First off:  Thanks for the notes about my son…I am glad that as a kid he should heal pretty quickly.  He’s hanging in there so far.  🙂

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I’ve been wanting to blog about this ever since I received the Runner’s World article in my email inbox.  Apparently, pro runner Laura Fleshman was featured on a New York runway sporting fitness apparel and when she saw the shots she made a public statement about how unrealistic they were  — when she knew she didn’t look like that all of the time. 

She bravely wrote a post of her own where she posted pictures of herself from the same week without the “runway look” to show that she has lumps and bumps like the rest of us.  Now, my lumps may be bigger, but my 16-year-old daughters’ lumps are about like this lady’s, so I made a point to show this post to them.  

Since having my skin removal surgery on my abdomen I’ve made it a point to talk with my daughters about my motive behind the surgery.  For me, it was about getting rid of a lot of excess skin so I could better fit into clothes.  Yes, I’ll be honest in admitting I do love having a flatter stomach.  I still have a little bit of a “belly” when I sit down, but nothing near the bulge that used to come over my pants.

I’ve done my best to make it clear to my girls that my choice was not because I felt like I needed to achieve a perfect stomach.  I don’t want them to grow up, have a couple  babies and feel like they need surgery if their skin stretches out a little.  If they maintain a healthy and fit life like they do now, their stretching a little with leave them with nothing near the extra belly I had.  I try and encourage them to be happy with their body and expect what is realistic, not photoshopped.

Seeing Ms. Fleshman’s proof that even the most fittest women do indeed have a bit of a tummy bulge when they are not flexing their abdomen was most encouraging to me.  The fact that she would share honestly about it was also encouraging.  In a world where our young girls, and unfortunately grown women as well, compare themselves to what they see on screen and in print I’m grateful for someone who shared real life.  

Feel free to check out Laura’s article here:  Keeping it Real.