National Fitness and Sports Month: Lose the Fat Not the Culture
Growing up in a Cuban family I was surrounded by culture, tradition and new beginnings . My parents adopted the new world they had arrived in , in every way , but I was more focused on what I saw on TV.
Marsha Brady, Gidget , all these California girls , I wanted to look like. Hello ! I am a Cuban-American girl with black hair and big hips. I never really think I could like Marsha Brady ? ! ? ! Well, I did . I tried everything in my power to clear ".... Barbara por Atras " . Hitting the gym constantly living on crackers and dry tuna, diet pills , diet plans , you name it , I tried . Yes, I lost weight for a few months , but once I returned to my normal style of eating everything returned . Yo Yo at its best. I 've never been over-weight just had hips. I still remember to push in , as I look in the mirror . How I hated them , and terribly affected the inner self , my body image.
After many years of struggling with diets and training regimens I finally woke up ! I came to the realization, after my second child , a girl , than to try to chase the ultra slim body so often seen in the media was a huge waste of valuable time . I decided then and there to focus more on ".... Barbara por Adentro " and not so much on a atras por . I guess I grew up and started to feel better about myself . I only wish I had not wasted so much time obsessed with it .
Since I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason and that we should treat every day as a lesson today , I saw , learn, and share.
I learned that what we are Latinas is something extremely precious thing . We were raised in this great melting pot of an amazing country . You have so many opportunities and those who need to be caught . As my mother says , " Ay Que sacar el aciete the acietuna " squeeze the oil from the olive .
Embracing our culture , hips, and delicious foods that can be done . Yes, we have a huge problem with obesity and overweight especially among Latinos . However, this does not mean that we have to sacrifice what we are to live a healthier life.
We must make it a priority to travel , training as a family. To avoid fried foods, and implement more fruits and vegetables in our meals. We must return to the way of eating as our ancestors did in their own country. We must make a conscious effort and we must do it now . The future of our children depends on it.
