LIVING WITH GUILT

 

How many of us 25+ old women have been consumed with guilt and sadness after consuming a slice of cheese-burst pizza or an entire choco-lava cake? When was actually the last time that we had enjoyed a hearty meal without ‘counting calories’? I understand that at this juncture when many of us are literally leading a sedentary lifestyle, it has become very easy to put on weight, owing to the lack of physical activity/ exercise. But should that really amount to satisfying our cravings (together with satiating the heart) by nibbling on a really tiny helping of a ‘gajar ka halwa?’

The point that I would really want to state here is why body sizes become a general way of defining a woman; why do we see the obsession with a size-zero female but not a size-zero male? And the most detrimental thing about this concept is that it has the ability to lower the self esteem and confidence of an educated/ qualified woman. The saddest part to this is our own families continue to take part in making us feel low; there are several jibs showered on a girl like “Kitna khati hai ye ladki?”, “Shaadi kaise hogi?” and so on. There are situations where well educated and financially independent girls have faced rejection to marriage proposals solely because of being slightly overweight, on being petite or even because she wears spectacles. Believe me, I am speaking for myself and many others like me! Another factor that contributes to this is online market of the so-called fashion influencers like Komal Pandey, Sejal Kumar etc. These girls have taken the ‘body-business’ to such a level that there seems to be no link with their preaching/practicing with actual facts (or sometimes common logic/sense)!  And many women religiously follow these influencers.

I don’t deny that everyone has to stay fit and healthy; with stress and tension taking up a major portion of our brain together with long hours of desk job, we tend to completely neglect our health and well-being. But the idea to stay fit does not in any way relate to the obsession over skinny/ slim bodies. I mean, look at the comedian Bharti Singh – she is healthy yet fit and flexible! Because of this growing fascination for slim females, many ‘healthy’ women, who suffer from many problems like hyper/hypothyroidism, PCODs etc. tend to eat extremely less or even skip meals regularly. In addition, women also start feeling guilty if they take a bite of a chocolate cake. Let’s address once issue very clearly here – in our fast paced lives, we are already carrying a lot of mental strain on us (which we don’t share it with others, especially our parents); then why do we need to carry the baggage of guilt in excess, and that too with food! Good and tasty food can cheer up anyone, even the crankiest child. So why not cherish that happy emotion?

Though I am not a certified nutritionist, fitness coach or dietician, my only advice or friendly suggestion to all the women out there is – “Love yourself; celebrate yourself – because we all are unique!” Only then, we all (including me) can focus on healthy living, healthy eating and staying fit. Life is too short to live in guilt; savor every morsel in a healthy way!