's motd Friday Sept 2, 2011

[Guest guest]

COVER UP

Friday, 02 September 2011

I'm

sure you won't be surprised to know that it gets very

hot in New Orleans in the summer time. When I was a

kid, during the summer, everyone walked around the

French Quarter wearing light cotton shirts and certainly

a pair of shorts. That is, everybody...except me!

See,

when I was a kid, I covered up because I

really didn't like the way my body looked. At my

weight, I didn't look good, even in the clothes they

sold for husky-sized boys, like me, at Sears. So even

though it may have been nearly 100 degrees outside, I'd

be wearing a long-sleeve shirt and a pair of slacks.

Was I sweating as I walked the streets of the French

Quarter wearing that outfit? Oh my, you bet I

was!

When summer was over and the fall months came back, it

got just a little bit cooler. I accommodated for the

color weather but really, not that much. For instance,

I'd be the only person in my classroom at school wearing

a sweater, even though it wasn't quite sweater weather

yet. Yep, I was still covering up.

I

knew everyone was staring at me wearing my bundle of

clothes. But hey, I figured they'd be staring even

more if I wore "form-fitting" outfits and they

could see what my body really looked like. Oh, I was so

ashamed of my body. But, I guess, not ashamed enough to

do something about my weight because I kept right on

overeating.

Years later, after thankfully losing the weight and

moving to Los Angeles, I opened my workout studio,

Slimmons. There, I met quite a few people who, I could

see, were as ashamed of their bodies as I used to be of

mine. When I wrote my book, Never Give Up,

about 20 years ago, there was a chapter called The Lady In Black.

When she first came to class at Slimmons, she worse a

black top, black workout pants and even a black sweater

over her top-shirt. Oh my, so many clothes...to

workout in! As I watched her exercise, I could

see how uncomfortable she was in all of those clothes.

It looked like simply breathing would have

been difficult for her. Let alone trying to workout in

that outfit. Well, after class, I called her aside for

a little chat.

And wouldn't you know it? After listening to her story,

I could see that she was very much like me when I was

the fat kid growing up back in New Orleans. I told her

she shouldn't be "ashamed" of her body. I reminded her

that she had to like herself, right now, no

matter what the numbers read on her scale. I also told

her that as she began to lose weight, she needed to

trade in those all-black ensembles and wear less

clothing and in happier colors.

Look,

I know lots of people choose to wear black, thinking it

makes them "look thinner". But let me tell you

something. When you're 5'2" and weigh 280 pounds, the

only thing that's going to make you look thinner is

loosing 100 pounds.

The Lady In Black took my advice. As she began

shedding the pounds, she also began shedding those

dreary black outfits. One day, after having lost 40

pounds, she came into Slimmons wearing a bright orange top and matching orange

workout pants. Oh, you should have seen how

happy she was working out that Saturday!

After class, I told her how good and how happy

she looked. She said to me, ", if anyone

ever told me I'd be out in public looking like a

Sunkist orange, I would have laughed in their face.

But look at me now and...I feel so good. Orange

always has been one of my favorite colors."

She kept up the good work and in about a

year-and-a-half, she'd lost a total of about 100

pounds. And I've gotta tell you, she also had just

about one of the prettiest wardrobes of anyone

attending Slimmons.

So tell me, have you been wearing black and lots of

it during these hot summer months? Come on,

don't you really want to be wearing bright orange or

floral prints bursting with color? When you walk out of

your house, you should look happy. Ad if you look

happy, you'll feel happy and have a happier

day!

Okay,

no more covering up. Let the world see you happy and

let the world see you shine. Show off!

Love,