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Re: It's definitely not lost on the kids [jenhs] [ In reply to ]
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You go, girl! :-D

Maui is a fitting reward for the torture that is trying on bathing suits!

M

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The beatings will continue until morale improves
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Re: It's definitely not lost on the kids [jenhs] [ In reply to ]
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No bikini but I know what looks good and what doesn't. I got a cute suit that shows off my shoulders and back, drawing the eyes away from the lower half. I also went out and got a rediculously expensive pair of Armani sunglasses that will definitly show off the swank haircut I'm getting.

Draw the eye upward, girls!

Absolutely! That's why at 42 I'm starting to discover that wearing jewelry isn't so bad after all. :-)

Enjoy Maui -- I'm sure you'll have a blast!
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Re: It's definitely not lost on the kids [tigerchik] [ In reply to ]
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I danced for a year when I was six so the only "pressure" was to look cute in our little sailor outfits...

but I am suprised that your daughter found swimming to be such a "healthy" environment. How can you spend so much time in a swimsuit and NOT feel so many eyes on what you look like? I became severely anorexic in high school... it started swimming. I don't remember so much wanting to be thinner (that came later) as being unhappy with my race times and somehow thinking that not eating would help. Like if I were smaller I would swim faster? I don't know what flawed logic I had. Or maybe it was being unhappy with myself and not eating as 'punishment.' It was more likely a way to control something when I was swimming my little tail off every day and not getting any faster (and that cycle got worse when I pretty much stopped eating).

The skewed body image came much later for me but I still feel it. Watching local college championship meets, I was surprised at how 'big' some of the girls looked (then again maybe that's just my skewed perception) but they are fast as hell. My roommate is a D1 swimmer. She always tells me "I wish I were skinny as you." My reply to that is usually, "I wish I had your 200 fly times." I know logically that swimmers aren't thin [well as thin as runners] but I still fight that... anyway, I STILL feel "fat" in my swimsuit sometimes. It's annoying as hell. Yesterday AM I ran and thought I looked too thin in the shorts and tank top I was wearing. I went to the pool in the afternoon and when I put my swimsuit on, "where did being thin go?" it didn't help that we had mirrors in the bottom of the pool yesterday so you could see a couple of your strokes as you swam over them... :P

I have gotten to the point where I can look at models and know I don't want to look like that, they have no muscle. Quite frankly I'm not sure how they manage to WALK and I bet I could out swim/run/bike them and that's more important. And I've come to realize how airbrushed photos in fashion magazines are... they look SO fake if you really look. Those don't bother me. The body image stuff I have trouble with is tri photos, actually. Like race pictures of top triathletes... and how lean they look and how thin. Then I feel un-thin.

Oh, I definitely think that there can be pressure to "look" a certain way for swimmers. I just think that the pressure is more from within oneself than it is from teammates and coaches. This didn't happen at my daughter's studio, but the word on the street was that some of the studios required periodic weigh-ins for the KIDS! Swimmers can be awesomely fast and not be "skinny," but dancers are pressured by their teachers to look a certain way. Realistically, gaining 5 lbs. probably won't affect your swim times much; however, it can be devastating for a dancer. Also, when you're dancing, you're always on display. When you're swimming, you're protected in the water and not so exposed. And those mirrors on the bottom of the pool ARE NOT skinny mirrors, LOL! I think the water reflects on them in the most unflattering way. And you're supposed to be looking at your stroke, not your thighs! ;-) ;-)

So much of body type is genetic. Certain body types tend to perform better in certain sports, and have different strengths within those sports. Intellectually it's easy to understand, but it's very difficult to internalize.
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Re: It's definitely not lost on the kids [jenhs] [ In reply to ]
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I have been involved in endurance sports for a long time and have had my share of struggles with body image! It is tough. I am fuming mad right now: I just was in the regular forum and read these posts about Sam McGlone in the new Fizik ad. Some of the guys were so critical of her in their comments. She is a world class athlete! Comments like theirs feed the problems women (and some men) have. I am so disappointed in those posters. So if guys are going to rip on a gifted women who could kick their asses any day of the week, it is time for us to all let go and just love ourselves!
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Re: It's definitely not lost on the kids [trigirl125] [ In reply to ]
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I agree that in swimming it is more self-pressure than from coaches/teammates (or at least it was in my case).

Interestingly enough I am far happier in a two-piece suit than a one-piece... for some reason I "feel thinner" in a 2 piece suit, and they're fun to wear. Particularly at championship meets when everyone around you is in boring, black or blue fastskins :D maybe I just like to stand out (it's probably more, I don't like to look like everyone else). Or maybe it's a confidence thing, I *feel* good in a 2 piece.



In Reply To:
So much of body type is genetic. Certain body types tend to perform better in certain sports, and have different strengths within those sports. Intellectually it's easy to understand, but it's very difficult to internalize.[/quote] Agreed, and well-said. Amazing too though how what you do sports can change how you look --- when I starte
d college I was a skinny-runt runner. I spent the whole year living at the pool, gained my freshman 15 in swimmer muscle, and all of a sudden the halter dress I had worn for HS graduation didn't fit - I couldn't zip up the back because my shoulders had gotten so broad.

I try so hard to focus on how well I am swimming/running (tri-ing...) and not what I look like or what I weigh but that is SO hard sometimes.

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD
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Re: It's definitely not lost on the kids [mtngirl] [ In reply to ]
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>>I am so disappointed in those posters.<<

Don't let yourself be as the ones who posted are always like that. #($* em.

clm

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Getting cancer takes your mind off cellulite [ In reply to ]
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One week ago I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. All I could think of was... that means I can't do FL70.3 in May! I haven't thought about the cellulite on my legs (until reading this post) and I've been eating pretty much whatever I damn well please. I haven't stopped training... yet.
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Re: Getting cancer takes your mind off cellulite [wonicooker] [ In reply to ]
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I'm so sorry to hear about your diagnosis! Best wishes to you in your treatment AND training!

On the body image topic: I went to put on my grubby jeans to do yard work today, they are also my fat jeans: I couldn't even get them buttoned; that's bad. Oh, well. I vascillated between freaking out and thinking about this thread and feeling OK.
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Re: Getting cancer takes your mind off cellulite [wonicooker] [ In reply to ]
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I am so sorry and hope your treatment goes well.

refuah shelema (complete healing)

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cat
Sponsored by Suntheanine, Lycored and Celadrin
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Re: Getting cancer takes your mind off cellulite [CatIsTriing] [ In reply to ]
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Wow, hang in there. Our thoughts are with you! I am sure that does change your whole perspective on things. It is a good reminder for all of us that our health is so much more important!
I am racing the OC Duathlon this weekend and I am going to respect my body as a machine, an engine, that lets me do all of these amazing physical challenges! That is what we need to focus on.
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Re: Getting cancer takes your mind off cellulite [wonicooker] [ In reply to ]
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I'm sorry to hear about your dx. I'm sending good thoughts your way. Keep us posted and hang in there.
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Re: Getting cancer takes your mind off cellulite [wonicooker] [ In reply to ]
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Catching it is way more than half the battle. Nothing but good vibes for ya as you fight this thing!


mmm-mmm-Momo Charms
Handmade beverage charms, jewelry, and miscellanea

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Re: Getting cancer takes your mind off cellulite [wonicooker] [ In reply to ]
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Wow. I'm so sorry to hear about your cancer diagnosis. Please take care of yourself. Best wishes in your fight and recovery, and being fit and strong will only help you!
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Re: Getting cancer takes your mind off cellulite [wonicooker] [ In reply to ]
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Hang tough. Pester any of us any time you need to chat. AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS
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Re: Getting cancer takes your mind off cellulite [wonicooker] [ In reply to ]
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I'm really sorry to hear of your diagnosis. It truly does put things in perspective doesn't it? Good luck with your treatment and I'll keep you in my thoughts.

halliet
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Re: Body image and athletes [cindyloohoo] [ In reply to ]
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I'm having way too much fun in life to forego a glass of wine or dessert to satisfy some arbitrary vision of what in shape or being thin is.
AMEN TO THAT!!!

I'm 37 and I am in the best shape of my life right now and sure, I may have some "bits' that I'm a little unhappy about but I can't do anything to change them. I know the only 6 pack I'll ever have will be sitting on a dock in the summer sun with my friends. It most certainly won't appear anywhere on my body and I'm ok with that.
Restricting calories??? And in the MEN'S forum no less - good thing I'm sitting down right now! What is THAT all about? I love food WAY too much to do that to myself. I'm healthy and strong and that's all that matters to me. I know I don't look great in tri-shorts but it's not like I'm walking down the catwalk. I'm going to spend several hours pushing my body to it's limit and it's not going to be pretty but I'm going to love every minute of it regardless of what I look like. Ladies, we should all be proud of what we've trained our bodies to be able to do, rather than worry about what they look like while doing it.

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Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.

http://www.teamrunningfree.com
http://ironmanredux.blogspot.com/
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Re: Body image and athletes [jenhs] [ In reply to ]
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We are athletes for crying out loud. I wonder if we are more likely or less likely to be happy with our bodies. Since we focus so much on pushing our physical abilities does this make us more critical or less critical of how we look?

Anyone out there get over this?? I'd love to hear how you did it. I imagine I'm not the only one who'd like to know :-)


When I was a child, my parents had a rusty old car with a powerful engine. People might laugh at the car, but the next thing they'd see was the car's fumes.

The first time I wore spandex bike shorts on a solo training ride, I felt a bit self-conscious, but as I passed all the recreational cyclists as if they were standing still, I realized that like my parents' car, the exterior didn't matter as much as the engine.

And, when I was soundly beaten in a race by a woman who was larger than I was (and would have been soundly beaten by another woman who was larger than I was, had she not been taking it easy because the race was a warm-up for a race she was doing the following week), I realized that when it came to triathlon, Yoda was right: "Size matters not."

When I'm not training, I wear clothes that compliment my size 14 figure and I don't worry about how large I am.



"Real winners aren't content with yesterday's victories"
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Re: Getting cancer takes your mind off cellulite [wonicooker] [ In reply to ]
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I should read the entire thread before replying...

I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I hope the treatment goes well.



"Real winners aren't content with yesterday's victories"
Last edited by: SaraJean: Mar 13, 08 10:38
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Re: Getting cancer takes your mind off cellulite [SaraJean] [ In reply to ]
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Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts. You're right... being fit will help a lot with getting through the treatment.

I have some important advice for all you ladies... get tested for the HPV virus when you have your next annual exam. If it comes back positive for one of the strains that cause cancer, get a colposcopy. They may tell you your insurance won't cover it, but do it anyway. Three years ago I tested positive for one of the cancer causing strains and they monitored me with frequent paps. That's not enough... my most recent pap came back completely normal, but a biopsy (colposcopy) discovered the cancer. Only reason I was tested was because I switched doctors. If I had an annual colposcopy I would be looking at a minor procedure to remove pre-cancerous cells.

Beth
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Re: Getting cancer takes your mind off cellulite [wonicooker] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for sharing all this with us. I admire you: a lot of people would have trouble opening up like this. But you could be saving some of our lives! Keep us posted on how you are doing. We are all cheering for you and sending you thoughts for a speedy recovery!
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Re: Getting cancer takes your mind off cellulite [wonicooker] [ In reply to ]
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Sorry to hear this. Big hugs to you. Keep us posted how you are doing.
clm

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: Getting cancer takes your mind off cellulite [wonicooker] [ In reply to ]
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Beth Thanks for the advice. Does our annual pap cover this or do I have to ask for it?? HOw are you doing? What will your treatment be like? Big hug to you and I wish you well.
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Re: Getting cancer takes your mind off cellulite [wonicooker] [ In reply to ]
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Thank you so much for sharing your story. You are such a huge inspiration. My thoughts are with you and best wishes for a swift and speedy recovery.

M

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The beatings will continue until morale improves
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Re: Getting cancer takes your mind off cellulite [mdraegernyc] [ In reply to ]
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Hi everyone.... thanks for the positive vibes and hugs :-) I've not started the radiation treatment yet. I'm still going through the tests (CAT, PET) and initial setup process including lovely new tattoos. I never thought I would be getting tats! No big deal really, just 3 little dots. Maybe I'll get a real one later. Any suggestions? The technician had on a button saying "Cancer Sucks!" I liked that. I'm still training for FL70.3 even tho' the docs say I probably won't have the energy to keep training after treatment starts. One oncologist says he will come to the race if I do it. I see that as a challenge!

Beth
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