How would you treat your body if losing weight wasn’t your objective?
I struggle with how to write this post because obviously I believe you should eat right and move your body. I just don’t think that hating ourselves thin is working. There should be many obvious reasons to want to eat right and move your body that go way beyond wanting to be smaller on the scale and it is easy to lose sight of these.
If you approach nutrition and exercise strictly in terms of calories gained or burned, how much fun do you think it is going to be? And is this truly the only thing that matters?
When someone leads with asking what the best workout is to lose weight or what is the quickest diet to lose weight I can’t help but feel a little sad. Now don’t get me wrong, I have been a personal trainer for almost 9 years and in the nutrition space for almost 3 and yes, I do help people reach their goals and those often include weight loss. But to me going to the gym is often the highlight of my day, I get to play, I get to see my girlfriends, I get to move my body in a way that makes me feel whole, strong and capable of doing pretty much anything in life! Nowhere in that process do I think I have to go to burn x amount of calories! Do I burn calories? Yes of course I do, but it certainly isn’t why I do what I do, trust me that can only motivate you so long. I know I am lucky to have found my happy place in Crossfit, it feeds my competitive and social nature and I look forward to it all the time. Our bodies feel best when we move. It’s a basic requirement for good health. And we should all do it wether or not weight loss or weight management is a goal.
I guess this is where I am going with all of this. Eating right, exercising, limiting alcohol intake, managing stress, prioritizing your sleep… you SHOULD be doing all this because yes, it may help you be at a healthy body weight (and that can mean a lot of different things by the way) but most importantly you should do it because you value yourself and your health and want to live a long healthy full life!
Fun fact today is officially the day when most people quit their New Year’s resolution? How sad is that, we are what 11 days into January? Quitters Day. I think a big part of it is we hope with the New Year to beat ourselves into submission. The goal shouldn’t be to hate yourself into a thinner body but instead maybe try to love yourself into a healthier one. Don’t let that be you.
Too many people come to me seeking weight loss when the last thing they need is weight loss. Or at least, the last thing they need right now is weight loss. They need to start loving themselves and start treating their bodies as such. Maybe this means working out less, or moving their bodies in a gentler way. Maybe this means actually moving their bodies more and strapping on a pedometer. Maybe it means eating more and allow their bodies to heal, seeing what it feels like to finally feel nourished. Maybe it means taking a look at their wine consumption and asking themselves is this really serving me?
I don’t know where you are but I can tell you one that once I shifted my mindset to thinking of my health as a whole it became all that much easier to keep going. Feeling great is addictive and eating well makes me feel great. Sleeping 8+ hours makes me feel awesome. A good workout is energizing. Pretty soon you find yourself doing these things willingly and without prompt just because they feel good and the changes in your are meaningful to you.
How long did you really think you could go with your extreme diet and ridiculous exercise routine?
Start loving your body and treating it like the precious thing that it is. Your best you is waiting.
- Exercise and move your body daily. But not obsessively or excessively.
- Eating right and that means both in quantity of food and quality of food.
- Prioritizing good sleep, 7-9 hours a night.
- Limite alcohol and caffeine.
- Manage stress in your life.
- Speak to yourself kindly.
To me it is more than just macros, it is ensuring you build a lifestyle that supports your whole health and that you can maintain long terms. Let’s not fall for Quitters Day!
Annie ❤️