Tiny

Let me start off by saying that I am extremely comfortable with my body. I love my body and take care of it; therefore, I am very proud of it. However, recently I’ve had a few people comment on how tiny I am, and that makes me a little uncomfortable. As soon as those words hit my ears, I cringe a little, and feel obligated to make some sort of remark like, “Oh, no I’m not, really,” or thank them or something. The fact is, I don’t care anything about being tiny, and I don’t really think that being called small is a compliment.

I’m very health conscience. I put a lot of thought into what I put into my body. I want to eat only good things that are going to do good things for me. I like to keep in shape, too. But let me be clear, once and for all, that I do not do these things to look a certain way. Eating right and being active have several benefits for me, and, yes, one of those is that it gives me a good figure, but that is not my goal.

My body is a temple, a gift from God. I’m going to honor it by taking care of it. Seriously. I like being able to go outside and run around with my friends, play with my cousins, or just go exploring. I want to always be able to do the active things that I love, but I won’t be able to do that unless I prepare and train my body. I may not always have the opportunity to go rock climb or hike or play Ultimate Frisbee, but I want to be ready whenever a chance presents itself. So I do things like go running (which I do actually enjoy in and of itself) or lift weights. That way my body will be ready and able for adventures, and when I do them, I want be prone to injury.

I know this is a bit of a rant, but I felt like something needed to be said for the girls out there who care about fitness for reasons way more important than being able to fit in a certain sized dress. Being healthy isn't about looking good; it's about feeling good, regardless of your size.

--Brittany