Some are taking a stand

Fat. Obese. Chunky. And, my personal favorite, "She was a bigger girl."

In the last week I've seen at least two women who live their lives in the public eye need to stand up for themselves because they are "fat."

One is a news anchor for a Wisconsin television station, and the other a pop music sensation.

In my college physical education class we learned about the body mass index. At 6-feet tall and a curvy stature I'm considered morbidly obese.

One of my favorite jokes I've seen is, "I don't skinny dip, I chunky dunk."

Christina Aguilera took a stance against producers recently, refusing to maintain a stick thin figure.

Now she looks healthy, but her producers informed her she needed to lose weight or there would be a major impact on her record sales.

Her response was, "You're working with a fat girl. Get over it."

I recently wrote a column about my goal to create a better me. I'd like to clarify my personal goal.

I don't want to be thin. That's not why I started this excursion. To be honest, being thin isn't a realistic goal. I just want to be comfortable in my own skin and be healthy.

I ended up enjoying the process of working out and figuring out my own body. It also seems I find muscles I never knew existed with each new work out. (That's not always a good thing, either!)

One thing most people don't take into consideration when they critique others for their weight is financial status.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to eat and drink healthy when an unexpected bill pops up or you simply have to work for minimum wage?

If it were up to me I'd be eating grilled chicken and other lean meats every day. But, that's just not possible.

Most people who don't sit high on the financial totem pole will be eating hot dogs, frozen pizzas and lunch meats because it's less than $5 for a meal. Don't forget the boxed sides, like mac n' cheese.

You can get a pop to last you a whole morning for less than $1, but the equivalent in water is at least $2. It may not seem like much to the average person, but when you're scrounging for change it makes a big difference.

Some medicines cause weight gain. It's not something you can always help, or avoid. You can't just decide not to take a medication just because it might make you fat.

Physical activity may take away from the weight gain caused by outside issues, but there is only so much you can do.

I get so sick of seeing the headlines about obesity. Yes, it's a major problem but I guarantee the demographics aren't being taken into consideration.

At the same time, some parents need to boot their children out the door on a nice day. Pack away the X-box, hide the PS3's and turn off the television (and some adults need to follow suit as well).

When I was a kid we had three things: A box full of toys, a bike and our imagination.

While on walks we were forbidden to step on the cracks, otherwise our mothers would suffer pain in their vertebrae.

The road was lava, so we had to stay on the sidewalks to avoid meeting a fiery demise.

Being healthy is very important, but loving yourself is even more so. Just because some stranger says you need to lose a few pounds doesn't mean you should hate yourself or be uncomfortable in your own skin.

In the meantime, make some adjustments to your daily life to make a healthier you. Put down the potato chips and grab a package of grapes. You don't have to be a stick figure to be healthy.

Sabrina is a staff writer for the Greene County Daily World. She can be reached by email at swestfall@gcdailyworld.com or by telephone at 847-4487.