Heated Debate.

The social media is in a firestorm right now because of an article written about food and healthy living bloggers in Marie Claire magazine. Here is the article so you can read it, or at least have reference.

After reading this article I was outraged. Over the past several months I have been following three of the six bloggers viciously attacked in the article. Meghann, Caitlin, and Kath. I do not know any of these women in real life, but I feel like I have really gotten to know them through following their lives in their blogs. They have never met me, and I have only left a couple of comments on their blogs however I know that if I were planning a trip to Charlotte and I e-mailed Caitlin, she would love to meet up for dinner. Or, if I am ever in Orlando I am sure Meghann would love to chat over some fro-yo. And Kath publicly invited everyone to come celebrate her birthday with her later this month. That is because these are REAL women. They have real lives, they are not just internet robots trying to control their readers or tell society how to live. Unfortunately, the article makes them look much worse.

The first issue that really got to me was the fact that HEALTHY LIVING is being considered an eating disorder. I have a degree in Health Fitness with a minor in Nutrition, so I am well aware of the difference between healthy living and an eating disorder and the women who write these blogs most definitely do not have an eating disorder. And I refuse to believe that the way I live my life could be construed as an eating disorder. Just because we eat whole grains, REAL fruit and vegetables, and don't always indulge in "more than one beer the night before a race" does not mean we are disordered. Just because we like to run and exercise EVERYDAY does not make us disordered. That is called living a healthy lifestyle. Exercise is good. REAL FOOD is good. Our bodies need it, exercise increases energy and stimulates hormones that make you feel GOOD. Endurance athletes, like Meghann and Caitlin, LOVE what they do, so YES they will probably gush about their races on their blogs because it is who they are and it is what makes them happy. They will also probably post about the long, grueling training plan they have to follow... it is all part of being an athlete. They choose to put it out on the internet for the public to PROVE that you can eat healthy and be an athlete. Not once in the months that I have been reading their blogs have any of the girls mentioned trying to lose weight. In fact, none of them have ever even posted their weight. THE ONLY mention I have seen of anyone's weight is Meghann commenting on how she has gained weight over the summer. She CLEARLY has an eating disorder. (yeah, right).

So, this is coming off as a giant rant on my part, but I am not sorry. When I stared this blog I intended it to be a healthy living blog, but it was too hard to maintain especially since I am pregnant and my aversions were running the show. Still, it chronicles my baking adventures and my life, not to a large extent but I hope to one day change that. I may not have many followers right now, but I don't care. I want to blog for me. I want to share my recipes and pictures of the things I make. One day, the followers will come. One day my name will be known in the blogging community. And until then, I will just blog for the few who do read and continue to chronicle my adventures.

Before I got pregnant I was living a very healthy lifestyle. I ate fruits and vegetables all the time, I exercised every day.. I was even training for my first sprint triathlon! Yes, I indulged in cookies (probably more than necessary), but that is part of being balanced. Unfortunately, when I got pregnant I lost all taste for any vegetables and cannot even stomach the smell of most of them. This has made "healthy" eating difficult, but I still manage lots of fruit and a few veggies when I can. After I have my baby I plan to start cooking all of our meals again, using only fresh ingredients and I plan to start running again as soon as I can. It's not because I have to lose the baby weight, it is because I love doing it. I love how I feel after a good run. I love how I have more energy for the rest of the day after a good work out in the morning.

The healthy living blog community has helped me so much. It is so comforting to know that there are other people out there who view health and fitness through the same eyes that I do. People who understand that "health" foods are more delicious than processed foods. Girls who understand that an intense run is more than just a way to burn calories. I love these girls and their blogs. The pictures of their meals make me drool and they have inspired me to one day do a marathon myself. No, it is not because I need to compare myself to them or try to do what they do... it is because I now have faith in myself as an athlete. I have faith in myself as a person. I know that I don't have to be fast and that walk breaks are okay.

I see their blogs as a POSITIVE influence on my life. I cannot speak for their thousands of other readers (although comments and tweets have shown that I am not the only one who feels this way), but I would be devastated if any of them decided to quit blogging. I would honestly feel like I was losing a friend.

So, Caitlin, Meghann, and Kath (and the other three bloggers)... you have my support and you always will. It was obvious you were misrepresented and I hope that one day an apology comes your way. If not, don't let it get to you. You are such an inspiration and positive motivation for me, and thousands of others.