ONE: I feel so fat I can't breathe.

ONE

Life is too short and too precious to waste time obsessing about my body. I am going to take care of it to the best of my ability and get out of my head and into the world.

What a waste to focus on my waist. Here I am, days away from my 48^th birthday and I am just now realizing that my self-image is no better than it was at 13.  Awkward.  Disappointed.  Embarrassed.  These are the first words that come to mind.  So many other things about me have grown and matured into a beautiful, wonderful, enlightened outlook on life.  I am more tolerant, patient, empathetic and relaxed in my interactions with fellow humans. What a waste to focus on my waist.

I remember trying to remember to ‘suck in my stomach’ as my mom taught me in my pre-teen years.

Since those days, I have taken [and given] numerous lessons on proper breathing for effective voice production.  You simply cannot get to the end of the phrase if you are sucking in your gut.  Your belly needs to move in order to breathe effectively.  If you watch a child breathing, their shoulders are still and their belly moves out on the inhale and moves in on the exhale.  A singer will push their abdominal muscles out during the singing to maximize the length of the note. For many of us, at some point between the toddler and teen years, we stop our bellies from moving and the upper chest and shoulders become the active part of respiration.  But our poor lungs only fill up a portion of their capacity, not helpful to singers, speakers and athletes who need optimal respiration for success.

By focusing on my waist, I deprived my body of necessary elements.

Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air
Can't live, can't breathe with no air

          Chris Brown  feat. Jordin Sparks:  No Air

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBKnpyoFEBo