Because I can...: portion distortion

For all my fellow tall readers out there, you may get this, for all those shorties (no offense) I hope you can see where I'm coming from...

I'm 5'11--- BAREFOOT. So lets be honest, I'm 6'0 with shoes on, taller with heels. I have NOT grown (VERTICALLY, definitely horizontally) since I was 13. Although this has nothing to do with 'guns' the reason I share this with you is because when you are that tall at an early age and have to look down (literally) on all your peers, IT DOES (for me anyway) create some image issues. Even though the majority of the time I've been a great weight for my height, its hard not to compare yourself to others and just "feel big"

In high school I didn't drink- maybe an occasional beverage slipped in at a family gathering, but aside from that, NOTHING. I had a flat stomach, even a 4 pack (haha still couldn't get the lower part defined) and that was something I prided myself on because all the other "popular" girls had little pooches that would soon (and time revealed it did) turn into beer bellies.

After one year of college, massive amounts of beer wiped out my prized flat stomach, and it has been an endless battle for the last 9 years to regain it.

:sidebar- my stomach generally IS flat, but it has gotten wider and that is currently what I'm working on whittling down- end sidebar:

So once I gave up on the notion that my stomach was my prized "skinny feature" I focused on how my arms were small. I used to see these 5 foot nothing girls at the gym lifting LARGE amounts of weight to get bulky and I didn't really understand why until I finally asked one of them.

Now granted, this is just ONE GIRL'S thought process, so if you're short and this doesn't apply to you, that is understandable. Anyway she said that because she was so short (5'2) she felt that by having more muscle visible, it would not categorize her in the "tiny" or "scrappy" category because she at least looked strong and therefore you didn't want to pick on her. To better explain this- even if someone is "skinny" but they have a big feature on them, it makes them look bigger. ie. You can have chicken legs and arms, but if you have a spare tire, you look fat. For this particular individual she was skinny and because her arms were bigger- she no longer looked "scrawny"

I think subconsciously I always took that to heart but in reverse. Since I no longer had my "tiny" stomach, the only thing left to hold onto was my arms.I convinced myself that if my arms got too big, then that would make me look even bigger- thus I have ALWAYS focused on tone vs. bulk.

I don't think they're too skinny by any means....but they could use some improvement

Showcasing the Mountains while in Vegas

Visiting a Healthways center in Pittsburgh (oh how I miss my tan)

First (and apparently last) time wearing arm warmers.

So what point am I trying to make?!?!? Christy @ My Dirt Road Anthem was sent 2 pairs of Pearl Izumi arm warmers, and the medium was too big, so she decided to host a giveaway for someone who might be able to use it. Normally I would just hop on board and sign up. Remembering my less than stellar experience with the Moeban Arm sleeves I won from Jill C's giveaway (i didn't measure my arms correctly and they were too big, thus kept falling down.... not the companies fault) I decided I would measure again to see if I qualify for "medium" according to Pearl Isumi's sizing chart.

What I found out was downright laughable.

Pardon the not done hair or barely makeup- its saturday and I chose to come in for overtime, not to look pretty

Yup that would be slightly over 10 inch circumference--- crazy big!

I don't even fit into a size XS (according to their measurements) Seriously?!?!? Never ever ever EVER in my life have I ever worn anything categorized as XS, and now its saying that I need 2 more girth inches on my bicep before I'd make the XS cut. I didn't know whether to cheer that finally I fit into the skinny category for something, OR if I should feel ashamed because on my frame, XS should not be acceptable.

I look healthy, so I"m not worried about if I look too skinny, BUT i'm thinking it might be time to break down some mental road blocks and add in more arm work (I currently do arms and shoulders from p90x 1x week).

I'm not looking to become too big for my body like this Denmark girl....