Thursday Things Thin Girls Know: Brooke Cook

Hey Blogoworld--it's that time again, Thursday Things Thin Girls Know! Today's Thin Girl is Brooke Cook, my junior high best friend. That's right, Blogoworld, Brooke and I were at our most awkward times together. :) It's fun to think about. One day, I'll post a really horrendous photo of myself from that time. It's gonna be great. Anyway, Brooke is a beautiful lady. Simple, honest, nothing more or less than everything she is, and smart. She's a counselor, a teacher, a guide-er. Yes, I made that word up. But her interview oozes with guidance; she presents her story, her experience, with no strings attached. How valuable to have someone else's life experience without it being loaded with emotion! What a gift! Read on, you'll understand.

As a thin girl, what advice would you give to a woman losing weight?

If I could give any advice to women, it would be to set attainable goals for themselves while striving for their goal weight. A good way to become motivated is to experience success. I know if I set and meet my intermediate goals, it always motivates me to finish whatever task I have started. I would also encourage women to use the buddy system. I am not very successful at starting and maintaining a gym routine if I do not have someone to hold me accountable. If you do not have a workout buddy, a great alternative is group exercise. Group exercise is a fun way to meet new people and many find that it can be quite entertaining. My final piece of advice would be to make sure you are losing weight in a natural way. By working out and eating healthy, you will find that it does not only stimulate weight loss, but it also fuels your brain, so you will experience better memory, as well as improvement among other cognitive processes. You will also find that you have more energy, which is caused by an increase in endorphins. These are the types of benefits that will make being healthy a life style, not just a reason to lose weight.

How do you feel about your body?

Today, I can say that I am very happy with my body, but it has not always been that way. I have dealt with having a very negative body image, for the past couple of years. After leaving home and moving to college, I became obsessed with my body and my weight. In high school, I was very active, competing in different sports all year long. But, once I got to college, I found myself stretched in so many different directions, that I was not making time to take care of myself. I did not make time to go to the gym on a regular basis and I started to feel the difference. I found myself feeling sluggish and I was not very motivated to do anything. I started to see myself differently. I did not feel pretty when I looked into the mirror. All I could see were the imperfections. This negative body image that I had created in my head haunted me day and night for about a year and a half. One day, the thoughts became overwhelming and I knew something had to change. At the college I attend, they offer free counseling and I walked over and made an appointment. For the next twelve weeks, I learned a lot about myself, but most importantly, I learned how beautiful I am, on the inside and outside. I leaned that working out and eating healthy were definitely important routines that I needed to get back into. It was amazing at how drastically my body image changed, just by eating three healthy meals a day and spending 30-45 minutes at the gym four times a week. I also enjoy the social aspect of working out. If you find a friend who will go with you, working out can be something you look forward to, not something that you dread. I also took up rock wall climbing and water aerobic as hobbies. Who knew you could get such a great full body workout, just by spending an hour climbing a rock wall or working out in the water? All of these things have contributed to the new positive body image I have of myself today. I encourage anyone who may have a negative body image to search their soul and find the beauty within them. No matter how many people tell you how beautiful you are, it does not mean anything unless you believe it too.


What is the one habit you swear by?

The one habit I swear by is exercise. You can never get enough. Even if it is doing lunges and crunches during commercial breaks of your favorite T.V. show or taking the stairs instead of the elevator, you can always find alternative ways to work out, if you are pinched for time.

What are you fascinated with?

I am fascinated with why people do the things they do. I know this is a very broad fascination, but being a psychology major, it is difficult to narrow my fascinations down. If I had to pick a couple of main interests, they would be: young women and body image, partner selection and attraction, and the affects of abuse and violence on women and children. These are three completely different areas of study, but being an undergraduate, I have not been forced to pick a specific area.

What else would you like to tell me?

Remember this quote:
“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”

Be strong and know that no matter what, you are beautiful!