HELPING YOU LIVE YOUR HEALTHIEST LIFE
So often I sit down in health consults and listen to all the ways individuals feel like they have failed themselves: maybe they’ve gained 30 pounds, or they haven’t worked out since high school, or they can’t seem to get their nutrition under control. My favorite question to ask them is simply: “What are three things you are doing well right now?” Tears will often form in their eyes—even finding three small things they are proud of can seem like an impossible task.
We live in a society where our best doesn’t seem good enough. We are so focused on our pasts that our future selves seem stuck there, too.
“Your future isn’t programmed by your past; it’s programmed by your thoughts.” Marianne Williamson, American author and peace activist
For more than 10 years, I struggled with my relationship with food and health. Food was my enemy. Working out was my punishment. I obsessed over calories, and I weighed myself five or more times daily. No matter what I tried, I could never beat my obsession with achieving an “ideal” body image. Every second of my day focused on what I wasn’t doing, how my body wasn’t enough. I thought I would never be free from this feeling of inadequacy.
Fast forward.
When I started CrossFit I was suddenly surrounded by strong women who didn’t weigh themselves, who fueled their body with food rather than starve themselves, and who saw beauty in loving their bodies as they were rather than only loving them when they hit a certain number on the scale. I wanted that freedom. So, I began taking steps toward changing my focus.
Rather than seeing food as the enemy, I saw it as a source to live the life I wanted. Rather than punishing myself by working out, I saw workouts as a chance to celebrate my strength and to use the body I had been blessed with to learn perseverance and overcome physical obstacles. Honestly, I learned to love my body for the first time.
If you feel stuck where you don’t want to be, here are 3 lessons I’ve learned:
ONE
It is a lie that your past predicts your future. I believed this for too many years. I thought I would always struggle with food. The good news: I was wrong. If you’re struggling with this too, remember: you’re not stuck.
TWO
I learned you have to love yourself now, not once you get to your destination. So often we think that when we lose 20 pounds we will be happy. Or when we get those six-pack abs—then we’ll feel comfortable in our own skin. Love yourself now. Love yourself today. Yes, as we get closer to our goals, confidence will increase. But if we don’t love ourselves now, we’re still not going to be happy when we get to our destinations.
THREE
Your mindset is everything. If you focus on what you lack, guess what you will see? Everything you lack; every inadequacy and shortcoming. But if you focus on your goals, guess what you will see? How everything you already have can help you get to where you want to be. Our focus creates our destination. So rather than beating yourself up by deciding your past will be your future, focus on change. Focus on gratitude. And surround yourself with individuals who keep you moving forward.
If you think you’re stuck, I’m here to say you’re not stuck. Your past hasn’t predicted your future. But, your mindset will.
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