The Reality...What People Don't Talk About

117 vs 107, Both Beautiful

Everyone at some point struggles with this. Whether you are an elite athlete, fitness model, girl, or guy…everyone has some sort of insecurities. For the longest time I struggled with insecurities regarding my body. Even before I started to be involved in cheerleading, I had a hard time accepting the way I looked. There was something I was always picking apart, something that wasn’t good enough, something that I wanted to look different. Then when I joined cheerleading and decided that it was something I wanted to take to the next level…all of these feelings escalated. Especially at the most elite level in cheerleading, there is a lot of pressure to look a certain way. I had in my head…the smaller I was…the easier it would be for anything in cheer. However it took me years to understand that this is not the case at all. I had zero knowledge of how to become the image that I was trying to be which later created unhealthy emotional habits. Through experience, I learned the right and wrong ways to reach the physique that I so desperately desired. In the past, I wish I would have had someone explain to me the steps to reaching a more fit body because it would have saved me a lot of emotional stress. For years, I struggled with not liking the way I looked and always worrying about what other people thought. I was always the muscular one. People would always say “Jasmine you are so buff.” It wasn’t until years later that I realized God had given me gifts that would later on help me become one of the best cheerleaders in the world and help me begin my fitness journey. The first thing I had to accept was that we are all different…and that I was who I was and I needed to own that. Very few girls were as strong as I was when I cheered so I learned to use that to my advantage to set myself apart from everyone else. I had to accept where I was physically at that point in time, set a goal of what I wanted to be, and then find a healthy way to go about reaching that goal. This is when I discovered the importance of the combination of tracking calories, lifting, and cardio. I had to accept that results weren’t going to be seen overnight and I had to stay the course. Most importantly I decided to focus on characteristics I had that would set myself apart and help me reach my goals. I knew I was relentless, had an unstoppable work ethic, and had perseverance that could get me through anything. I truly believe that accepting and loving the person I was on the inside, led me to what I was searching for on the outside. I can honestly say I still struggle with this day in and day out. I think we all do. We all have insecurities. At 26 I am finally mentally and emotionally healing from the stress I put on my body trying to be something I was never meant to be. Throughout this process I have learned that if you can’t mentally accept the truths of your body (that God made you different for a reason, and that you will go through stages of life where it will change) then you will never reach your goals. Once I accepted all of this, I was happier mentally and emotionally which began to show physically. I focused more on the type of person I was and less on the way I looked in the mirror. I accepted that my strength and muscles set me apart from a big majority of the cheerleaders in this world. I began to love myself for exactly who I was and stopped comparing myself to others and this is when my talent sky rocketed. Not to mention I noticed that my environment was reflecting the way I felt about myself on the inside. Coming to terms with reality…. Is what we fail to do. Finding a solution because we are afraid to talk about the problem is what we fail to do. There are so many others out there that struggle with this, so I wanted to share my story. We don’t all have to look a certain way to reach a certain goal. You have something to offer that no one else does and when you recognize that and put it to use, things will change. If you have fitness goals there is a healthy way to reach exactly what you want. If you can’t accept reality you will never reach these goals. Whether it is fitness, cheerleading, or everyday life...people struggle with insecurities. However, if you don’t come to terms with who you are on the inside….the outside will never look the way you want it to. If there is anything I’ve learned throughout this journey it is this: Knowledge is Power, and Acceptance is Freedom.

XOXO Jazzy

Picture at top: On the left 117lbs, on the right 107lbs. Both Beautiful<3