Baby Steps: Releasing the Pressure

I ran into a childhood friend tonight at an art crawl (very chance meeting given that we don’t even currently live in the same city!) and after some light-hearted catch-up, I ended up in a side conversation with his husband, Paul. What I love about Paul is that he’s not afraid to dive into the deep stuff. Neither am I. We both value authenticity and the deeper connection that comes from being fearlessly vulnerable, even a few minutes into a conversation.

After some talk about my work as an online health and fitness coach, we got into some discussion about psychology, self-love, motivation, and the necessity of loving process of getting to a goal, whether that be losing weight or climbing the corporate ladder. In my work as a coach, I am a very big believer in baby steps. I will always favor long-term, sustainable lifestyle changes over anything extreme, controlling, or pressured. I believe we have to love ourselves at all stages of the process in order to reach our goals (especially if we want to stay there and potentially go beyond it). I don’t believe we can ever self-hate our way to a goal and actually be happy at the destination.

My personal strategies for creating this in my own health journey have been an evolving practice of gratitude for my body. I remind myself regularly that my body is my biggest cheerleader. Despite how active or not active I choose to be or how healthy or not-so-healthy my food is, it keeps my heart beating, my eyes blinking, my nervous system firing, and my fingers moving as I type this. Reminding myself of what my body actually does for me on a physiological level makes me WANT to take care of it. Before exercising (or more specifically, when I’m trying to work up the motivation TO workout), I remind myself of the things my body can do that people who suffer from physical disabilities cannot. There are people who WISH they had the capability to lift their arm up when their brain says to do so. During exercise, I focus on appreciating the feel of my muscles lengthening, my lungs expanding, or the pounding of my heart in my chest after an intense cardio move. It can be euphoric to feel connected to my body in that way. When it comes to nutrition, rather than spending all my emotional energy on limiting myself, I try to focus on what I can do to increase my intake of nourishing, alive foods. The feelings of restriction and guilt are replaced by freedom and vitality when I focus on putting the right stuff in rather than keeping the wrong stuff out.

It has taken years, but these baby steps and perspective shifts have added up. I still get off track but I know I am capable of getting back on track. I focus on reducing the frequency and duration of the time off track rather than beating myself up for not being perfect all the time. I give myself permission to ease back on track. And I can truly say now that I love the process of taking care of my body. To me, taking care of myself also includes my emotions so it’s important to me to be gentle with myself in the process.

Interestingly enough, I was able to apply these concepts tonight, even with this very post. Towards the end of our conversation, the ever-supportive Paul suggested I apply for an op-ed in the Huffington Post. My heart soared with his vote of confidence and I trust and believe his opinion that, “this message needs to be heard.” Whether it’s me writing it or someone else, I absolutely agree. We need more people in the world giving us permission to take the baby steps we need to get to where we’re going. In a world where high stress is valued as some form of success validation, there are nowhere near enough reminders to slow down, love the journey, and love where you’re at right at this very moment.

When I got home tonight, I sat down to write. I succeeded at applying the first part of my philosophy; I allowed myself to just be where I was at. I didn’t sit down with the intention to write an op-ed application to the Huffington Post; I sat down to write a blog post to whoever might need to read this message about baby steps. I reminded myself that it didn’t need to be perfect, I just needed to start somewhere; there was no downside to just writing what was on my heart. The problem was, there was a part of me still putting pressure on this. How many times do we tell ourselves this is our one chance to “get it right”?? I was having trouble connecting to my creativity or what was even on my heart because I was getting too caught up in perfect wording. I was trying to be something I’m not. Fortunately, Paul’s reminder that this message needs to be heard really stuck with me. I reminded myself that it’s about the MESSAGE, not about the perfect wording. I reminded myself that part of what was on my heart that I needed to speak about WAS the pressure we regularly put on ourselves without even realizing what we’re doing. Baby steps are about releasing the pressure to be perfect. They are about giving ourselves permission to meet ourselves where we are and do what we can right here in the moment. Tonight, that was an unedited, unperfected blog post. Instead of worrying about a perfect format; a great flow; or a clearly defined opening, point, supporting points, and clever wrap-up, I just wrote. So this was my stream of consciousness tonight. Thank YOU for meeting me where I was at. And I hope someone somewhere was helped by this reminder that it is OK to do only what we feel ready for, to release the pressure and overwhelm, and connect to what’s true for ourselves.

Our epic run-in at the art crawl :)

Visit https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk and http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk for more info!

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

Leadership and character is caught not taught

Not much sleep and I've got a packed weekend but I was up bright and early this past Saturday morning because there was no way I was missing Doug Smith speak on leadership at the inaugural L3 Leadership- Beaver meeting! One of my biggest take-aways was that *Leadership and character are CAUGHT not TAUGHT*! It is so important to me that I'm constantly surrounding myself with people who are better than me in various ways so that I can learn and grow as a person. THAT is why I'm willing to drive an hour out of my way for an early Saturday morning meeting when it would have been very easy to sleep in. I am so grateful for L3 Leadership (these breakfast meetings and our small group mastermind sessions). I love that the people I have met are willing to lead by example of their high character, support me in my growth, generously pour into me, challenge me and call me out ("feedback is the breakfast of champions!" - Doug Smith), stretch me, and give me loving encouragement the whole way. For example, Pastor Larry Bettencourt who had just met me today spent lots of time before and after the meeting answering my questions and speaking to me about how to handle certain leadership challenges that come with managing a team of people with varying levels of readiness to move up and even gave me useful, practical examples of ways in which he has dealt with that. Doug Smith gave a phenomenal amount of value in his talk today. And I got the privilege of meeting new leaders and connecting with some of the incredible people I have gotten really close with over the last 6 months who are always so caring and supportive.  That is the value that can come to your life when you are WILLING to go all-in! Be fearless in pursuit of your own growth!!

I feel the same way about friendships! One of my best friends, Nikki Watson, has been a great partner in my personal and spiritual growth over the past couple years. In this video, we talk about how to cultivate intentional, expansive relationships like this in your life!

Gratitude for my story as a coach!

Doing a little reflecting and sitting in gratitude this Easter morning….

I am so very thankful for the successful business I’ve built, my family who has supported me, and the INCREDIBLE people I have met along the way!

At this very time 4 years ago, I was at one of the lowest points of my life. I was doing a TON of work traveling for a small medical device company I worked for and even though I had always loved traveling, I found the high-pressure demands of work travel to be a little too much to handle. It caught me off guard how quickly the stress seemed to build inside of me and how fast that broke me down.

Worst of all, I no longer felt like myself. Even though I LOVED the company I worked for and believed fully in our product and mission, a lot of red tape we had come up against and some hurdles that we had yet to surpass took away a lot of the fulfillment I had originally found in my work. The frustrations we were hitting made it feel like we weren’t really helping anybody! On top of that, I was constantly on the other side of the world from the people I cared most about and the stress of it all even seemed to be changing my personality. When I looked in the mirror, tears welled up inside of me because I no longer saw the care-free, happy-go-lucky, live-life-to-fullest girl that I remembered.

I knew I could only take so long of that feeling of disconnection so I started thinking a LOT about what I would do if I could no longer do my engineering job. I made lots of lists about when in life I felt the happiest and most fulfilled, what I was passionate about, when I had felt the most effective and the most like MYSELF! So much of it had to do with helping people, health and fitness, perhaps even starting a charity.

At work, the traveling died down and I eventually started to love and appreciate my job again and I set all those lists to the side. But later that year, a little opportunity called Beachbody came into my life. I didn’t know or understand much about the business side of it but I did know that I LOVED the challenge group that my coach, Nicole, had put me into to connect with other women who were all starting the same workout program I was. I LOVED that we encouraged and supported each other. I LOVED that I could share way more than health and fitness with them (truth be told, I was still recovering from the 1-2 years of stress and anxiety). It was exactly what I needed to help me REALLY feel aligned with not only who I used to be (that happy-go-lucky girl) but perhaps someone even BETTER! When my coach asked me if I had ever considered coaching, I was ecstatic! I hadn’t realized it was something anyone could do!!

In the 3.5 years I’ve been a coach, it has been an INCREDIBLE journey of fulfillment, connection, acceleration, and absolute JOY in my life! The coping mechanisms and faith that I had learned during the tougher points in my life all served me SO WELL when being able to connect with others that were currently struggling. My job goes way beyond health and fitness. I am ALWAYS trying to learn more and improve myself (not just my health, but as a PERSON) and teach others what has helped me! Life can throw major curve balls at us sometimes. We make mistakes. We don’t always live our highest truth or in our best integrity. But the beauty of that is that we can help each other! Nothing about coaching has ever meant that I need to be perfect. It is IN our struggles that we find the most connection and lift each other up!!

So thank you to all of YOU who have come along on this journey with me! It is just the beginning, I promise you! And I promise to lift all of YOU up on your own journeys!! If you think coaching might be part of your path, don’t hesitate to ask me about it!! It was something I built on the side while still working at my full-time job until I my company closed in 2014. Since then, I have been coaching full-time and loving every minute of it and all of the people I have gotten to meet along the way! And when I pull out all those old lists of what I said I wanted with my life, what I get to do now EXACTLY aligns with all of that!! In fact, it’s even better!!! Gratitude doesn’t even come close to expressing how thankful I am for all of this!!

Happy Easter, everyone!!!

Visit https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk and http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk for more info!

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

New mantra: soften

Lately when I've felt a little tense, the word "soften" has been coming to mind. I like it because it doesn't mean I have to fully release whatever it is I'm stressing over but if I can even soften just a little bit that takes the pressure off.

Coming back from a long vacation, my mind is swirling with all the things I'm excited to tackle over the next couple weeks. I'm ready to get back in the groove! But at times the mounting to-do list can feel a little overwhelming to keep track of, as I'm sure many of you can all relate to! The word "soften" brings me back to the present moment and remind me of what I have to be grateful for- like getting to shower in my own bathroom! Glorious!

I vow as I get back in the swing of things to remind myself to "soften, Katelyn, soften." After all, nothing on my to-do list is a life-or-death matter; it will all get done in time. Easter weekend means a big get-together with the fam, the weather in pittsburgh has been gorgeous, I had an amazing trip, and I'm excited to be home!!

So let's go a little easier on ourselves and soften a bit!!

Healthy Shakeology Ice Cream!!!

I’m on vacation in Myrtle Beach with my parents. There’s something about being at the beach and on vacation with the fam that makes me want ice cream. It could be the fact that it’s everywhere you look around here (there was even a family with GIANT bowls of it in the elevator) or it could just be habit since we always used to go on a special family outing for ice cream at the end of every vacation as kids. I will most likely indulge in a treat as this vacation nears its end but in the meantime, I found a SUPER healthy alternative that actually might be even better than REAL ice cream (plus I feel GREAT after eating it- not bloated or on a sugar high)!

Here’s how to make it!

• 1 scoop Vegan Chocolate Shakeology (more info/can be purchased here: http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/MDSUSH311G?referringRepId=183908 )
• ½ cup water
• Approximately 10 ice cubes (use more or less based on desired consistency)
• ½ cup frozen blueberries
• Toppings of your choice! I highly recommend fresh strawberries and blueberries- DELICIOUS!

I blended all of the above together (except the toppings, of course) but in retrospect, I would have added the ice progressively. I think that would have made it easier to blend (I had to keep mixing it up with a spoon to get the ice to get down near the blades since the mixture was so thick). UPDATE: That method did work better when I made it the next night!

All in all, this turned out GREAT! Totally satisfied my ice cream craving!! BONUS: it’s HEALTHY! No added sugars, no artificial flavorings/colorings- all good stuff! One scoop of Vegan Chocolate Shakeology is 170 calories and the frozen blueberries I added were about 30 calories. I got this HUGE bowl out of it! Most commercial ice cream is between 200 and 300 calories for a teeny tiny ½ cup serving (plus you get a boat load of sugar and fat with that)!!

I feel great and my body and digestive system are very happy with my healthy decision! I might not need that treat at the end of vacation after all :)

My personal story of the benefits I’ve seen with shakeology can be found here:

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease*

Similar healthy treats using Shakeology can be found here: http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2016/10/healthy-chocolate-shakeology-candy-and.html!

Enjoy!!!

Purchasing info: http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/MDSUSH311G?referringRepId=183908

UPDATE: My mom and I made our Shakeology treats for the 2nd night in a row- I think I am now addicted! :-D

Visit https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk and http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk for more info!

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908.

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

REAL TALK about loving ourselves and weight fluctuations.

REAL TALK.

As a follow-up to my recent post about loving ourselves and quitting the negative self talk (if you missed it, you can find it here: http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2016/03/self-inflicted-body-shaming-and-losing.html), I realize that the picture I used might not have been the best to exemplify my point. I wrote that blog post late at night and quickly pulled a workout picture from my phone to use for the quote. While it was a recent picture, it was also taken at a very flattering angle on one of those days where for the first time in a while, my digestive system was not acting up, I was not feeling bloated, and in general I just happened to be feeling great that day. I can assure you that it doesn't exactly reflect my current fitness level! My weight can fluctuate a lot even within a few days. I questioned using this flattering workout picture at the time for fear it would defeat the purpose of the message and after being teased about the contradiction of it by a very good friend, I decided I REALLY needed to set the record straight :)

So here is a more accurate picture, taken less than a week apart - this is what I was talking about in the post about my jeans fitting snugly. I am not in my best shape right now (I've been eating out frequently and the busyness of the past month has caused a few slips in my workout routine as well) but I REFUSE to love myself or my body any less :)

I stand by my original point in the blog:

"In the big scheme of all the problems in the world, having pants that fit a little tightly is an incredibly privileged problem to have. We have clothes, we have seemingly unlimited access to food, we have money to buy pants, and even that picture of yourself that you criticized was taken by a phone or camera that a large population of the world will never even be lucky enough to own."

Who else is committed to loving themselves a little bit more each day??

Visit https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk and http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk for more info!

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

Impactful week of significant events and how you can cultivate the same!

This post is more like a personal journal entry than anything else but I’m hoping that by sharing the things that have been really impactful in my life over the past couple months, it will help you cultivate similar experiences/relationships/opportunities in your life too!

I share the story in this video about a REALLY significant week I had back in November. The big things that happened were a workshop I decided to teach, a small group mastermind session I decided to attend, and a Toastmasters organization I decided to join. There were really interesting synchronicities that led to each one that I explain in the video but my biggest take-away messages I’ll post here with each event.

Week that made an impact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2-e-plPGt4

What I also want you to know is that I didn’t know *exactly* what was so significant about this week but I KNEW with every cell of my being that it was going to be an important turning point in my life. The opportunities, people, and experiences that were lining up in front of me FELT more right than anything I have felt in a long time (bonus video at the bottom about these kind of “lightning bolt moments”). And boy did they sure turn out to be significant! Since that week in November, my world has been opened up more than I could have imagined with the connections I made at these groups. Because I am only now sitting down to write about these events 4 months later, I can give a little insight to where each opportunity led and how you can create similar experiences in your life!

Having fun leading the workshop

Workshop I taught:

You don’t need to go out and teach a workshop (unless you feel called to get a message out or teach some things that you know you’re really good at, in which case, GO for it)! But this one applies to ANYTHING you’ve felt called to try but put off because you just weren’t sure how it would turn out, how to go about it, who would care, or maybe just never settled on it being “the right time”. Trust me, I get it- I explain in the video about how I finally took the plunge and set a workshop date because I wanted an excuse to have a paper-lantern releasing ceremony haha.

The workshop experience ended up teaching me so much more than I ever could have imagined! I learned a ton by compiling the messages I normally teach in my health/fitness/personal growth groups on Facebook. It forced me to sit down and refine my message as well as to clarify what I am really good at teaching or what I can bring to the table that is special. We ALL have a message and story that is our specialty with our own personal style but how often do we actually sit down to ask ourselves what that is? This was a perfect opportunity to do that. And I’m glad I did!! It really helped me find my voice and my unique message.

Having the clarity I gained from preparing for this workshop is now really helping me shape meaningful projects for the future! We all have something to teach… SO TEACH! Serena Dyer wrote a book with her dad, Dr. Wayne Dyer: “Don’t Die with Your Music Still in You”- I absolutely agree. And I believe the best way to gain self-awareness and awareness of what we want out of life, where we want to go, what our purpose is, and more is just to dive in and try things that feel meaningful! When anything is on your heart in that way, DO IT! The world needs you! If you’re not sure, just start trying things that feel good to your soul! You’ll find your path and purpose that way for sure ;)

Awesome group of workshop attendees

Soul sisters after the lantern release at the workshop

Bonus: I had a few last-minute cancellations for this workshop (do not let that kind of thing discourage you- as my friend Paul Matthews says, “Some will, some won’t, so what!”). Instead of getting discouraged, I said a prayer that the people who needed to be there would be there. Turns out, I ended up having a few last-minute add-ons and sure enough, they were people who REPEATEDLY said how much it meant to them to come together with other women and hear the messages of that night. We even created a monthly “super soul sunday” meeting of our group!! I’ve met even MORE amazing women and fellow soul sisters because of it!

Lessons that I took away from this experience:

• Find your voice, find your message- YOU have a unique story that the world needs to hear
• Don’t wait for perfect timing, dive in and do it!
• We learn from TRYING (that means actually taking action rather than thinking about the things that would be cool to do)! That’s how we gain awareness of ourselves and what we want out of life!
• You never know who you’re going to meet or what is going to come out of it!

If you want to read about or watch the recording of my workshop, you can find it here:  

http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2015/11/fear-releasing-workshop-and-lantern.html

Small-group mastermind session I attended (and subsequently joined):

L3 Leadership breakfast I attended in November- this is
what made me decide to try out the mastermind group
Photo credit: L3 Leadership

WOW. This one has made a HUGE impact!! The people in this group are INCREDIBLE!! I didn’t think I had the time to commit to these twice-monthly meetings but from the second I walked into the room and felt the energy of all the warm and welcoming people in this group, I KNEW it was something I needed to make time for. I realized that with the nature of my coaching career, I do a lot of guiding, but it’s been a long time since I’ve felt truly GUIDED. With this group, I have an incredible group of supportive and encouraging people (now also incredible FRIENDS) who love me and support me in all of my endeavors. We bring our specialties and expertise (and of course our support and encouragement!) to help each person in the group reach the goals they set for themselves, their businesses, and their lives. We talk leadership, relationships, personal development, you name it. It’s been such a huge blessing in my life and I’ve seen incredible rapid growth in my life since joining 4 months ago! I feel so uplifted and accelerated by this group!!

Lessons that I took away from this experience:

L3 Leadership mastermind group at our December meeting
Photo credit: L3 Leadership

• Find a mentor and/or group of people who will take you to the next level in any (preferably all!) areas of your life. I already know the value of this from my health and fitness coaching (our facebook accountability groups help me as much as they do my clients!) but I hadn’t realized how much I was missing that in other areas of my life. Take inventory of each area of your life and see where you need to find extra support. My new goal is to make sure I have a solid mentor and group of supportive people to help me with EVERY area of my life!!
• More opportunities than you can imagine can come out of connecting with driven, intelligent, kind, compassionate, supportive, high-performance people. Seek them out. It will be the most valuable thing you ever do for yourself.

L3 Leadership breakfast meeting at the end of January.
We are growing fast!
Photo credit: L3 Leadership

Toastmasters group I joined:

The night I decided to join Toastmasters.
I'm holding instructions for my first speech!

If you don’t know what Toastmasters is, it’s an international public speaking organization that helps each member improve their public speaking and communication skills. We meet twice a month and you can choose to give speeches as often or as infrequently as you would like (more often helps you hit achievements faster and of course improve your skills more quickly). Even on weeks when I’m not speaking, I learn SO MUCH from the other speakers. I can tell that my communication skills are already improving a LOT! Perhaps even more importantly, this was another group full of super supportive, intelligent, and interesting people. Not only do we have a safe environment for us all to practice, learn, and grow, but we also have a really diverse group of people that has been SO INTERESTING to learn from each time I hear each of them give a speech and learn a little bit more about their lives. Will I end up doing public speaking as a career? Who knows! But even in these few short months, I am grateful for the skills I’ve learned already, the new connections I’ve made, and I LOVE the expansiveness that comes with being challenged to grow in a difficult skill!!

Riding an adrenaline high after my 2nd
Toastmasters speech in February

Lessons that I took away from this experience:

• Learn a new skill. I had forgotten how GOOD it feels to be challenged and expanded in a safe and supportive environment
• Same as the mastermind group and the workshop: you never know who you’re going to meet, what kind of relationships/connections you will form, or what other opportunities will come out of it!

Here’s the bonus I promised you which is more about me, my background, some special dots that have connected along the way to lead me to where I am, and how you can start noticing “lightning bolt moments” in your life. This also happened to be my 2nd Toastmasters speech :)

Lighting Bolt Moments: https://youtu.be/dlQ1FAToqyE

As you can probably tell, these have ALL been big “lightning bolt moments” in my life! I hope that hearing about mine has helped you start to notice the opportunities, people, and experiences in YOUR life that feel extremely meaningful- follow them! :)

Love to you all,

Katelyn

Visit https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk and http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk for more info!

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

Self-inflicted body shaming and losing weight before a vacation or event

Ladies (and gents): This self-inflicted body shaming has GOT to stop.

I am getting ready to go on a Beachbody-chartered cruise with 6000 of my fellow coaches and my newsfeed has been FILLED with last-minute workouts, vacation eating plans, and other last-ditch efforts to get into “vacation shape”. This isn’t just coaches- I see this frequently when any friends are getting ready to go on a vacation that will include more pictures and less clothing.

I get it! Of course we want to feel our best while on vacation and I also understand the healthy food decisions leading up to a vacation (especially knowing that eating while away is rarely as healthy as being at home and in routine)!

Where it crosses the line in my mind (and only each person individually can know if they fall into this pattern) is when it becomes so make-or-break that it completely sucks the joy out of the vacation. I want all my friends to know that if we are ever on a trip together- I am happy to see YOU! Just you! I don’t care how you look or how you’re fitting into your jeans at that point in time! I’d hate to see any of you incredible souls using any form of self-punishment, deprivation, or negative self-talk. *I* know how special you are. And because I care about you, I want you to see that too!

We have become so fixated on how the external world views us (of course social media picture sharing has compounded that) that we’ve forgotten how to love ourselves and our bodies no matter where we are at!! If you want to get in last-minute workouts or make healthy choices leading up to a trip, GO FOR IT! But whether you succeed at losing those few pounds or not, you should ALWAYS be able to look into a mirror and tell yourself you’re awesome.

Because you ARE.

No matter what, you are beautiful and worthwhile!!!

I am not at all trying to criticize anyone in this pattern- trust me, it is VERY easy to get sucked into! Perfectionism in any form often manifests while we are under stress. For me that often comes out in the form of feeling like I need to get 5 million things that have been lingering on my to-do list done before I go away (are these really life-or-death tasks, Katelyn? Of course not). And on the fitness side of things, trust me I am NOT at my best right now. I GET what it feels like to feel a little frustrated when the clothes you were planning on wearing fit a little snug.

It’s NORMAL for our weight to fluctuate a little bit. And yes it’d be nice if those points where we were feeling our best always aligned with the times we had to fit into a favorite outfit, have our picture taken frequently on vacation, or zip up that fancy dress to go to a wedding. But we HAVE to be ok when that doesn’t happen. We HAVE to know our own self-worth so clearly that NOTHING else can break us. Adding negative self talk in the mix only perpetuates the unhealthy cycles. Loving ourselves no matter what leads us to actualizing our highest potential in life!

So for all you amazing people out there who have been where I’m describing, for all of you, I vow to do this:

- Even though I am not at my best currently, I promise I will not be taking any last-minute drastic measures before vacation. I will be doing my best to make healthy choices but that should be our focus *all the time*!!! And on cruise day, I’m going to love myself so fiercely that nothing is going to shake my soul!

- I vow to have fun on my trip no matter what! I will be grateful for the time I have with people who are incredibly special to me. I will appreciate the opportunity and the amazing places I will be getting to see. I will love every conversation I have and every new adventure. I will keep the things that REALLY matter in the forefront of my mind.
- I will remind myself that in the big scheme of all the problems in the world, having pants that fit a little tightly is an incredibly privileged problem to have. We have clothes, we have seemingly unlimited access to food, we have money to buy pants, and even that picture of yourself that you criticized was taken by a phone or camera that a large population of the world will never even be lucky enough to own.

Let’s stop working out and dieting because we hate our bodies and start making healthy choices because we LOVE OURSELVES! Same actions. COMPLETELY different energy, intentions, and results!!!

LOVE TO YOU ALL!!

UPDATE: Follow-up to this post can be found here: http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2016/03/real-talk-about-loving-ourselves-and.html 

Visit https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk and http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk for more info!

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.