Princess & the Primal Plan: Confessions of a Curly Girl

Today I read a post on one of my favorite blogs: Paleo for Women. Stefani Ruper is all about encouraging women to stop the self-hate/disordered eating and to personalize their plan for health. Though I would never {identify} myself as a disordered eater, I believe we all have lies we've ingested and allowed to take root. I know I have. I was just talking about this with my family; though he was a lovely man, I remembered the mixed messages that my grandfather sent: *pinching my pre-teen fat roll on my stomach* "You need to lose a little weight honey"/ *same visit, an hour later* "Ice cream is on the pushlist!" (which means we need to eat it pretty soon). Um, whaaaa?

This personalization of health information comes from the fact that only you are the expert on yourself. You can gather all the info and research that you want {and I do...did I mention how nerdy I am? I read medical literature for fun}, but ultimately it will need to be adapted to suit your needs. I have often struggled with finding the 'right' way to do things in life...when later I realized the 'right' thing was whatever fit me best. I have been blogstalking reading about a Primal lifestyle for a while and have just recently started consistently applying it to my own life. I have also noticed real progress in my attitude, desire, and thinking. Getting healthy is not just about your body, but about your mind. That's kinda where this Stefani chick fits in. Her words have been challenging me to make shifts in how I see my 'ideal' life, body, etc. So to friends and family, I have been referencing the changes in my life as a Primal PLAN, because it IS just that...a plan. You can chart your course, but life happens. And I want to be the kind of person with the grace and flexibility to weather challenges without getting derailed. Or without beating myself up for 'failing'. So, as I work through all the details, I realize that I still have a loooong way to go in figuring out MY personal plan.

One thing I realized in all this Primal/health talk was that I agree with Stefani about how much the mirror is tied to our eating and weight. But I also agree with the overlooked problem of other 'flaws' being targeted. I noticed that I was doing this with my curly hair.

For most of my childhood, my mom brushed out my curls because she didn't know how to take care of them. {Dare you to try and find a cute picture of my hair before 1991. Dare you.} She loved the 'volume' and I hated it. All I saw was frizzo Rizzo. She always said, "Women pay to have hair like yours!" and I just thought, "Well, then, they are stupid." And to be honest, all I saw on 'makeovers' in magazines and shows was how they straightened her 'crazy' curls into beautiful silky sleekness.

Fast forward a few years and I learned how to take care of my curls {thanks, Alissa Shiyou!} and work with their wacky little personalities. Trust me, they have a mind of their own! As a way to 'connect' with how I was naturally made, I decided that once a week (or when I was feeling down on myself), I have to hunt for my favorite strand of curls. When I find it, I hold up that one strand and drink in how unique it is. Like me. No two curls are the same...and the same strand of curls will make a different pattern tomorrow.

This one is saying, 'It's late and I've slept all day because I had horrible dental work this morning. YOU try and make a perfect S-curve, mkay?'

Basically, my hair is a direct parallel to me. The more I focus on the unique, one-of-a-kind-ness of my personality, the more I can stand back and marvel at how beautifully I was made.

I guess it's time to tear up my "I want a body like Jessica Biel" thinspiration picture, huh?