By DAKOTA SHEARER
Staff Writer
Throughout my preteens and most of my teenage years, I’ve struggled with body image. If anyone asked me what I didn’t like about myself or what features I would change, I could easily point them out. I became obsessed with my weight and everything that made me insecure. This began to be a horrible habit.
I started working out and eating healthier and have been for the past couple years. I hated that I never got immediate results, and I began to seek out unhealthy ways to lose weight or alter my image. I saw the results that I wanted, but I also realized all the unhealthy ways my body was being affected. Not only was my body changing drastically, my mental health was too.
After a few months of continuing my unhealthy habits, I finally sat back and realized that what I was doing was destructive. I started making healthier choices. My friends and family all noticed my efforts to better myself and helped me as well.
I grasped the fact that no matter how much I exercised or changed my diet, my body was unique. If we all ate the same exact meals and exercised the same, we’d all still have different bodies. Everyone has a different body type, and this doesn’t make you any less beautiful; it makes you unique.