as necessary and desirable.
It’s bathing suit season and too many of us are hiding away from the fun. The image of a perfect body has become so skewed in this “instagram-able” world. This column is a cry for humanity!
For millennia, women have been revered for our curves. Luscious contours were a sign of fertility and status. How did our culture decide that women should have hollow bellies and bones sticking out?
It’s time to declare that this obsession with photo perfect bodies is silly! The idolization of a flat belly has led most of us to disdain our beautiful forms and feel embarrassed about revealing skin.
Let’s look at why rounded bellies are beautiful and healthy.
So you can breathe!
Think of centuries past, when females were cruelly laced into unforgiving corsets so tightly that the slightest movement necessitating a deeper breath caused fainting or worse. In order to take in that vital oxygen and energy, one must allow space for the diaphragm to expand into the abdomen. If it is too tightly held, with spanx or otherwise, breathing is restricted. Vitality is diminished. A full, vibrant breath pattern translates into more energy, happiness and strength.
- A little subcutaneous fat in the abdomen is healthy. Especially as women age, the fat cells can play an important role in endocrine function. Fat cells can actually supplement estrogen production as the ovaries slow down. This can moderate the effects of menopause.
- The obsession with a flat belly leads to dramatic dietary shifts like going gluten free or cutting out all carbs. Some health conditions require these changes, but cutting out normally healthy food groups to specifically lose weight can be downright dangerous. Boot camp challenges and extreme fitness goals are also a form of self aggression and ultimately unhealthy from a holistic perspective.
- In yoga philosophy, the area of the belly is considered a source of psychological and spiritual power. Artificially restricting the belly, or sending it disgust or revulsion, inhibits the free expression of your personal power.
- And this is strictly unscientific and anecdotal. I think guys like girls to feel, well, like girls. The timeless magic in the uniting of the sexes means the female might be a little softer, more cuddly. There’s nothing wrong in revelling in this femininity and owning our attractiveness as women. And if you, my girlfriend, have no interest in how men perceive us, then you still need to own your feminine powerjust as it is!
Whatever shape your beautiful body, feel it, love it, move it and revere it. As you progress on the path to self acceptance and gratitude for this physical vehicle, your overall health will improve. And that will bring a healthy weight organically. If you’ll excuse me now, I need to change into my bikini and get outside for summer fun!