This blog is a lesson that I need to learn myself. I'll start with a quote from my wonderful bootcamp coach, Lisa Jacobs
Sometimes we can be our own biggest critics. I don't know about you but sometimes the negative mantra tape plays over and over in my head "You aren't good enough, fast enough,cute enough, you don't try hard, I'm disappointed in you, why couldn't you do that etc"...
I hope you will start to change the words played over and over in your head this weekend to something like "I did it. I improved. I am proud. I am strong. I am powerful. I am wonderful. I am created exactly how I am suppose to be. I took the challenge and stepped up. I feel good" Tell someone in your life about what you did this past week and instead of saying "Yeah, but I was the slowest, sweatiest, biggest, worst etc" Say "I am proud of my hard work." Period. See how it feels!
The idea for this blog came after having a conversation with Patrick (my husband) about body image. I had just come in from the gym (at 6:45AM) and he said "Do you even realize how thin you are getting?" and I immediately said "But look at my stomach! and my inner-thighs! and my butt!". We continued the conversation while I was getting undressed and he asked me to say what I like about myself. This is how the conversation went..."I like my stomach but only these exact 3 inches. I like my legs OK...they are strong now but I hate this part. My butt isn't bad...except for this part" I could not say anything nice about myself without including an exception. I didn't focus on my new muscles! or my increased stamina! or my smaller jean size! or my better overall health! We discussed how I need to make sure that I am not saying these things in front of the kids. So that made me think about what I should be saying in front of my daughters. and to myself! I could use some help with this! But this is what I have come up with so far...
"I feel so strong!" "I love to run" "Wasn't it fun to run down all those hills in San Francisco?" "Eating healthy makes me feel so good!" "I did about 40 push ups today! Want to try some together?"
So my advice (from someone that is still learning...every day!) is to focus on your positive! What would your biggest supporter say to you? about you? Turn off that negative voice!
and today....MOVE IT! Just go. Do anything. walk, run, dance, skip (yes. you can! We do it in bootcamp and it is kinda fun...especially if you say 'lalalala" while you are skipping!) You will thank me (and yourself) later! really. and please post a comment and tell me about it!
and by the way, you look fabulous!
with love,
Laura
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YES!YES! YES! Preach it, Laura! I couldn't agree more. This is something I too, am working on. I think we feel the need to include a "negative" whenever we talk about a positive in ourselves because we don't want to seem less than "humble". But in truth, it is so good to acknowledge and share our successes, our triumphs...especially around our kids. I'm really trying to INCLUDE my kids in my story...in my striving to gain better health, in my striving to exercise more and in my quest for a healthier, more conscious, participatory view of life. I want them to have that awareness and consciousness before I did (at 42!). If I only share what I dislike, or what I'm discouraged about...they will get discouraged. If I focus on what I'm happy about and my ongoing lifelong goal of always looking for that positive... they will be encouraged. It's not easy at all. But I'm trying! YAY Laura! Go girl! (It IS fun to run down all those hills in San Francisco!!)h it Laura!
ReplyDeleteOops, don't know what the last little "h it Laura" phrase is... ooopsy!
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