Operation Beautiful: Random Acts of Inner Beauty

The dailySpark recently featured a new website called Operation Beautiful in the weekly link round up. Because dailySpark readers responded so positively to the post about Operation Beautiful, we asked its founder, Caitlin, to tell us a little more about it.

My name is Caitlin, and I'm 25 years old. I began www.OperationBeautiful.com because I believe in a holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle -- it's not just about what you eat or how you work out, but the caring and thoughtful things you do for yourself and others, too.

In 2006, I got my fitness act together and transformed my life. I live in Orlando, Florida, with my college-sweetheart husband and our two dogs, James Bond and Maggie Thatcher, and we both love living a healthy, active life. I work two jobs and am also a part-time blogger (at www.HealthyTippingPoint.com, which is my personal food and fitness blog, and www.OperationBeautiful.com.


Caitlin also took some time to answer our questions about Operation Beautiful!

dailySpark: What is Operation Beautiful?

Caitlin: Operation Beautiful is simple; all you need is a pen and a piece of paper. I’ve begun leaving positive messages on the mirrors of public restrooms--at work, at the gym, at the grocery store. I scribble down whatever comes to mind--“You are beautiful!” or “You are amazing just the way you are!” Now, the Operation has spread beyond me, and hundreds of other women are participating. The women write notes and send them in, and then I post them on the site for thousands of others to enjoy.



dailySpark: How did the website get started?

Caitlin: I really believe healthy living involves three things: food, fitness, and spirit. You can eat perfectly and work out religiously, but if you don't take the time to reach out to other people in a positive way, you'll never be satisfied. Operation Beautiful started because I was looking for a way to spread joy to other people. From writing my own blog, I know how deep our body image issues run, and by reaching out to others, you can help yourself, too.

dailySpark: Why do you think these anonymous notes are catching on?

Caitlin: I think women are surprised to find that they are making themselves happier by posting these notes. Leaving a note on a bathroom mirror or in a gym leaves you with such a positive feeling inside! Operation Beautiful gives you hope and a high-on-life feeling!

dailySpark: What message are you trying to send to women?

Caitlin: My message is two-fold: first, that random acts of kindness are so powerful, both for the receiver and the giver. Second, I just want women to realize that they are beautiful--and I don't mean physically beautiful. Every one of us has an inner light that shines through and makes us unique. We've spent so much time, energy, emotion, and money trying to fit into society's narrow definition of physical beautiful. But if we accepted and embraced the way we are instead of trying to reach an unattainable ideal, we would be so much happier!



dailySpark: Tell us about your passion for ending "fat talk."

Caitlin: I hate, hate, hate fat talk. I used to do it--I would pull on a pair of pants and say "UGH, I am so fat!" or push my stomach out and say, "I shouldn't have eaten all that ice cream, I'm a fat pig!" But then one day I realized that all this negativity was actually making my eating and exercise problems worse. When I yelled at myself for eating dessert, I would just "give up" and eat more junk. When I told myself I was a lazy pig, I would just sit on the couch and mope. When you lift yourself up instead of breaking yourself down, life is so much easier! If you wouldn't say it to a friend, why say it to yourself? Also, I think women mistakenly use fat talk to cover up their real emotions. When you say "I am fat," you're really trying to say "I am full with an emotion," like shame or guilt. It's so much better to just acknowledge how we really feel and move onwards instead of berating our precious bodies.

dailySpark: Share a little about your own journey to healthy living.



Caitlin: I began running three years ago, after one of my best friends had an intervention with me about my unhealthy lifestyle. I had always wanted to be healthy, but I could just never embrace the lifestyle when I was younger. Plus, the real issue was that I was massively out of shape! I was also very unhappy with the relationship I had with food and exercise, and I knew I was the only person who could change it.

So at 21, I stopped beer-and-pizza dinners, started to lift weights, learned about nutrition and began to eat well, and took my first steps as a runner.... Running was HARD at first. I could barely go a quarter mile without dying. I kept up at it and one month after starting to exercise, I signed up for a 10K.

Eight weeks later, I completed my 10K in 61 minutes--and it was 30 degrees and snowing! Within a year of running, I had lost about 10 pounds and gained so much endurance and fitness. Now, I workout about four days a week, love to participate in races, and enjoy making new recipes to serve as healthy fuel.



dailySpark: What are some of the strangest/least likely/most surprising places that people have left notes?

Caitlin: My favorite place that people have left notes is on scales at the gym. As women, we focus too much on numbers. It is natural for your weight to fluctuate, and there is no "healthy weight" that fits all women. If you treat yourself well, eat good food, and try to get in some movement, you're doing a great job with your fitness journey. A scale can tell you how much you weight, but it cannot say how beautiful you are! I also like it when people go to grocery stores and stick notes on the diet bars and books.

dailySpark: Have you heard from anyone who has found the notes? What has been their reaction?

Caitlin: Yes! I got an e-mail from someone who found a note in the bathroom. She said she loved finding the message and it made her so happy. I've also heard feedback from women who posted the notes at work and overheard their coworkers discussing the notes. The coworkers say things like, "That note is so sweet! I wonder who did that?" and the poster just smiles and agrees that it was nice.

Have you participated in Operation Beautiful? Will you? Are you guilty of "fat talk"?

Photos courtesy of Operation Beautiful! (My submission is the main image! I left it in my teenage sister's bedroom when I went home for a visit.)


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