The other night, Peter & I were watching Desperate Housewives. I don’t really know what struck me in this particular episode more than others (ahem -Susan dancing around in a negligee, Bree wearing a dress showing too much fake cleavage), but the entire episode I considered how people view these women and their bodies as admirable. This of course fired more synapses and, before I knew it, I sat there distracted by the thoughts that I no longer have any desire for my body to resemble many of the women heralded as fit and fabulous in the media.

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I don’t know if this coincides with me reading less magazines and caring less about celebrity gossip than I did a few years ago, a simple development of maturity, or even my involvement in the blog world. Today I want to focus on how the blog world has impacted me in this way. I find myself more inspired than ever when learning about real women.

Hearing of their accomplishments in healthy living and fitness related pursuits motivates me to continue on my own path of health. When I see a fellow blogger praise her body and love herself for who she is I cannot deny that if she can do that, then I can too. I recognize her beauty, strength, and poise and in a way feel the same of myself because we’re all in this together and uplift one another to be our best. I admire the genuineness of other bloggers because I can witness the faults and weaknesses, but still respect the person behind them.

Real women give me real inspiration and I believe that is what keeps me coming back for more. I appreciate every blogger who shares their path to a fulfilling life, because every person has something inspirational to share. I value the advice and openness bloggers offer because I appreciate knowing what works for different people and pulling new ideas that could work for me from them. In truth, I believe bloggers hold a lot of power and influence.

I hope to never shy away from the fact that I hold responsibility as a blogger. I openly discuss my thoughts and try very hard to present the real nature of who I am on this blog. I do that because I want to display the truth of life – the ups and downs and everything in between related to every topic of living a fulfilling, healthy life. And in doing so I will not undermine that these things can influence others. Part of why I love blogging is to not only gain support and motivation from others (like in my recent Eating Hypocrisy post – THANK YOU for all those comments by the way), but also to give it out. With that goal comes responsibility and that is why I am so appreciative of Heather beginning a powerful discussion on her blog, Hangry Pants, over the weekend.

I will always do my best to be mindful of readers and how I present myself. I do hope to inspire others to love themselves more, pursue balance in life, and find a place where they can feel healthy and happy. As I hold no professional credibility, I can only do this through sharing my own experiences and what helps me. That does not mean I can ignore that sharing my own self and thoughts can have an impact.

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This is why I try to put disclaimers or clarifying statements in posts relating to my pregnancy or when I shared what went into competing in fitness. This is why after I give birth, I will openly share my journey and process of getting back in shape post-baby…but will never share my weight (which I won’t know anyway because a scale will never be involved), pants size, every little thing I eat, yada yada yada that could be construed as me claiming them as the way to lose weight or be fit. It’s also why I do not yet know if I will do any sort of progress pictures on this site and if I do, how it will be done respectfully of readers because I don’t want to foster anything negative here on Faith Fitness Fun.

All in all, we need to recognize our influence. We need to own up to the fact that we are inspirational forces that others turn to for advice, motivation, guidance, and support. We need to remember that comparison traps still exist and people may use what we say or do in a negative way. Readers certainly need to consider what they read and how it impacts them, then steer clear of any that hurt more than help. I agree that we certainly do not hold all the responsibility. But please, do not diminish your significance. It’s out there. You’re real and you really inspire, whether one or one thousand plus readers. I know your significance touches me every day.

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• Where do you find inspiration for health, fitness, body image, etc?
• Do you view yourself as motivational? How does that impact how you blog, or in life in general? While I certainly don’t think I’m some huge inspiration, I know my actions reach others and for this I always try to be aware of how I present myself -  true to myself with respect for others.

Happy Thursday evening! Can you taste Friday yet? I’m glad you all found humor in my dark side of pregnancy post from earlier today. As much as I joke, I do love being pregnant. Even when things don’t go as smoothly as planned. In fact, my 6 month check-up this afternoon kind of let me down.

Most of you know that I have no desire to know my weight gain during this pregnancy. I don’t mind the number on the scale, but simply do not care to know it. Too many people emphasize it as the “be all end all” to determine the health of a pregnancy. I do not agree with this thinking. I believe that each body will gain exactly what it needs to in order to support a baby if you eat a mostly nutritious diet, eat when hungry, and stay moderately active. That is how I approach my pregnancies and I never doubted it.

Today’s appointment affected my will though. Despite numerous times asking not to know my weight, the midwife blurted it out. The nurse didn’t say anything because of my request, but since I forgot to specifically tell the midwife she “brought up her concern for the jump in gain this past month”. Apparently, I have gained 9 pounds over the past 4 weeks. My initial thought was OUCH! I felt guilty and kind of mumbled “okay, I’ll pay closer attention and be careful” in shame to my midwife.

Later, after reflecting on this, I got a bit angry. For one, everything else checked out perfectly fine health wise. Two, my total gain (which of course she told me) is only 13 pounds at 6 months along. The average woman should gain 25-35 pounds during pregnancy. Only about 7-10 pounds of that gain is in the form of fat. The rest is fluids, blood, baby, placenta, enlarged breasts/uterus, etc. Lastly, I know my body!

I know with M I gained 1/3 of my total weight gain in month 5, which is the month I just got through. My weight gain slowed down and I trust it to do the same this time around. I know I have not put on an excessive amount of fat this month because I feel the gain in my breasts and belly. I popped big time this past month. Everyone who sees me has noticed it.

I also know that I do not sit around and gorge myself. I admit to eating more…because I have truly been hungry. Even though I don’t show all my meals on this blog, joke about eating loads of candy corn, and share my out to eat ventures, on the whole I know I eat well. I have some sort of oats mix for breakfast, leftovers or a sandwich with fruit for lunch, a bowl of cereal for a snack, and mostly healthy dinners that include lots of veggies and whole grains. Yes, I have a small sweet treat every day and an extra more indulgent meal or two on the weekend, but its not enough to load an extra 5+ lbs of unhealthy weight on me. Check out the pics below – on the left me at 6 months with M…on the right me at 6 months with B.

I still work out 4-5 days most weeks, guzzle water, and pay close attention to my body as well. I take care of myself! And to be told I’m not doing that and need to watch it bothers me. I will certainly pay close attention to my choices after that visit, but I refuse to not eat when hungry or deny myself anything deemed unhealthy for fear of it making me fat during pregnancy. If for some reason, the extra weight gain continues I will take a closer look. But I know my body. And I know it appreciates how I treat it. I’ve learned the hard way that the most important thing is to trust yourself. I’ve been through a lot learning just how to do that. No one will make me question that. No one.

• Have you ever had to trust your body over what a doctor says?
• What things really irk you? Obviously, I get frustrated when people don’t honor my requests or question my habits.