Katelyn Lesk Health and Fitness: emotions

Showing posts with label emotions. Show all posts

Friday, March 4, 2016

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.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

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