Loving Your Body Is A Marathon, Not A Sprint {Podcast}
By admin
No, this is not the start of a steamy romance novel…
I pull my shirt off, toss it on the floor at my feet. Next, the sports bra (because let’s face it, I wear a real bra like once a month) comes off. At this point, I would stop for a mirror check. Just a quick glance at my body before finishing the job of pulling my bottoms off.
With my clothes piled up beside me, my body in it’s most vulnerable state, I would give myself the ultimate body check.
A moment in the mirror that would lead to a few twists and bends to see how me stomach was looking… how many rolls did I have that day when I bent over. If I stood straight, sucked in and brought one shoulder down just a bit, I swear you could see some serious definition… dare I say even a 6-pack?
Then I would breath out with disappointment as I stood up, relaxed and saw my “real belly” which I would then tap or rub as if it were Buddha’s belly. Finally, I climbed into the shower almost as a way to escape the mirror and vow to take my workouts up a notch and bring my food down a notch.
This went on for years.
When Does A Girl Stop Loving Her Body?
91% of women are unhappy with their bodies. Ninety one freakin’ percent!
Thanks to media portraying a size 0 woman weighing in at less than 120 pounds. We feel we are never good enough.
In fact, just 5% of women have the “media figure”.
For most of us that figure is unobtainable yet it doesn’t keep us from having a strewed vision of what our reflection should look like.
At some point growing up, we (women) lose sight of what our body is, how beautiful it is and instead focus on all the things that it isn’t.
So when does this start?
It begins as little girls watching our mothers, 91% of them pick at their bodies and food with hatred, embarrassment and sadness.
We see their habits and naturally pick them up. I have friends now that try with all of their might to not let their little girls seem them do the same, but it’s hard!
It begins when we’re old enough to notice how gorgeous the models/actresses are on magazine covers… and since we don’t know what photoshop is, we assume this is their body, their real image. Sometime to be admired like a Greek Goddess.
Loving Your Body Is A Process
People tell you all the time, love your body, love your body.
Well, guess what. If you haven’t loved your body for the past 10 years, you’re not going to all of a sudden wake up and decided, “Wow, I love this vessel regardless of the reflection I see.”
It’s not that easy, it’s a process.
A few days ago, my online BFF, Bonnie, caught up on the phone. Though she lives in Calgary, Canada, we talk via text messaging several times a week. Well, except for the past month, she’s been out of town, doing amazing things!
Since we had so many things on our mind, we grabbed the phone and I turned on my podcast recording system.
We had an amazing time catching up as two girlfriends. We both realized that just over the summer, something clicked. Our views on our bodies and on our fitness have changed…
Finally, for the better.
I highly recommend listening to the podcast to find Bonnie’s AH HA moment that made her see her body for what it is. How we have both handled being pressured to have a “trainer’s body” and how we’ve managed to smile at ourselves instead of glaring at our bodies with disdain.
But I bet you’re wondering… what’s the #1 tip for learning real self love?
Being open and patient with your body.
That’s it.
Like I said, loving your body doesn’t happen over night. It takes time and patience. It takes a clear focus and conscious effort.
Maybe it means, looking in a mirror each day, naked, and smiling for a whole 30 seconds. Just the act of smiling releases endorphins and dopamine. Smiling makes you happy and happiness is a huge step. If you can smile at yourself forced, overtime, you’ll find yourself smiling naturally.
Try it!
The 7 Lessons Learned About Self Love
Many of these are covered in the podcast and in more detail, so if you haven’t already, go back and listen.
- Focusing on what your body can do. Instead of obsessing what your body look like, focus on what it does for you every day. This will automatically make you have a closer connection to yourself. One of respect which is a step closer to love.
- Your body is not stagnant. Loving your body does not mean accepting the way your body looks. It means that you take the right steps to get to where you want without unhealthy dieting and overexercising. Respecting the process.
- If you don’t love your body at a size 20, you won’t love it at a size 6. Trust me, as someone that has treated her body really badly in the past, weight loss becomes addicting. I hated my body and with every pound I lost, I wanted to lose 2 more.
- Dress yourself for where you are RIGHT NOW. Forget about buying a pair of jeans a size too small. It’s not motivation (at least for most of us), it’s a reminder that we’re not where we want to be. Instead spend money on dressing the body you have right at this moment. You’ll feel more confident and beautiful. Forget oversized tees and leggings.
- Social media is just as bad as real media. Make sure to follow people that make you feel amazing, not those that have you feeling crappy about yourself because of their perfect bodies and lives. Nobody’s perfect but it’s too hard to remember that sometimes.
- Talking helps. Bonnie and I have such similar outlooks on our goals, our figures and our lives. It has helped tremendously to have someone that can relate so well. As you will hear above. On the same note, it helps to have someone close that loves their bodies so much already… Ashton. Ashton has never had body image issues whether she was 30 pounds heavier or lighter. She doesn’t understand body hang ups and is an incredible inspiration and motivation for me and the women that she coaches.
- No one loves their body ALL the time. Seriously, you’re not going to be in self love mode all the time. We’re women, we have bad days sometimes. It’s okay. You’ll have bloated days where you don’t want to look in a mirror or put on anything but spandex. Don’t feel bad about it, chalk it up to being a woman and know tomorrow is a new day.
My Personal Ah Ha Moment
Bonnie and I cover this in our podcast, but I’ll share it quickly here too. I love to overshare after all.
For over a decade, I have battled with my body. It’s never small enough, toned enough, strong enough. It was never enough.
I always wondered what people thought. Did I love “trainer enough”?
Then, like I told Bonnie… I realized something. For years, I judged my body on my abs (which where never what I wanted). But it hit me… I never show my abs to clients. It’s not as if they walk in and I say, “Hi, I’m Taylor! Are my abs good enough to be your trainer?”
That’s insane.
This doesn’t mean I’m not still working on better definition but I’m not doing it for myself and not the approval of others.
It was about a year ago when I began to love my body for what it was able to do. The strength it shows in races, in workouts, in life. My body allows me to do some pretty freaking cool things and it deserves my respect.
Respect was my first step. From there, respect turned to love. I love this body that carries me through each day (even with the help of crutches).
Check Out Bonnie!
I have to thank Bonnie for hanging out with me. Neither of us are big phone people but we had a blast catching up. As wonderful as texting is, there is something special about connecting through real conversation.
She will be back!
Make sure to find out more about Bonnie and connect…
BLOG: Survive & Thrive
INSTAGRAM: @BonnieLangFitness
FACEBOOK: Bonnie Lang Fitness
Anytime I get to slip on a pair of stilettos, I feel sexy and confident! I have too many pairs to pick just one!