The Power of You
I’ve been an athlete for my entire life. From a young age I put the pressure on myself to be the best athlete I could possibly be. I had the quote, “somewhere someone is practicing and when you meet her face to face, she’ll beat you” mounted to my wall. I made sure I was the one always practicing so that when I met my opponent, I would win. I always wanted to be stronger, faster, be able to jump higher, quicker, you name it, and I would do it. I can recall during a track meet another athlete asked what we did to get our thighs because “she wanted to be that fast”. My body was for function, not aesthetics. I was never told I was fat (well, except for that summer of my Freshman year), chubby, needed to watch what I ate, or to be careful with what I put into my mouth. I don’t know how it happens – how those voices slowly enter into your thoughts and tell you that if you wanted to be the best, you needed to look a certain way as well. I don’t know where my body shaming came from, or why I need to be self-deprecating as often as I am. I have suffered from body dysmorphia (some might say I still do). Somewhere the diet culture ran deep and it allowed those voices to sneak into my head. It took years to overcome, and it takes daily affirmations to keep the noise out, but I overcame those demons and they no longer hold that grip over my life. But still…
I used to count calories. Everything was either good or bad for you.
I used to punished myself with exercise.
I once thought that lifting heavy weights would make me manly or bulky.
I once thought carbs and fat would make me fat, and in order to lose weight or see results I had to eat under 1000 calories of “good foods.”
Now, I now see food as fuel. Food fuels my body. I now see exercise as a celebration. It’s a privilege and blessing to be able to move my body. Lifting weights WILL NOT make you bulky. Feeling strong gives me great pride in myself. Carbs and fat make up the bulk of my diet now and I don’t believe anything should be labeled as “bad”. Most importantly, nothing LOOKS as good as HEALTHY feels!
A healthy diet is NOT:
Constantly thinking about food
Starving
Feeling guilty if you eat a “bad” food
Keto or other fad diets
Identifying any food as “bad”
Fat burners, waist trainers, detox teas, etc.
What a healthy diet IS:
Something that is sustainable long-term
Supports your health
Supports your goals
Consists of a variety of protein, carbs, and fats
Inclusive of all foods
Something that you ENJOY
A LIFESTYLE
Perfection destroys progress. If we focus only on the destination and if we strive for perfect, we lose sight of the progress and the destination is doomed to be unfulfilling. Whether it’s diet or exercise, a relationship or a goal, it’s always the collective of habits and decisions that have the greatest influence over the long term. What habits do you practice in order to maintain your journey to becoming (or staying true to) your best self?
“eat like you love yourself.
move like you love yourself.
speak like you love yourself.
act like you love yourself.”
YOU ARE ENOUGH.