I grew up on the East coast, in Maryland, on the Mason Dixon line. We lived on the border of the southern life, and the traditions were strong. No white shoes or white pants before Easter. No open-toed shoes before the heat of the summer. Only dresses with hats, gloves and elegant shoes for Easter Sunday church. No sweatpants to go to the store. And certainly, you never called a boy unless he called you first.

There were so many rules. They weren't written - or at least I never saw them. It was just what a girl turning into a woman knew.

A friend of my mom's, a beautiful woman in her 70s who I always looked up to because of her classy ways, visited my sister and me a few years ago. As we talked, she shared an insight with us that I will never forget. She told us she had made a grave error in her judgment, and she did not want us to repeat it. We listened intently as she proceeded to share with us that she felt she had been overly harsh on herself due to her body image all these years.

She said she had never felt like the model type and didn't fit the "Jackie O" style of her day. As a result, she was in a constant state of frustration about her body every day. She felt too thick, too big and too short. Of course, this leads to a lot of pain and anguish. She said years later, when she looked back at pictures of herself, she thought, "Wow, I didn't look that bad. How come I was so hard on myself everyday?" She then proceeded to tell us she thought we were beautiful just the way we were, and that beauty is really about what is on the inside. I sat and listened with my heart, feeling crazy because I realized that a lot of women I know have these same feelings.

For years as a physical therapist, I have heard woman of all ages struggle with this same concept of body image. I have phenomenal women athletes who are so strong, but yet complain because their bootys are too big. Then there are wonderful pregnant moms who feel dumpy because their thighs are too jiggly. There are our lovely mastectomy patients who have lost their breasts in order to save their lives, but somehow feel less than whole. So much judgment on ourselves; it is so hard to live well when we are bombarded with the "runway" mentality.

So that is it for me. No more judgment on myself or anyone else. Only acceptance, desire and motivation for a new view of ourselves will work. Our bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Not until we like ourselves and make a plan to be healthy for who we are, will it work for us.

Sheree DiBiase, PT, and her staff can be reached at Lake City Physical Therapy in Coeur d'Alene at (208) 667-1988 and in the Spokane Valley at (509) 891-2623.