I’m surrounded by trainers who push #bikinibodygoals as a fitness milestone to shoot for.
I’m surrounded by people who want to transform their bodies as quickly as possible by participating in such contests.
I see, read and hear all about these people who preach out loud that-due to discipline and adherence; because they are committed and focused; if it was easy everyone would be doing it-testimonials justifying a strict, rigid and extreme food and fitness regimen, all in the sake of getting on that stage. And that sport isn’t alone. The borderline sadistic way of life crosses over into extreme racing, endurance running and long distance triathlon.
I myself, have fallen guilty when I started my long distance running journey. The only reason I started to run distance because it was simply a way to keep my weight in check without having to obsess about it because when you train over 2 hours per day, while in calorie deficit all in the name of the scale, that method does work, in the short term. BUT that method ultimately leads to MANY MANY long term side effects that are meant for another post on another day.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to that goal. I commend anyone who seeks that out. It is HARD work. It is A LOT of SACRIFICE and it is not my area of expertise. I hope that those pursuing this journey find highly qualified, smart professionals who can navigate a well rounded and balanced program that provides both the end result clients seek without long term physical and mental consequences. Far too often, I hear about the latter; clients depressed; rebounding and frustrated that they can’t keep their stage body year round.
I too suffer from a similar mindset. So many people don’t understand with all of my hard work, why I don’t seem to be leaner. Do you know that a few people have even told me that to my FACE? They make assumptions that my diet must be shit.
But as I have gotten older, I’ve been slowly dancing with my mindfulness, weaving my head and my heart into one another accepting my body for what it can do versus:
=what size it is not
=what weight it is not
=what it does not look like
Some days are better than others. Some days I fall back into disordered exercise and food behaviors, but my NOW is much more different than my WAS.
Old me would not eat all day if I was going out at night
Old me would have to exercise hours if I did eat and I wanted to go out at night
Old me would follow extreme calorie restriction blogs to learn all the tricks to keep hunger in check
Old me even tried Ipecac syrup to barf up the little food I did eat (that shit is the real deal, don’t do it!)
New me still battles with body love; but when those thoughts come into my head, I acknowledge them and then I quickly release them into the universe reminding myself that my negative self talk is inflated and distorted.
New me puts myself out there (instagram videos who dis LOL) because I am fit and strong as F and I want to be an example that #goals do not have to always be dependent upon how you look. Can you say this ostomate does toes to bar – fuck yeah!
New me knows through lots of work on self awareness and through therapy, that this is the LONG game. I accept that for me, it’s a slow and steady process and I’m finally okay with that.
No more fad diets.
No more quick fixes.
No more jump on the scale, jump off, and on, and off and on and move that shit all around the house just to seek a number I have devised in my head.
I’ve also accepted that maybe I won’t be the weight I think I should be, if I want to live a life of exercising cuz it makes me feel good (versus exercise because I want to look good) and eating in moderation.
What I DO know is that I am doing ALL the things! I eat well. I enjoy time and food with family and friends. I workout intensely. I work out moderately. I work out easy all depending on how I feel in my true body not how my negative self talk mind thinks that I feel (these are two very different view points, that change every day, every hour, sometimes every minute… a self reflection as you walk by a mirrored like object can really fuck with you, am I right?)
And today, as I did a one year analysis of my client’s measurements, I was reminded that slow and steady wins the race.
In a year time, Doc’s weight stayed exactly the same, down to the decimal. But her tape measurements decreased.
-Doc lost 0.25″ in her chest
-Doc lost 3.00″ in her waist
-Doc lost 0.50″ in her hips
-Doc lost 1.00″ in her thighs
-Doc lost 1.75″ in her calves
And in a year time, Doc completed her first 5k. She was mentally and physically strong enough to tackle and complete a HUGE work project for the State of Hawaii; she did hikes that she used to be nervous about and the biggest win? She stuck with a year long commitment to her self care. She showed up and worked hard every time. She never canceled a session. This is true success!
Are you able to stick with it forever?
I am happy to report that as we continue our great work together, Doc has achieved another mile stone – she has decided that she wants to get more in tune with her nutrition.
In 2019, we worked on eating mindfully and eating with awareness. In 2020, she wishes to get a little more detailed as she has bigger event goals coming up and so she has started to food journal.
All 2019, I provided gentle nudges encouraging her to make that leap. I used a balance of gentle but firm love that she didn’t always want to hear. But, my vibe_365 method is spot on. My ability to tune into my clients inside and out, provide valuable feedback so that I know when I can push and when I gotta lay off. Through my hands-on approach, I am 100% confident that eventually the gentle nudges sink in and clients realize their start point on their own, just as Doc has now, in 2020. Below is the text she sent me the other day. My heart is full.
If you are looking for this vibe, I work with busy and stressed women who are overwhelmed or frustrated with repeating the same yo-yo cycle of diet and exercise.
I help busy and stressed women who are overwhelmed with all the fad fitness and diet information out there, so that they can find an approach that sticks forever.
I partner with women who are feeling hopeless that they can never seem to love the body they are in no matter what they do or the fact that they can muster up the motivation and confidence to take the leap to invest back into themselves.
I’m here for you sister!