I am banned from Facebook

November 22, 2013

I am banned from Facebook.

This morning I decided to vent on the current state of our obesity crisis in America. I was motivated by constant body (fat) acceptance campaigns strewn all over the internet followed by comments with the context of ‘you go girl!’ and ‘more power to you!’ The popular and unrelenting support received to those who are borderline obese (not just 30-40lbs overweight) frustrates me as a fitness advocate who intimately understands how poor health negatively effects a family, a community and a nation.

I am a firm believer that one should love their body in order to start loving and nurturing it. I’ve written about self-love many times throughout my 8 years of blogging online. What I don’t like is the fine line we are walking today – which is love and accept your body versus love and progress your body. We should celebrate any person who makes their fitness and nutrition a priority. There is no one-size-fits-all in fitness. It’s unfortunate that we don’t see more variety in the physiques that bombard our media streams. I get that. That’s why I’ve never posted a motivational poster with a fitness model attached to the message (you can now look at my FB history) because I don’t want to perpetuate the notion that ‘fitness’ looks a certain way.

Please start your keyboards now (as I know many are thinking I encourage people to look like me) because I’ve never said that. I am not a size 0 like most runway models and I don’t have a six pack like most fitness models. I am not a paid celebrity. I don’t work in a gym. I have a stressful life. I don’t have the perfect marriage. I have struggled with food addiction. And I was not blessed with the best genetics. I run when I’m tired. I avoid food when I’m stressed. I discipline my constant desire for chocolate. I am barely 5’4. I have stretchmarks. I have excess skin – and while not perfect, I know this is how my body (not everybody) manifests after children through consistent nutrition and exercise.

I have a passion for fitness. This passion is rooted in both love and hate. I love seeing people empowered by their physical strength and I love witnessing people translate their fitness success in other areas of their life. While fitness changes lives, the lack of fitness destroys lives. I hate the pain of watching my mother not take care of herself. I hate watching friends pop prescription pills for cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes. I hate reading news about our healthcare crisis and I hate seeing people blame others for their lot in life.

That’s why I started writing fitness articles in 2004. That’s why I created a fitness nonprofit, Fitness without Borders, in 2007. That’s why I began a free mom-me fitness group in 2009 and that’s why I posted “my vent” this morning on Facebook. There are free resources when people are ready to make change, but one cannot desire change if one’s environment deems it okay to stay where they are. With the majority of Americans overweight we are unknowingly normalizing our unhealthy nation – and while it’s a fine line we are walking – it’s a line I’m going to cross.



You can either sit on the sidelines or get roughed up trying to win the game. I’m not going to play this life sitting on the bench talking about change… I’m going for it.

My personal history allows me to come from a place of empathy, experience, concern and most of all – conviction. Find your passion, discover your conviction and stand for something. You might get criticized, you might ruffle feathers – you might even get banned from Facebook…

But if you believe in something, nothing will stop you.

Here is my deleted post:

WARNING VENTING AHEAD:

I woke up this morning to news stories about how overweight nearly obese women should be proud of their bodies (as they posed in lingerie). I think we should all accept how any healthy body through good nutrition and exercise manifests but I’m starting to get annoyed and here’s why:

1. We have a health issue in America with over 2/3 overweight or obese.

2. We have a healthcare crisis. We spend over 3 trillion in healthcare yearly!

3. We have a childhood obesity issue, with many children suffering from adult diseases like diabetes.

4. We have magazines everywhere praising the celebrity (with all her resources) for being fit after months of giving birth and scorn the “real every day mom” who is able to be successful.

5. We keep blaming the culprit (school lunches, fast food, etc) when the real change starts at home – ESP those who lead, which are the parents.

There are some serious contradictions in our society. I know many people still get riled up with me and my convictions but the truth is I KNOW how it is to work your ass off and not have energy at the end of your day. I know how it feels to be overweight and not drop an ounce after years of disordered eating. I know how difficult it is to raise multiple children – all born a year apart – and make my fitness and nutrition a priority. Lastly, I know how it feels like to grow up with an unhealthy mother wondering if she will live to see your wedding day.

I know it’s hard. I know it’s not easy to break habits and build new ones. I know your environment challenges you and I know making your health a priority amongst the many priorities to stay afloat in today’s world is difficult. But I will tell you this: IT IS WORTH IT.

We need to change this strange mentality we are breeding in the U.S. and start celebrating people who are a result of hard work, dedication and discipline. I’m not bashing those who are proud and overweight, I am empowering those who are proud and healthy to come out and be the real role models in our society. (Vent done)



Isn’t that nuts? They also deleted my post. While I’m certain this may be computer-generated

when several critics reported my post as offensive, you would think Facebook would be more

assertive about what defines ‘hate language’. (I’ve seen much worse on Facebook)

They said it would be 12 hours – but I have a feeling it will be a few days.

Poor baby misses daddy. He was in LA for a week at Team Rubicon’s headquarters

to assist with the operations in the Philippines and is now in Illinois

helping with the storms and tornado aftermath there. Check out this awesome

article written about him:

http://www.npr.org/2013/11/21/246432031/in-tornado-ravaged-illinois-war-zone-veterans-find-a-mission



I loved this turkey cake pop project with the boys. Even though I’m slightly OCD, I

let my boys get involved in the decorating process.

They didn’t turn out pinterest-perfect but they are perfect in my book!

I finally re-filmed my DVD! As some of you know, this is my 3rd try.

So happy to work with Empty Kingdom (based

out of San Francisco) and my good friend and photographer, Larry Wong.

My cute sports bra is from Affitnity! Thank you to Sandra Augustin for providing her

beautiful gym, Fitness Rehab in Sacramento!

