A PERFECT CORE

So for quite a long time a few friends have lovingly referred to me as “skinny bitch”. Its all good. No offense taken. Im not anywhere close to being easily offended. I am built like my Dad’s mother. Small and petite. Genes. I am 5’1” and I do not own a scale but when I go to the doctor I usually weigh 104. It goes up and down by a few pounds depending on what workout Im doing. What many people don’t know is that I suffered for 20 years with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Horrific stomach problems that would leave me house bound for weeks. I never ate out for fear of being sick. There was a time for years when every single piece of food I put in my mouth immediately went through me. Pleasant I know! I got down to 90 pounds and had to have IV’s to replenish fluids. I had 5 colonoscopies (all clear). I tried many MANY different medications. I LIVED on Immodium AD. And I only ate in the comfort of my house. It was MISERABLE. And a tad irritating when people would say “man I wish I had that problem”. No you do not! Trust me.

I never knew until my tummy settled and I can now eat pretty much whatever I want that a person could feel so good. Its called hydration. I have been dehydrated most of my life. Shakeology saved my tummy and Im now good and blah blah blah. Not really what this blog is about…..its about me being a skinny bitch. And my core.

As every single woman on Earth does I look in the mirror sometimes and see what still needs to be fixed. What “problem areas” I need to work on. I am very VERY happy with the way I feel and look at 43. I had two babies, gained 42 pounds with each of them (remember Im 5’1”) and one of those monsters weighed 9 pounds! Yep- I had a 9 pound baby. It did a number on my lower abdominal area. Most women have an issue here. I absolutely LOVE working my core. I believe that a strong core is absolutely a must and vital to being an athlete and having good balance, preventing injury, improving posture, keeping your back healthy, supporting your skeletal system and…it looks pretty good in a swimsuit.

I love the word “core”. It embodies whats CENTRAL to your being. Its not just a physical part of your body but a metaphor for life. You need to be healthy at your CORE and the rest radiates OUT from within. So Ive had a few people “jokingly” (at least I hope they were joking) tease that they “hate me for being skinny” or ask “how the heck are your abs so great”. Its funny to me because I don’t think they are perfect. I barely have a 2 pack let alone “ripped abs”. But I like my core. I like my abs, I like my strength. I like the balance I have at this age. I like the flexibility and the strength that radiates out from my core. Metaphorically and physically. But I want everyone to know something. My absolutely favorite thing about my abs is my shiny stretch marks. They are faint but visible. I see them everyday. My stomach stretched to unbelievable depths to carry a 9 pound kid. Not only that but I had many miscarriages before I had my 2 kids. Late term miscarriages. One of them was in the 19th week! My core has been through a LOT but the shit it went through ended up producing 2 amazing people. I am working towards a 6 pack. I may not get there but I wont stop trying. But even if I got fitness model ripped- nothing…and I mean NOTHING will ever make me as proud of my core as those shiny gray silvery stretch marks! They are PERFECT!