to take this as a challenge to list your own body loves, and male readers should feel free to take it upon themselves to list what they really love about the female species. Share the love, y'all, share the love!
I must stop sabotaging myself
Seriously. My sister is kind of helping but thats not her fault - she just has a fast metabolism and can eat crap all day and it wont make an ounce of difference. Literally. But me ? I need to get all the junk food out of my house. I do not go to the gym four times a week just so i can eat icecream and chocolate and put on the calories i just burnt off. Thats not how it works.
I dont think i've actually put ON any weight thus far, but i would have liked to have taken some OFF in the last 6 weeks and i dont think i have, because Picnic Drumsticks are just too tempting. However, i had this rule before my sister moved in and i think i'm going to have to go back to it: if it isnt in my house, i cant eat it. Simple. That is, if there are no Picnic Drumsticks in the freezer, or hazelnut chocolate in the fridge, i cant indulge in any of it. And i am far too lazy to get dressed, put some shoes on and drive all the way to the supermarket just to buy a block of chocolate. So if its not there, i cant be tempted.
So from now on if my sister is craving icecream - which is pretty much every day ( lucky skinny bitch.... ) - than she's just going to have to buy something i dont actually like eating. Like peppermint icecream, or bitter dark chocolate. Just keep the Picnic Drumsticks away from me...
I dont think i've actually put ON any weight thus far, but i would have liked to have taken some OFF in the last 6 weeks and i dont think i have, because Picnic Drumsticks are just too tempting. However, i had this rule before my sister moved in and i think i'm going to have to go back to it: if it isnt in my house, i cant eat it. Simple. That is, if there are no Picnic Drumsticks in the freezer, or hazelnut chocolate in the fridge, i cant indulge in any of it. And i am far too lazy to get dressed, put some shoes on and drive all the way to the supermarket just to buy a block of chocolate. So if its not there, i cant be tempted.
So from now on if my sister is craving icecream - which is pretty much every day ( lucky skinny bitch.... ) - than she's just going to have to buy something i dont actually like eating. Like peppermint icecream, or bitter dark chocolate. Just keep the Picnic Drumsticks away from me...
And just like that, i'm back on the horse
Actually, i'm back on the bike. The stationary bike at the gym that is.
Thats right, i kept the promise to myself and i went back to the gym this afternoon. I had an excuse not to go - my gym buddy has a bad back and it was acting up, so i could have said " Screw it, i'm not going either ", but i didnt - i came home, ate me a snack, got changed and went to the gym. I was actually really proud of myself for sticking it out. As we are all aware by now, i'm noty exactly a fan of being the centre of attention or being scrutinised, so the minute i walked in the door and found myself to be only the fourth woman there surrounded by big, burly, blokes i kind of got a little nervous. Not that i really had right to be i suppose, its just a little intimidating to be a gym newbie surrounded by men you know are probably there every day - or, on the other hand, are there partly so they can check out the chicks. I hate to generalise, but you know its based in truth. So i just found myself a little anxious plonking down on a machine next to a guy who could probably quite easily pick me up with one arm ( although, that thought is also kind of sexy...muscles are good ), not because i thought he was going to try and break me, just because i didnt want him to look at me and think i was puny or something. Which i suppose, in comparison, i am, but thats not the point.
The point is - i'm trying. I'm being pro-active. I'm taking my health - both physical, emotional and mental - into my own hands. I pushed myself to stay, and work, and do what i could without being put off by everyone else. I'm making an effort to be outside of my house in an area where there are other people, 99% of whom i do not know. Perhaps i will ask one of the burly hot guys to help me put those big heavy weights on one of the machines - that'll at least give one of us an opening to a conversation. But not just yet, that will come in time.
Let me work on my glutes and my triceps, and the rest will follow....
Thats right, i kept the promise to myself and i went back to the gym this afternoon. I had an excuse not to go - my gym buddy has a bad back and it was acting up, so i could have said " Screw it, i'm not going either ", but i didnt - i came home, ate me a snack, got changed and went to the gym. I was actually really proud of myself for sticking it out. As we are all aware by now, i'm noty exactly a fan of being the centre of attention or being scrutinised, so the minute i walked in the door and found myself to be only the fourth woman there surrounded by big, burly, blokes i kind of got a little nervous. Not that i really had right to be i suppose, its just a little intimidating to be a gym newbie surrounded by men you know are probably there every day - or, on the other hand, are there partly so they can check out the chicks. I hate to generalise, but you know its based in truth. So i just found myself a little anxious plonking down on a machine next to a guy who could probably quite easily pick me up with one arm ( although, that thought is also kind of sexy...muscles are good ), not because i thought he was going to try and break me, just because i didnt want him to look at me and think i was puny or something. Which i suppose, in comparison, i am, but thats not the point.
The point is - i'm trying. I'm being pro-active. I'm taking my health - both physical, emotional and mental - into my own hands. I pushed myself to stay, and work, and do what i could without being put off by everyone else. I'm making an effort to be outside of my house in an area where there are other people, 99% of whom i do not know. Perhaps i will ask one of the burly hot guys to help me put those big heavy weights on one of the machines - that'll at least give one of us an opening to a conversation. But not just yet, that will come in time.
Let me work on my glutes and my triceps, and the rest will follow....
Chin up, old chap
Quick note - i am ridiculously embarrassed and feel like a failure. Kind of.
I went to the gym yesterday morning, i rolled out of bed an hour and half earlier than i normally would, and kept an appointment with one of the trainers so that we could set up a program and she could show me how to use the equipment properly.We were going well - i showed i could handle an incline on the treadmill, and the reverse leg curl machine wasnt as scary as she made it sound and then what happens ? I go pale white, and have to run to the bathroom to throw up.
I am not one of the BIggest Losers - i do not have incredible amounts of weight to lose, nor am i being thrown into hard exercise for the first time. But, for some reason, my body decided to fail me, and make me feel like a failure aswell. The trainer was lovely about it - she took my blood pressure, which happened to be 100/40, which apparently is not good at all - but i am left wondering if she thinks me weak.
No matter - i went home, at some more breakfast, had a shower, and went to work - and got on with it. I thought " I can feel miserable and sick all day, or i can suck it up and carry on ". So i did - down a girl at work, i did everything on my own, efficiently, and i felt good for it. Tonight, i will go to the gym and i will push myself hard and i will prove that i CAN do it without fainting like some loverlorn Scarlett O'Hara.
And i will keep this positive veiwpoint up, as long as i can...
I went to the gym yesterday morning, i rolled out of bed an hour and half earlier than i normally would, and kept an appointment with one of the trainers so that we could set up a program and she could show me how to use the equipment properly.We were going well - i showed i could handle an incline on the treadmill, and the reverse leg curl machine wasnt as scary as she made it sound and then what happens ? I go pale white, and have to run to the bathroom to throw up.
I am not one of the BIggest Losers - i do not have incredible amounts of weight to lose, nor am i being thrown into hard exercise for the first time. But, for some reason, my body decided to fail me, and make me feel like a failure aswell. The trainer was lovely about it - she took my blood pressure, which happened to be 100/40, which apparently is not good at all - but i am left wondering if she thinks me weak.
No matter - i went home, at some more breakfast, had a shower, and went to work - and got on with it. I thought " I can feel miserable and sick all day, or i can suck it up and carry on ". So i did - down a girl at work, i did everything on my own, efficiently, and i felt good for it. Tonight, i will go to the gym and i will push myself hard and i will prove that i CAN do it without fainting like some loverlorn Scarlett O'Hara.
And i will keep this positive veiwpoint up, as long as i can...
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