It may be a surprise to hear that I wasn't that happy at either end, however especially so at the LEAN one.
Being almost obsessed with exercise, what I was eating
and over-critical of every curve and slight wobbly bit on my body was exhausting!
I was pushing my body and mind way past its natural comfort zone and fighting what my natural shape should be.
I found myself feeling at best disappointed, and at worst actual feeling physically sick, if I didn't get a chance to push myself in some sort of exercise
every day.
At first this deliberate, consistent focus worked wonders and helped me lose many stone of fat mass...yet it wasn't sustainable.
It consumed me and it got to the point that I ended up injured and burnt out.
Now, it actually may be a surprise to hear that I wouldn't have
done any of it any other way if I could go back to the beginning of my health turnaround.
It was a necessary process that has led me to love my body and, most importantly respect myself and accept whatever shape it may be in today.
One of my most important roles as a PT is to ensure my clients don't make the same
mistakes as I did.
We are a bit crazy really, what other animal applies any energy into obsessing over what wobbly bits it has or how its bum looks?
What animal needs a calculator or chart to work out how much and what to eat?
A major shift we can make in our approach to exercise if to focus OUTWARDS on what our bodies can DO and train to improve this and this alone
Focusing INWARDS on what we look like and training with the focus on changing this creates a battle between you and your body
Noticing, as we develop, how all the small things we do affect what we can do and to what level is FIRST HAND is a probably the most potent skill we can develop on this journey
Molly Galbraith of the excellent 'Girls Gone Strong' sums it up better than I ever
can:
'Don't train because you HATE your body, train because you LOVE it'
- Love feeling it get strong and how powerful you really can be
- Love feeling it perform a move
- Love the process
as your neuromuscular system learns a new move right before your eyes
- Love how it never lets you down every day...despite what we sometimes put it through
- Love how it WILL repair itself, and come back stronger with the right stimulus
We need to work hard on ourselves to stop the worrying trend of thinking that the shape that our body may
be in today is a problem.
The fitness industry is guilty in part of perpetuating this with all the fat loss programs, diet plans and media shaming of celebrities that DARED to put on a bit of fat as they relaxed on holiday or, heaven forbid, have a bit of cellulite (I want to burn those magazines in the news stands!).
- We are better than this, and we need to be for
the next generation.
- We are the shape we are because that is the shape we are.
The human body, YOUR body, is the most adaptable, strong, reliable and resilient piece of hardware in the known universe.
It is by far the greatest thing you will ever 'own' and it will be
there for you well into your 80th year and beyond.
Having the focus to develop and improve how it PERFORMS and how you FEEL will be what keeps it full of vitality into your 100th year.
How you LOOK will fall into place as if by magic.
Battling with it to get a 'flat' stomach or starving yourself for an
event only to rebound afterwards turns is a battle you will only lose in time.
Just love what you can do...and tomorrow it will be even more.
J
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