A woman approached me after teaching my cardio class and asked me how she could lose more weight. My first question was "who said you needed to? " Because to just look at her, I did not see a person that was overweight. I was a bit surprised to find out it was her doctor. The urgency in her voice made it clear she wanted to lose the next 20 lbs and quickly. My advice? Stop looking at the scale. If you are drinking plenty of water, eating healthy, exercising and you are feeling good then you are on the right track.
I am absolutely exhausted over what society portrays as a healthy woman. The idea that there are no flaws on a body is absurd. I have photoshopped my own picture before I posted on social media because I was embarrassed. Im sure if I was 20 years old, no kids and was at the gym six days a week, I might look like that ad in the latest fitness magazine.
The average size woman is a size 16 as reported by Forbes in 2016. Are they all supposed to feel overweight? Of course not. I have an amazing six pack underneath the soft layers that show signs I gave birth to four beautiful girls. I have stretch marks, wrinkles, and cellulite, that scream "hey I'm in my 40's!" Weight loss doesn't happen over night, it takes months and years because it is a process to do it the right way. There are so many factors to consider, and there is no quick fix. We have to consider hormones, stress, the foods we are eating, the lifestyle we are living, and how much sleep we are getting. I don't want that to be discouraging, I just want you to understand weight loss is just as much mental as it is physical.
If your train of thought is "I'll be happy once I lose the weight" then that is a fairytale you are telling yourself. I know because I've been there. At first it was about losing the weight to be happy, then I wanted a flatter stomach, then I wanted to be stronger, like CrossFit Strong!, and the list goes on. Well I lost the weight, my abs got a little more toned, and I got stronger. So why wasn't I happy? Because from the beginning of this fairy tale I had told my self I wasn't good enough unless I was all those things. I wasn't a good enough wife, mother, friend, teacher unless I was thin. Ladies that is not even close to the truth!
So how do we change that mind set? First you have to get good with who you are. Its hard to compliment ourselves isn't it? Remember how much you weigh has nothing to do with how good a friend, wife, or mother you are. Wouldn't it be great if we had a scale we could stand on and it would tell us "today you met your goal for amazing mom." Be confident in yourself. Nothing sexier than a woman that is confident. Your reasons for wanting to be a healthier weight could include "feeling" better, sleeping more soundly, being more active, you want to run your first 5K, lower blood pressure, these are all healthy reasons that will have life long benefits. So ladies don't fall for that myth that skinny=happily ever after. Happiness is knowing you were always amazing. Life is meant to live it, learn from it, make mistakes, do better, love more and share it.
Great read. You always inspire me friend.
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