KIMBERLY MACEACHERN
My mom taught me many things: the golden rule, self-reliance, the
importance of laughter and, above all else, to hold your stomach in for God sake.
Now, in my late 50's and after 34 years of marriage, I still worry if my
stomach protrusion is showing. This is a challenge because I don't like billowy
clothing.
I have been mislabeled as "big-boned." I get that from
the Teutonic stock that produced my maternal grandmother-a classy and
curvaceous woman who was obsessed with the rolls of fat on her back, despite
the fact that they proved no impediment whatsoever to attracting intelligent
and accomplished men.
My paternal grandmother was one of 9 girls who came in all shapes
and sizes, giving me hope as a child that I might end up like the skinny ones.
Concurrently I harbored a fear, no doubt buoyed by my mother's abdominal
admonition, that I would follow the great aunt with the belly so big she could
not cross her legs. (Don't get me wrong -I love and respect this powerful woman
who was extremely self confident.)
You might think I must be scarred for life by these combinations
of body imaging and you would be right. I have rarely felt "comfortable in
my own skin". Like almost all women I suffer from a poor self-image,
bodily speaking. I am off the charts for weight and always have been.
Due in part to dense bones I am just plain heavy; so much so that
I have never been a runner; but I can walk all day long.
Unlike most I don't see this as negative. Being a glass half full
person I am grateful to my mother for instilling in me this focus on frontal
fat. As a result I am very intent on healthful living. Virtually every week of
my life I have exercised at least 3 times: there was the volleyball period,
racquetball period, 20 years of aerobics, kundalini yoga, hiking, and on and
on.
The other thing my upbringing imparted is a love for food and lots
of it. Those Germans could cook and on the other side Mexican food was a
staple. Drawing on the modeling of independent research my mother also
exhibited, throughout my life I have paid a great deal of attention to all
aspects of food-where it comes from, what it does to and for us, and the best
places to buy it fresh. I figure that we have to eat so we might as well do it
in the most optimal way. I ride my bike to the farmer's market every Saturday
morning to fill in the holes of the CSA share I pick up on Wednesdays.
Bottom line is that I am the picture of health; I have no
prescriptions and rarely get sick or go to the doctor. Every time I do go I am
admonished to do the South Beach diet based solely on my height/weight numbers.
I am not impressed with such a one-size fits all approach.
Given the longevity of the hearty women in my ancestry on both
sides, and given that I don't drink sweet drinks, eat mostly fruits and
vegetables, don't smoke, drink only in moderation and regularly exercise
(which ironically has actually caused my abs to get even bigger), I
still gaze at my navel daily with dismay and likely will do so well into my
90's. And I can totally live with that, thanks to Mom.
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