This body positive blogger has perfectly explained how uneducated our society is about “health”.
An Australian influencer has shown trolls just how little they understand about being truly healthy, after schooling them in a triumphant post which separates the difference between being healthy and “skinny”.
If you haven’t come across Kate of @dedikated_lifestyle on Instagram before, Kate originally started using social media to share her weight loss journey, something which she now reflects on as a difficult time in her life.
She once – in her words – “over exercised, under ate, lacked energy, [struggled with] body dysmorphia and mood swings” as a result of her restricted lifestyle, in order to maintain a certain size. But now she has now dedicated her Instagram presence to embracing her body at a size that feels more natural to her and sings the praises of living in the moment.
But sadly, a grimy corner of the internet is determined to try and bring a grey cloud over the ray of sunshine that is Kate. As her latest post explains, she has dealt with a huge amount of cyber bullying recently with trolls calling her a “fat, careless and a bad example”, among other things. Essentially insults that should never see the light of day, let alone be hurled at someone trying to spread positivity.
However, no matter how bad the recent trolling has been, Kate has managed to turn this negative into something positive, with an incredible response which nails the big problem our society has with the way it views health.
“For people to say I looked ‘healthier’ when I was skinnier proves how uneducated we are about ‘health’. When I was my smallest I was far from healthy. I over exercised, under ate, restricted food groups, lacked energy, completely lost my sex drive, I had a poor social life and my relationships deteriorated. Yet I was ‘healthier’!?!” Kate starts.
She continues: “Over coming these things and living a balanced life in which I love my body, have loads of self-confidence, no health problems and am genuinely happy is so much more important to me than chasing a number on the scales.”
Kate continues to explain that she eats a balanced diet without having to restrict herself, exercises five to six times a week but now for enjoyment and therefore manages to have “an amazing social life and relationship”. She also says that after changing the way she thinks about her body image she hasn’t experienced disordered eating and is the happiest she’s ever been, remarking “I don’t understand how that is ‘unhealthy?’”
Finishing her post on an empowering note, she writes: “I am not ‘back where I started’, I didn’t ‘give up’, I haven’t ‘let myself go’ and I am NOT ‘a failure’. I am also not promoting obesity, laziness, or complacency. I am promoting happiness, self-confidence, self-love, positivity and I simply want to encourage all of you to live YOUR best life, whatever that may look like.”
Take that trolls, and sure enough, within minutes Kate’s followers responded to say how much they agree with her.
“People obviously haven’t watched your stories if they say you are unfit and lazy. The workout you posted yesterday was epic. I wonder how many of the people who made nasty comments could pull off that workout. Carry on warrior!” wrote on follower.
Another agreed: “So sick of this false stereotype that skinny is healthier. Love your page keep being you.”
Trolls, be gone. This is the kind of message we want to be carrying into 2020, thank you very much.
Images: Jaiden Peters – Unsplash
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