Over the past month, I have done my best to cover Bisexual Health Awareness Month in every area I could think of, but also make them entertaining and informative. At the beginning of the month, I wrote about my motivation to improve the negative statistics specifically in the disparities in the health of bisexual individuals. One of the stats that really stuck with me was that bisexual women are at a much more high risk of obesity than heterosexual women. The reason it really stuck with me was due to my own recent weight gain and not being happy with my body.
In preparation for my Texas trip in July, I decide to lose weight. This gave me about four months to prepare and get into a healthier place in my life. Part of this journey, I decided not to completely quit cold turkey on all the bad foods and habits in my life. In the past, when I have tried “dieting”, I always failed and crashed hard so I decided to make gradual changes this time so I didn’t completely smother myself in unrealistic expectations and make myself awful all over again.
As far as food changes, my first step was cutting out the excess sodas. I’m a big soda drinker as I don’t like coffee or tea so I tend to get my caffeine fix through sodas. Instead, I only drink my one eighty calorie energy drink and have stuck to water the rest of the day. This has been my biggest vice and I have not been perfect with it, but this time it isn’t about being perfect. I’ve also cut down on carbs, sugars, and diary. There have been some items here and there, but I’ve really haven’t had much processed foods. I’m hoping by filling my diet with more fruits and vegetables that I am on track to an overall healthier lifestyle which means having the body I want.
In regards to exercise, that is exactly how I’ve been wanting to treat it. I don’t have a “workout plan” per se, but I have been definitely more physically active. It started with just going on Pokemon Go walks with my boyfriend in the neighborhood and it gradually started to build up to exercising in the gym we have at our apartment. Now I use the elliptical for 30 minutes with a combination of calisthenics Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tuesday and Thursdays, I still go on walks with my boyfriend searching for Pokemon because it is something I enjoy and I want this process to be entirely enjoyable.
Another disparity is bisexual adults have the double rate of depression than heterosexual adults and this has been something else I have suffered from. A contributor to that was my poor body image and a healthier lifestyle was my first step into helping ease my depression. Many people think depression needs to be cured or can be cured. In my personal experience, I think it’s a mental health condition that you have to learn how to handle it and being at ease with not everyday being a success in this area. I have days when the depression and anxiety is harder to deal with, but part of dealing with it and feeling better is knowing that hard days are okay. Take the time you need, but you also just can’t let it destroy everything else going on. I have noticed an improvement in my mental health.
Overall, I hope to have a better, happier, and healthier #20BiTeen. I decided it going to be a new me and I’m so excited to get to where I need be as a new and better version of me.
Learning How to Be All Bi Myself 