I was asked this question on my social media: "I'm doing IF for 2 months and have lost 30 lbs. But how do you handle it if you do not feel comfortable in your skin and feel weak"?"
First off, congrats on finding your soulmate diet! When you find a dietary approach that works well for your eating personality and schedule, it makes life so much easier! I think the biggest mistake people make when embarking on a diet is ... having dangerous expectations. So many people expect dramatic weight loss to happen. But there's more to it than that. What about your mental state? If your mental state is off, then no diet and training program will work, regardless of the amount of carbs you restrict or the amount of calories you burn on the treadmill. 🤪
Let me tell you how I handled not feeling comfortable in my own skin and feeling weak. I first admitted that I needed an intervention. So I had to own my BS, stop insulting myself, and find INTENT. In the past, my intent revolved around my appearance. This time around, my intent revolved around my physical and mental well-being. It was no longer about what I wanted. It was about what I truly NEEDED.
Weakness is curable. I was weak because my body lacked structure (lots of important muscles were snoozing on the job), and this altered my movement patterns in a bad way. That's why I was imbalanced and why I kept getting injured instead of stronger. So, I made it my mission to build my structure (that's why I spent 2 years studying to become a StrongFit Coach) so that I could finally get stronger. And guess what happened next? I started becoming stronger!
Miracles didn't happen overnight, but because I had INTENT when I trained, I was motivated to keep piecing the days together, instead of letting dangerous expectations sabotage me. Two years have passed since I changed my INTENT. My body is crazy different now: the improved aesthetics came as a bonus prize, I am free of pain, and I became strong and mobile AF. Honestly, this is beyond my wildest dreams, and it's all because I changed my intent.
It's no longer about what I look like. It's about preparing my body for a lifetime of activity.... because movement is life! That's how I stopped dwelling on my body imperfections and how I started to have respect for my body.
Then came pole fitness... the biggest confidence booster of all!!! Talk about facing your fears!!! Pole fitness forced me to face my residual weaknesses and insecurities. My fear of making a fool of myself dancing, my fear of showing all my "blurbles" on my legs and butt, my fear of being judged. It also showed me which muscles were still weak, and this gave me new intent: to fix residual weakness and improve mobility. Enrolling in a sport can help you find intent with your training. The desire to improve at your sport gives you a reason to annihilate weakness and become an overcomer. I swear the hardest thing we have to do is overcome our own self-sabotaging behaviours. Taking the first step is always the hardest because you have to start fresh. Starting fresh is scary, but unbelievably rewarding.
