When I squeeze my butt I have cellulite. It’s not attractive. You can definitely see it through any of my yoga pants or exercise shorts (yes even the fancy brands). I’m self conscious about it. But I’ve had a big butt since I was probably 12 years old. I had cellulite in high school. This isn’t a like a new thing for my body. It’s a part of me… a jiggly, dimply, less than favorite part of me.
I’ve spent more time than I’d care to admit staring at it in the mirror. Figuring out how to move so that it showed as little as possible. How to stand so I looked the thinnest from behind. Debating the fact that if I squeezed my butt it looks perky, but it also shows my cellulite – so what is better??!?!
This battle has been going on since I was in high school. It’s kinda sad when you think about it. The time I’ve spent staring the mirror disappointed and frustrated with my body instead of loving and cherishing it and thanking God for making me healthy and strong. I wish it wasn’t that way, but it was and sometimes still is…
Anyway.
I am self conscious of this (and a few other) areas of my body. So it presents this lil problem when it comes to exercise…
I feel best and exercise best when I’m in spandex. But spandex doesn’t hide my flaws (really it puts them on display). Which means…
WHAT IF EVERYONE IS LOOKING AT MY CELLULITE?!
I took a Body Bar class at the gym today. I like to stand near the front so I can see the instructor (I’m a visual learner so this helps me more than listening to cues) and I like to be able to check my form in the mirrors.
Standing near the front means there are plenty of people that get the lovely opportunity to look at my butt jiggle all over the place. I’d apologize, but it’s my butt and it’s my friend (now I’m talking about a part of my body in the third person, get help) so I will not apologize for it.
Yeah, maybe people are looking at my cellulite.
Who cares?
I mean yeah I’d prefer to have a perfect booty and I’m sure they would prefer to be standing behind J Lo in class, but this is where I am in the world and I’m going to live my life.
Worst case scenario is someone looks at me and talks shit later.
Again, WHO CARES?! Not me. I don’t care. Talk all day about my butt. It’s kinda funny, right?
The reality is – no one is doing that. I’m sure the ladies in class were worried about getting in a good workout and then getting to work on time or picking up their kids or running errands or… no one is worried about my butt except me.
So I continue to run and sometimes hit up a group fitness class in spandex because I’d rather avoid thigh chafing and let my big butt be on display than make myself uncomfortable for fear it looks bad. (For context though, this is also coming from the girl who has been walking in public with hand weights like a complete weirdo.)
The point is, I’m not perfect. No one is perfect. Some of my imperfections are highlighted because of what I wear and the hobbies I enjoy. Recently, I discovered a 베팅룸 사이트 that piqued my interest and led me to a new community of like-minded individuals. This experience reminded me that the focus should be on the positives of those hobbies and what my body is capable of, not my flaws.
If you have a pimple today or super huge or small boobs or a creepy laugh or something else that makes you self conscious… do your thing and don’t worry about it. Life is too short to miss out on something fun because of dumb reason.
Amen! I have a big round butt that gets plenty of male attention and female envy, but the flipside of having a body like that is cellulite. And yeah, sometimes it makes me self-conscious too.
Cellulite is not a disease , but it is an increasingly common problem that affects more than 90 % of women in the world, and has much to do with modern environmental and hormonal factors. Contrary to what many think , is not a problem related to excess weight , as some women who are at a healthy weight , also suffer from this condition , among the main causes , there may be an inherited genetic factor of your family, it can be caused by a sedentary lifestyle , poor diet or hormonal disorder factors that cause excessive estrogen production. http://bit.ly/1L1CQgH see the video of natural treatment to eliminate cellulite .
really great, important post…loved it! we all have at least one area that is so hard to ignore, so we focus it on it rather than ALL the other parts that are amazing! i actively have to focus on the areas i value and appreciate and love and skip my eyes over the parts i don’t. more difficult some days than others, but our bodies are truly miracles.
to everyone–you’re awesome in so. many. ways!
Love this post! So honest! EVERYONE has something they don’t like about their body. Talking about it is a great way to deal with it and not let it affect how we feel about ourselves! I have a lower belly bulge that I hate and always will… But I try not to let it ruin how I feel about myself. Most of the time I succeed!
Thanks for sharing. I love your blog and I can totally relate. I’ve been self conscious about my stomach since I was in grade achool! It’s so important to remember no one cares.
Also today I went to a global goods store! It was so fun to see all the produce and chocolates people eat around the world!
This is an awesome post!!! I’ve lost 80 lbs and I HATE my jiggly stomach. I can do crunches and all kinds of core exercises, but the extra skin and jiggly stomach is just awful. I really hate it. But I’m not looking to wear a low cut bikini any time soon, so I’ll live with it. Fun thing to do during the week??? Ha!!! Work, work out, eat, repeat. Started running last week and am building up mileage. It’s a lot easier to run on a treadmill than on the road. :-/
Before I finished reading your entry, I was going to say…as a regular fitness class goer, I could care less/think less about the other people in my class while I’m working out. All I care about/think/focus on is getting a good workout and if I think anything of the other people in class with me it’s that they are out here doing it and getting their fitness on. Good for them! That’s more than others.
I ran my jiggly cellulite thighs around town for 14 miles in the Florida heat & humidity, wearing tiny little booty shorts. And I gave zero fucks if anyone else looked/judged. I’m a 39 year old hot as F mom of three teenagers and I work for every thing I have. End of story.
I have to say that I have always had a big butt too, and I used to hate it! Sometimes I still do, like I’ll look in the mirror and think, ugh, it’s so big. But over the years I’ve accepted that it’s who I am and love it most days. So I appreciate this post, because I used to avoid the gym for some of these reasons. Big butts unite!!:)
Love this so much! I recently listened to a pod cast about cellulite and all but 17% of women have it! So you’re in good company! 🙂
Something fun? Booking my lipo appointment. Joking, joking!
Love your post. I wrote something similar on my blog. From the amount of time it took for me to scroll down to leave a comment I’ll assume it was received well. I’ve had a poochy stomach since all my life but my legs tend to stay on point, but that’s not what was fun today. Today I gave a presentation to college kids about medical school and the teacher gave me a nice water bottle as a thanks. So that was fun 🙂
SO TRUE! the saddest part is that the girl next to you in class isn’t looking at your butt, because she’s probably stressing over how she thinks her own arms look flabby, or her belly is too big. Why are we like this?!
Anywho, I’m hitting up the beach in Wailea today in a bikini, even though I housed a giant plate of guava pancakes for breakfast. Do I feel like Gisele Bunchen? Nope. But I’m still gonna have a great time!
Great, honest post. We all have things we’d change about our bodies. But the reality is that instead we need to focus on thanking our body for what it does do – and not everyone is so lucky (to be healthy & able to move). That’s at least what I’m trying to remember.
Wanted to say that I really appreciated the honesty and transparency in your post today! It’s so true that 99.9% of people are focusing on themselves and not noticing the negative about anyone else.
Also, I’ve had the opportunity to co-lead a couple of group fitness classes (I’m not a regular instructor or anything) and that COMPLETELY changed my perspective as a class participant. Everyone in class is so busy staring at themselves in the mirror that they are rarely noticing anything else around them (including the teacher!!)
I can pick my body apart with the best of them! Giant thighs and calves (which I had before I was a runner) and then this lame roll, which isn’t EVEN a roll–it’s just where the spandex stops and my skin begins. I have a flat stomach and small waist–why in heavens name would I pick apart that little thing?!! Truth is, everyone is so busy comparing themselves to everyone else they have no time to appreciate what they’ve got. I find this the case in most areas of life. I talk myself down with the reminder that my body made two humans and sustained their life for nearly 9 months after their arrival. It can live with a little extra whatever. And at 47, I’ll take this me over any other.
You’ve posted this before (on Instagram I think): You have fat, you are NOT fat. You have teeth, you are NOT teeth. #fact! If we didn’t have fat, we would die. And fat in the legs is supposedly healthier than around the mid-section. So there’s that!
Play the positive tapes. 🙂
So this is a great post. I only have one thing to share … okay two. First, I’m really lucky that my parents were perhaps the most embarrassing adults ever when I was a child. I grew up with the confidence that practically nobody was watching because otherwise they would have noticed the freak show surrounding me. Next, when I was a new mom I reflected on one of the weird things about the human race. Everybody thinks that chubby little babies with their little fat cellulitey (not a word but it should be) legs and butts are adorable and then when we get older we want it to disappear. Of course, it doesn’t … duh. Anyway I’ve had cellulite on my legs since I was like 13. I top out at 116 lbs fully dressed. It’s just there and I refuse to worry about it. Life’s too short. Keep on keeping on.
You hit the nail right on the head with this one girl! I agree, we get so caught up in what everyone thinks, that it prohibits us from actually enjoying what we love to do sometimes! Growing up, I was SUPER self conscious of my “thunder thighs”, yes, that is what people called them when I was in elementary school…That thought stuck with me all through high school, college, and even after. Believe it or not, I wore jeans every damn day in the summer in freaking Arizona because I was so paranoid that people would think I had big fat legs. Yes…jeans…120 degree weather…WHAT WAS I THINKING?? I can’t believe I cared so much what people think! Now I LOVE my big juicy legs 🙂 Rock what ya got girl!
Great post!
After work I’m cleaning which doesn’t sound like fun but it actually is becasue it’s for company that is coming to town to visit me!
I love you! And your positivity! Great advice: love your body where it is…. It’s the only one Ya got 🙂
I love this post! I participated in a marathon distance walk this weekend and was surrounded by ladies in spandex. I must have looked at hundreds of butts that day, but not once did I notice anyone’s cellulite or think they should be wearing something different. Quite the opposite, in fact, I was admiring everyone for something or another. Meanwhile I had convinced myself that MY butt was awful and everyone behind me knew it. If only we were as kind to ourselves as we are to others.
Thank you for this! I have the same self conscious feelings too, but like you I’ve evolved enough to be able to put unnecessary and unhelpful feelings aside and just be myself.
Knowing that your body was made just like God wanted it to be is a comforting thought. 🙂
YEAH! Shake that booty and be proud!
Your butt issues = my stomach issues. I feel ya lady. But, all we can do is go live our lives and enjoy it, right?
Fun today? I’m going to go paddleboarding after work since I raced last weekend and I’m off training this week. Definitely looking forward to it!
So ridiculously true–no one gives a crap but the person who is self-conscious about it! If I ever even notice cellulite on someone–which I can’t even remember doing at this moment in time, it’s no different than when I notice a freckle or their hair color or some other irrelevant thing. It’s sad how our mind makes these dumb things such a big deal sometimes.
I feel like we’re more aware of our “flaws” than anyone else. People are too preoccupied with their own insecurities. I am very self conscious as well, but in the end who isn’t? You work out and you live your life! It’s all about having fun and being comfortable. I feel like the less I stopped focusing on what I wasn’t and paid attention to what I was and what I was good at, I was happy and well comfortable. It’s hard not to look in the mirror for hours but you’re definitely not alone!
Now this is a post I can get behind (hee hee).
Everyone needs to read this and internalize the message. Young ladies all the way to old ladies!!
For me the most powerful thing you said in the post was this is where I am in the world and I am going to live my life. So powerful. So applicable. On so many levels.
<3
thanks for the totally honest post. you seem 1000% confident and awesome but its nice to know your just like everybody else lol. im not doing anything fun right now being at a day job and all but tonight im making butterbeer cookies and they are delicious so delicious = fun!
Tina Muir recently wrote a post on the runner’s body image that I really really loved. And I love reading your take on it too! I think we’d all grow (in strength, not ass) if we were all vulnerable and shared our struggles with each other. Saying them out loud kind detonates the power it has over our lives. Well, I think anyway. I’m skinny, but my boobs are the silliest things you ever did see. After nursing four babies, I don’t just take my bra off each night—I have to unroll them like sleeping bags and fluff them back to life.
I agree! Talking about this makes me nervous but also helps me relieve some of the power it has.
I will never forget last summer when I ran past some pre-pubescent girls, and one of them called out to me “your butt is jiggling!” At the time I was kind of mortified, but then I started thinking “Yea, it’s supposed to do that! Real women have real curves! My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard!Just wait until puberty hits, little girl, and you’ll see!” I am proud of my curves!
It is supposed to do that!! Agree 100% 🙂
girl, you look SUPER FIT! Seriously. If you were in front of me in yoga I would be like shit she must come here a lot to look so good I better come here more and do exactly what she’s doing…
Wow, did I ever need to hear this today. I have been so self conscious of my body as well, and to hear you, someone who is so fit and active, also share those insecurities, is encouraging. So thank you for being brave and writing about cellulite, cuz chica, you ain’t the only one! Something fun I’m going to do today is go to church and hopefully hang out with some old friends.
Hope you have a great time with your friends 🙂
Oh my gosh, I def understand this. I can’t fit into some running clothing (read: Nike) because they are not generous enough in the rear! Even in things that fit perfectly while running, I am constantly struggling to keep my crack in check when doing things like yoga or kick boxing. Cellulite be damned, I just want to make sure everything stays covered, even if it’s lumpy 😉
Well said! Who cares? AMEN!! I’m planning on some yoga tonight, that’s going to be fun!
That’s the thing about women (and most people), we all have insecurities. I try and focus on strength, fuel, and power rather than on calories and being a certain size. I talk with my own kiddos about this as well as my cross country kids.
Something fun today: grading papers at an all day training, just kidding. I’m looking forward to a date with my better half tonight while the kids are at church.
Oh, and the sexiest thing that anyone can wear is confidence!
True!
Everybody has something(s) that they’d change about their body if they could. It’s sad but true, yet also a bit comforting if you think about it.
I’m a BIG girl, but I still rock spandex pants and sleeveless tanks when I work out for comfort. Some days I feel self-conscious about it, but mostly I try to put it out of my head and focus on the fact that I’m wearing those things to try to improve myself and make me happy. That’s the important thing to me.
Well said. It is always smart to remember that every other girl in the class has issues with something about herself too- just do what you do 🙂 For fun today I’m going to a salon/spa opening- definitely a Girls Night Out!
That does sound like fun!! I need some girl time like that 🙂
Hear Hear! I spent too long worrying about what I looked like exercising. Now I feel like everyone’s in the same boat and try not to let it bother me. Loved this post!
Rachel – Cake Doesn’t Count xx
Great post. I am 100 percent behind you (pun intended) 🙂
I’m joining my coworkers to take one of our coworkers to lunch for her last day today. Should be nice. I also agree that wearing what you feel best in to work out is more important than anything else.
My problem area is my belly. I always try and wear big shirts but that never really works out.
Yes! This was such a lovely post to read. I also read the other day that cellulite is a KEY REPRODUCTIVE FEATURE. Women are actually supposed to hold fat in that way, it’s what makes them reproductively healthy 😀
Also you now have me watching Amy Schumer videos on Youtube all day…
Yes! I struggle to be okay with my body, but i’m very happy when people are okay with theirs 🙂 Today I had a soccer game, I absolutely love Tuesdays because I get to play soccer! I get self conscious about how im playing, running, if i might make a mistake or 12…. but it’s so much fun that I forget all my worries while playing 🙂
I have big boobs. I’m used to it but sometimes I remember how big they are when I’m running (or trying to run anyways) and I wonder if people are staring at my bouncy boobs.
Amen! I’ve always been thin and I have cellulite that shows through my workout pants too! right? who.cares