Saturday 21 April 2012

Loving yourself through the journey


The title of this blog is pretty self-explanatory – you gotta love yourself no matter where you find yourself in life. It sounds so cliché, but absolutely true. I think this is probably one of the key “truths” I have learned in my short life… particularly when it comes to how I view my body.
I have been a lot of shapes and sizes – having had a couple of children guarantees that experience. After having the last (absolutely beautiful) baby, I had about 40 pounds to lose to get to where I am today. As of today, I still have about 10 pounds to lose (in the next 6 weeks - eek) before I cross the stage for the Toronto Super Show. Here is the key though – I am perfectly happy with how I am today. I look in the mirror right now and I like what I see… even without the 6-pack. Yes, of course I will enjoy seeing those abs come in, but I don’t need them to define me.
You will still be you when you reach your goals. If you don’t find a way to be happy now, you will be very disappointed when you finally reach your goals. More muscle, or less fat cannot make you happy. You will have developed some character in pursuing your goals, but there is no magic bullet to make everything in your life perfect. I think the first step in that process is learning to be grateful for today, for where you are now, and the gifts you have been given in life. For instance, I am truly grateful for a body that can run, jump and do a solid 25 military push-ups (there was a time when I could do maybe two). Being grateful for what my body can do now allows me to celebrate who I am today. Being grateful right now also removes the anxiety surrounding “weight loss” or “muscle gain” so I can enjoy the process.
Be grateful. Enjoy the journey. Love yourself today.

Wednesday 18 April 2012

Stress and Chocolate


Some days are hard. Some weeks are hard. Some months are hard. And yes, some years are hard. I will admit that during my rough patches – like the last few weeks of my life – my gut reaction is to use food as my drug of choice. However, the problem with that is the fact that it really is a drug of choice, not just a funny phrase. Because, food is not something that is intrinsically bad for us, like tobacco or alcohol, it can be easy to justify its use in dealing with our emotions. However, over-feeding yourself, particularly on sugar or other calorie dense foods should never be justified. It is unhealthy and it only masks the stress, frequently exacerbating it, rather than actually soothing or helping the problem.
For instance, I recently spent close to $30 on chocolate and consumed it in a three day period – and it was half-priced Easter chocolate so you can imagine the large quantity. That is completely insane!!! Not only is that a terrible way to treat my body, but I also feel like I have completely betrayed myself and everything I believe in (can you see my stress is exacerbated?!).
Now it is decision time – what do I do with this? Do I throw in the towel and think “oh well, I guess I am just meant to be mediocre and a failure at this” or do I find a way to deal with my failures and get back up? My decision? ABSOLUTELY GET UP! I will be out of bed tomorrow morning at 4:30 am ready for my cardio. I will be packing a healthy lunch (plus snacks of course) AND I will be leaving my cash and cards at home so I cannot cave to the half-priced Easter chocolate lingering downstairs.
No one is perfect and in those moments where life is particularly difficult, whether it is financial, family or job related stress, it is completely normal for your good habits to fall apart a little. However, don’t let the stresses of life completely derail you from all of the great goals and aspirations you have. Find a way to get up… even if it is in the literal sense of getting up a little earlier tomorrow to fit those good habits back into your life.