Too Much Time On My Hands

"T...t...t..too much time on my hands..." Not really.  Ugh.  I am soooooo busy this week.  People (who grew inside of me and I birthed; that's what I mean by "People...") are sucking the life out of me.

Tonight, I told my daughter that I want to grow my hair a little faster. We discussed hair extensions (I don't mind the easy way out...) and then I said I should get ahold of some pre-natal vitamins. This drop-kicked us into a conversation about how I couldn't really handle those vitamins when I was supposed to take them. I admitted, for the first time, that I didn't take pre-natal vitamins with any of my babies. I stopped, looked at her, and said, “I'm sorry.” Then I shrugged. OK. But here's the thing: I think that's why I wouldn't let myself off the hook about breastfeeding. I was determined to undo the curse set upon them by my lack of immunity-boosting during the human-incubator phase. This was high-dedication. We are talking years of baby-making, years of breastfeeding. Of course, I am never sorry. I would do it all again.

I look at my battle scars on this body I aim to transform, and I would so do it all again.

This now leads me to a related topic.

Did you ever hear that physiologists believe curvy women have a tendency to be more fertile? It may be due to higher levels of some female hormones. It may also explain why many men are attracted to women with “child-bearing hips.” These curvacious women exude something powerful!!! A waist-to-hip ratio of 0.70 is considered to be a characteristic of beauty. (What does this mean? Do I need my calculator?)

I found some examples online, in a diet blog by Ali Hale. They were perfect for our investigation, so I am including them, in my own words. (Thanks Ali.)

Song of Solomon chapter seven verse two says, “Thy naval is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like a heap of wheat set about with lilies.” (KJV)

Oh my. I like this. I love thinking about this beautiful, deep naval that keeps this poetic lover drunk with desire. And this heaping belly of wheat... sounds beautiful and round to me. (Although not quite gluten-free. Hmmm. Have to look into that.) :)

Mayhaps there are plenty of examples of this plump beauty. (Shakespeare, voice of Venus in the poem "Venus and Adonis:" “My beauty as the spring doth yearly grow; My flesh is soft and plump, my marrow burning...”)

Louisa May Alcott's claim-to-fame Little Women (of 1868) says this about Meg: “Margaret, the eldest of the four, was sixteen and very pretty, being plump and fair, with large eyes, plenty of soft brown hair, a sweet mouth, and white hands, of which she was rather vain.”

And another lovely example: “He watched the beautiful curving drop of her haunches. That fascinated him to-day. How it sloped with a rich down-slope to the heavy roundness of her buttocks!” - Lady Chatterley's Lover, by D. H. Lawrence (Written in 1928.)

It would appear that our obsession with slimness has been a relatively new trend, as far as the whole wide world's historical views on beauty are concerned.

Meanwhile, I do still want it (firmer, rounder, leaner.  Gimme, gimme, gimme.) I am not talking myself out of doing this makeover.

I'm just letting myself bask in my classical beauty and earthy ways. Yes, I bask in my hourglass, child-bearing prowess. LOL.

Which leads me directly to this: I took my before pictures. Wow. But not terrible. (Really.) I was a bit nervous about this. And yet, I will only post them in the event that I make enormous progress in the next four months.

I'm sure I will, right? There's no way that I can't as long as I truly press forward with the plan.

I haven't pressed forward very well these last two days. I ate everything in sight yesterday and fell asleep on the couch before doing anything good for my body in the way of actually moving it. Today, I will do my strengthening exercises minus the aerobic. I just haven't had the time. (I'm whining.) But I will be very, very diligent the next three days and so on...

I did brush my skin, and I am convinced the Castile soap, combined with skin-brushing, is helping to prevent the irritated rash that would be here by now from my hair removal on my inner thighs. The skin is still smooth and hair-free, I'm happy to report.

The fact that I was not terribly sore these two days might mean that I didn't really work myself enough on Tuesday. So I will increase my sets of leg-lifts, slow squats, lunges, donkey kicks, butt-lifts (? I don't really know what to call them...) and sit-ups to twenty or more. (Do I sound wimpy? I will get there... just trying to not hurt myself...)

Ho-kay. Zo... (Inside joke.) OK. So – I will go do these strengthening, toning maneuvers (not meant for the faint of heart) and I will stretch out, then skin brush and take a nice bath... Oh! And measure myself!!! Then go to bed.

Sound good?

And I plan to find ten reasons to completely love my physical body as is. Even if nothing ever changes about it...

So, back to the first thing I said, kinda, about hair extensions and the "easy way out" -- I guess there is none. Not for our bodies.  It's "fix it or shut it." (Both are OK choices.)  My new rule:  I can only complain if I am going to make effort to change it.

Have a great day! Love yourself! Next Blog – Natural Ways To Increase Energy. (And I do not mean caffeine...)

Laura Lee