(via mayur-asana)

Something you won’t see in a magazine; Not exercising doesn’t make you fat.

I have not exercised in a month, and originating from someone whom started off with an exercising disorder, this is a rather king-sized deal.

Before I stopped my exercise regime, I was working out every day of the week. Three 1.5 hour gym sessions involving really unpleasant amounts of work, two 45 minute strength yoga sessions, a casual job shift twice weekly involving strenuous lifting and activity, and mandatory walks, standing ‘periods’ and general activity on top of that.

To compliment this fantastic regime of mine I was dead set on eating *clean* foods; high protein  low carb, healthy fat, no sugar. As a result, I would be forced to eat hard-boiled eggs and raw carrots for snacks. Not surprisingly they tasted vile. 

According to every thinspo and weight-loss sight I had ensnared, I should have been a mother-fucking goddess. Eating under 2000 calories, exercising every day, eating very ‘healthily’. All the boxes were ticked.

Except I wasn’t muscly, I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t vibrant and successful and suddenly content. My body fat percentage didn’t shove a bit. 

Eventually I relapsed again and catapulted into hospital. Here, I sat on my rump 24 hours a day and ate 6 sugary, carby, fatty meals a day. No exercise, no clean food, no fruit allowed (I still don’t agree with that one.) I became so distraught that suicide became my go-to option when I would be discharged. I felt my muscle seeping away with each day, I felt the lard and fat wobble onto my limbs, each bite of food was surely going to make me explode into a newly found obese ‘me.’

Except that didn’t happen at all.

I am out of hospital and eating more than I was previously. 

I have not been to a gym in a month.

Carbs, fat and sugar are just as *allowed* as protein.

My limbs are not fat and I am not fat.

My muscle has not dissipated.

My flexibility has not changed one bit (I had a quick yoga session two days ago and could pull myself into all the poses with less effort than I could have before.)

Not exercising won’t make you fat. 

Take it from someone who was a compulsive exerciser and scoffed at all the other people in ‘recovery’ who said they never exercised and could eat what they wanted. LIES! I thought. My metabolism would never handle that!

It turns out, everyones metabolism can handle that. 

Exercising is sassy, fun, sweet and I do love it. 

But not exercising is also equally important, 

And just as safe. 

(Source: hello-clementine.tumblr.cm)

My legs were made for walking, not to look skinny. My tummy was made for holding my organs, not to be flat. My bones were made as a structural foundation for my body, not to stick out. Appreciate what your body can do for you instead of trying to make it ‘look good’.

(via elmerslube)