Last night I was scrambling for something to eat for
dinner. I had no idea what to make, I
was getting hungrier by the minute, and I needed something quick and easy.
No big deal right?
Well, I took to Pintrest.
Naturally.
What I found was a whole lot of Gluten Free imitation
versions of casseroles that made me go… ICK!
The tricky thing with gluten free versions of gluten ridden foods, is
they often have higher calorie, carb, and additive numbers. I wanted something fast, but I didn’t want to
sacrifice quality or nutrition.
I found inspiration from a few different recipes and came up
with something that I thought I would enjoy!
Here is my recipe, I hope you enjoy!
Kayla’s Zucchini
Avo-Fredo (Alfredo)
Serves 2
Ingredients:
Sauce:
-½ medium avocado
-2 tbsp ricotta cheese
-1 handful fresh basil
-¼ cup Chicken stock
oUsed to thin out the sauce. You want it to coat the back of a spoon, but
not too thick
-2 tsp lemon juice
-Sea salt
Remaining:
-1-2 medium zucchinis
oMade zucchini noodles with your zucchinis
-1 medium tomato
Optional:
-1 chicken breast
Instructions:
-Make noodles out of your zucchini, set aside
-Chop your tomato, set aside
-In a Vitamix Blender, add:
oBasil
oAvocado
oLemon juice
oHalf of the amount of chicken stock
-Blend until thick and smooth
-Add in your ricotta cheese, blend
-If needed, add remaining chicken stock
oYou want your sauce to be thick and creamy, not
soupy!
-Warm a large saucepan on medium heat
-Add your Avo-Fredo sauce and gently warm
-Once warmed through, add your zucchini and toss
in the sauce until coated and zucchini warmed through
oYou still want some crunch to the zucchini
-Toss fresh tomatoes in
-If you are using chicken, toss in your chopped,
cooked chicken breast
-PLATE AND ENJOY!
This was absolutely DELICIOUS and tasted just like Fettuccini
Alfredo, my fave pasta dish! It was
creamy, dreamy, and very satisfying! I
used 1 medium zucchini and 1 chicken breast and ate all of it. It was fantastic!
Please let me know if you try it and what you think!
I have had a few people comment on my writing style, so I
just thought I would talk a bit more about my style and who I think about when
I write. My style is relaxed and “conversational”. I don’t want you to feel like you are reading
a novel, more like you are sitting down and talking to me. I write very similarly to the way I
speak. My English degree does not help
me here :)
Before I began my journey, I would turn to the internet
for inspiration. I mainly found that in
women who had already reached their fitness goals. I could not find a blog or photos from women
that were “in progress”. I didn’t like
that very much. When I began my journey,
I wanted to be that person for someone who wasn’t “there” yet, and wanted to
read about the process. You must enjoy
the process, it is not just about the finish line.
Whether you are at the very beginning of your journey or
nearing the end, I hope that you find inspiration here :)
Wow, what an incredible 6 weeks! Bootcamp ended last night and I was filled
with SO many emotions. Last night we did
hill runs, walking lunges up hill, and even walking/running backward
uphill. It was hard, probably my hardest
workout ever during those 6 weeks. I
pushed myself and groaned and cursed but when the hour was up I felt SO
accomplished! I know many of the girls
felt the same. #FUManhole
Once I got back to my car after we finished training, I was
overcome with emotion. I was so grateful
for the women I now call friends and for my Coach, Sandra. These ladies push each other and cheer each
other on, it is so heartwarming. Thank
you for that :) I also felt so proud of
myself (and this is hard to admit because I feel like I am bragging, but I
think I need to get over that…), it was a very challenging workout and I paced
myself but I never gave up. I am
learning with each passing day that I am strong, mentally and physically. I can push myself further and harder than I
ever thought possible. I felt like nothing could stop me, I felt like a warrior.
They say that it is your mind that actually stops you from
pushing past your comfort zone, not your body.
It is SO true. My legs were
shaking, my knee was tight, and my lungs felt like they might explode; but I
was OK. I could safely push on and give
it 100%. My mind was telling me I should
slow down or take a breather, but I knew I was OK. I guess I am learning to listen to my body,
not just my mind.
Joining Sandra’s bootcamp is easily one of the best
decisions I have made on my Health & Fitness Journey. I have truly learned so much about myself in
the last 6 weeks and I am really looking forward to starting up again on June
17th! I can’t wait to see
what goals we can achieve over the summer!
Now, there is another thing I wanted to talk about. If you follow me on Facebook you may remember
I had a “Light bulb Moment” about loving your body. This was all sparked by a Kickstarter video shared by Taryn Brumfitt. She shares her
story, which is all too familiar, about not loving her body. It affects her relationships and social
life. Sound familiar? It does to me. She thought she was alone, so she decided to
ask 100 women to describe their bodies in one word. The responses brought tears to my eyes… wobbly,
imperfect, stumpy, very average, not nice to look at, gross, disgusting,
disgusting, disgusting… Taryn realized
that she had an even bigger issue on her hands.
She had a young daughter and she wondered how she would teach that
little girl to love her body, if she didn’t even love her own. She entered herself into a body building
competition and achieved the “perfect body” but quickly realized that the
outside is only half of the battle.
Nothing changed about the way she looked at herself or how she felt
about her body. It is just as much a
mental change as it is physical. She
decided to start a movement; The Body Image Movement. Taryn wants women to start loving their
bodies just as they are right this very moment.
EveryBODY is beautiful. It starts
from within; you need to learn to love, embrace, and accept your body exactly
the way it looks and feels right now.
That’s not to say you can’t improve the exterior by going to the gym or
doing yoga etc. There is nothing wrong
with that. It is all up to you, but just
remember that it starts on the inside first.
You can achieve the “perfect” body, but if you haven’t spent the time to
love yourself, flaws and all, nothing will change. You will still find something “wrong” with
yourself.
Her video really got me thinking, but it was the comments
section of her video that truly lit a fire within me.There were so many trolls saying that she was
promoting an unhealthy lifestyle by telling “fat people” to love
themselves.It crushed me!Everyone and everyBODY is deserving of love
no matter what size, shape, colour, or gender.Taryn was not suggesting that everyone throw caution to the wind and
stuff their faces without regard for their health.No matter what the scale says, you are
beautiful and you should love your body.
My journey has never been about reaching a certain number on
the scale or a certain dress size. I
just want to be healthy and happy and have the outside match the inside. I am getting there, one day at a time! It is very exciting and I am having a lot of
fun on this ride. It is hard but it is
so worth it :) I love my body and I am
so thankful for it. I treat my body with
respect now; I eat well, exercise, and have realistic expectations and
goals. This is a lifestyle change for me
and I have never been happier!
If you take only one thing from this post, I hope it is this…
You are beautiful, just as you are. You don’t
need makeup or Spanx to achieve it. You
are already beautiful. Take a
look at yourself and remove the cruel, judgmental lens. Embrace the body you have, be grateful for it
and love it.
Wow where do I begin! Tonight was absolutely amazing. We did some circuit work tonight and one of the things we had to do was pull-ups. Now, I will be the first to admit that those are not my strong suit. Sandra was with me every step of the way, but she made me do the work. She was there when I needed her but she wasn't going to make it easy. That's not her style. She teaches you to believe in yourself and have faith that you will succeed. My legs were shaking like there was an earthquake under my feet. I was terrified, but that wasn't going to stop me. I immediately thought of one of my Instagram posts - NO FUCKING LIMITS! #GoHard
So that's what I did. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't a 10/10 but I did it and I am so proud of myself! I knew deep down that I wasn't going to let myself fall. But it was very comforting knowing I had my coach right behind me. I could hear her whispering and encouraging me. It meant more than I can put into words. Thank you :)
I nearly burst into tears when so many of the bootcamp girls gave me a high five or said encouraging words to me. I was blown away by their kindness and support. Everyone is so quick to cheer each other on, it was heartwarming :)
Near the end of the night we were pushing the sled outside, one at a time and surprisingly I wasn't nervous at all. The old me would've been way to nervous to do the task and I probably would've purposely sucked at it as to not draw attention to myself. Twisted eh? Nah not anymore! I pushed that thing with all of my might and got a lineup of high fives when I was done! It felt amazing! I absolutely love bootcamp. I love the challenge AND I love making new friends! I don't want this last part to sound sappy, but I have never had people cheer me on before. It's largely because I didn't do sports or anything as a kid so the support of a team feels absolutely incredible. Thank you ladies! I hope I can encourage you just as much :)
My final fave of the night was looking at my palms and realizing I was getting my callouses back. I wear them like a badge of honour. I love them. They are a physical reminder of how hard I am pushing myself. I don't really care if anyone else likes them or thinks they are gross. They are cool to me :)
Tonight was really challenging but it was also so much fun. I had a great night and I cannot wait for Thursday :) I can't wait to see what other challenges I can face and accomplish!
I also posted another picture on Instagram saying that Fear is a Liar and it is SO true! My fear used to hold me back in so many parts of my life. Fear is alike a little birdie in your ear telling you that you can't do it. But please don't believe it. Don't listen to your fear, it's all lies. If you want something and you are scared; that's ok! Do your best, push hard. But never give up. Heck I even signed up for my first 5K on my birthday (June 14). Can I run that much? No way! Am I going to try? Yes, absolutely! I know I will walk a lot of it, but that isn't what matters. I am setting goals and demolishing them. I am saying yes when my fear wants me to say no. It is changing my LIFE. I have never been happier and I'm not even close to my goal weight or physique. Suddenly my body isn't what determines my happiness (I always used to think that I'd be happy when I was "skinny"). I decided to be happy by choosing to say YES more often.
If you can take one thing from this, please let it be this. You have one life - please don't let your fear limit how you live it. Say yes even when you are afraid (within reason of course lol) and start LIVING :) try something new. Do something you might normally shy away from. Soon you will realize that you CAN do it! Whatever you put your mind to. You can accomplish :)
Wow, what an incredible
week! Everything from my toes to my
eyelashes hurt from bootcamp, but I love it!
Initially I wasn’t going to write about my experience until after the 6
weeks were over, but there is just too much to say. I would end up writing a novel if I
waited!
So I guess I should begin
with how I decided to do Sandra’s bootcamp.
She has been telling me about it for a very long time. It always sounded so nice, but for other
people. I was too scared to join! I thought I had to be fit to do a
bootcamp. I didn’t think I would be able
to do it, so why bother signing up for something if you already “know” you are
going to fail? Right? WRONG!
Sandra and I went for coffee
and had a major gab session which ended in me telling her I would do her
bootcamp :) I was still scared out of my
mind, but I decided I needed her help to achieve my fitness goals. Then Sylvia shared that poster (Bootcamp Poster)
on Facebook and she asked “Who is coming with me?!” and I decided to make the
commitment (you know, Facebook Official LOL) and I commented saying that I
would see her there! Immediately I went
out and bought some tops and new socks.
What can I say, I love shopping, for any reason. Going to bootcamp? You need some new socks, girl. Yup, I said it!
I paid the fees and then
started bootcamp on March 4th!
When I walked in the doors,
I was certain that I wouldn’t know anyone but there was Jennifer and she gave
me a hug and welcomed me. It was so nice
to see a familiar face as soon as I walked in!
I ended up knowing quite a few ladies, so that was really nice! Although it doesn’t much matter, in case you
are a newbie considering coming to the next session of bootcamp, and don’t know
anyone, you are so busy doing your own thing, that you don’t have a chance to
feel like a loaner :P
Our first task was to run 5
laps and I thought ok let’s go balls to the wall! Bad idea lol.
I was toast after 2 laps. I
brought myself back to reality and reminded myself that I needed to ease into
things. Slow and steady wins the race,
right?
Sandra offered many
encouraging words throughout the evening – one of my favourites being: “Do not
cheat yourself; this is YOUR workout, not mine!” It made me push myself that extra bit
further. She was right; I shouldn’t
cheat myself out of a great workout and the results that will inevitably
follow, by half-assing it. I needed to
find my comfort zone and safely push past it.
I won’t get the results I want, unless I FIGHT for it! I ended that first night of bootcamp in happy
tears. It was really hard but there I
was; I finished! I didn’t sit anything
out, I didn’t let my insecurities get in the way of my goals and my
dreams. I made a promise to myself and I
was sticking with it. It felt so good :)
I had two bubble baths
between Tuesday night and Thursday night; wow I was so sore! But I LOVED it! It was a reminder of the effort I put into my
workout and it made me feel proud!
Then we had our second
night, just this past Thursday and I was pumped. Aside from the stinky boxing gloves (inner
germaphobe FREAKING OUT here!) it was an incredible night. We worked together and pushed each other to
succeed. It truly is a team of
incredible women in there who are all working toward the same goal. We ended the night with some yoga and this is
where it hit me. I had a new found
respect for my coach. I absolutely love
Sandra and truly believe that she was put in my life for a reason. And on Thursday night it clicked and I
realized I hadn’t seen her in her element before. I had only heard her talk about it. It was beautiful and I could feel how
passionate she is about her calling in life.
At that moment, during yoga, the tears began to silently fall and I was
just overcome with emotion, adoration, and respect for my friend. I am blessed to call her my friend and
grateful to call her my coach. I wouldn’t
want anyone other than her beside me through this journey – love you girl!
Then there is Peaches ;)
Girl, you make me laugh and make me feel SO comfortable, THANK YOU! I told you that I think I can learn a lot
from you, and I meant it. Even though we
haven’t known each other that long, I feel like you are the big sister I never
had and that you are going to teach me how to be more sure of myself and be a
little crazy – not so sweet and quiet all the time lol! On the first night of bootcamp, I was one of
the last to finish my walking lunges and even though you were done with your 3
laps, you came back and did them with me to the finish line so I didn’t finish
alone. You will never know how much that
meant to me. I truly appreciate your
friendship, and I hope it lasts a lifetime!
Ladies, if any of you
reading this are looking for a way to get out there and get healthy – I highly
recommend that you join the next session of bootcamp. I know I have only been at it for one week, but I guarantee
if you sign up, you won’t regret it. I don't need 5 more weeks to be confident in that statement. This is a team of women who are here to support each other and work on
their goals. There is no drama, no
BS. It is hard, but if you come in ready
to give it your all, you will have an entire room filled with women who will
help you achieve your goals – you never finish alone.
To all of the ladies
attending this session of camp, I really look forward to getting to know you
better :)
OK, it is story time…Last week I was at an
event and had an unfortunate encounter with a tray of red wine. It went
everywhere. I understand shit happens, but it is how you handle it that
makes all the difference. It was handled poorly by
the person who spilled the tray on me and, in my opinion; management has also
done a poor job of handling this. For the first time in my
life I have experienced what feels like inferiority because of my gender.
It’s a bold statement, I know. When conversing with the management at
this establishment – we will call it Venue A – I felt like I was being brushed
off, not taken seriously. It really bothered me! My father knows
the president of Venue A and once they began talking, I was completely cut out
of the conversation. It was no longer about me, it was all about
him. They wouldn't address me; they didn't ask
what I thought. I was no longer a key player here. This is MY STUFF
we are talking about here and somehow I have been pushed out of the
conversation. In my gut it feels like
Venue A just wants the “men to talk it over” and leave the “emotional one” out
of it. Even when they came to
pick up my damaged items at the office, they didn’t acknowledge me. At
first I thought it was because I hadn't introduced myself – fair
enough. But once I said OK here is my purse, wallet, and shoes… still
nothing! Shook my father’s hand, but not mine.It bothers me that I wasn't able
to get anywhere with Venue A and it required my father’s involvement
to make any headway. I am a strong woman who should be able to
handle her own business! This has sparked a fire in
me and a lot of things are going to start changing! As you might know, I
am starting bootcamp with Sandra on Tuesday March 4thand I decided this was my time.
I am finally going to give it 100% and stick with it until I get the body I
know is hiding under there. But this will also be an attitude change for
me. I have always loved this
quote from Zooey Deschanel –
I have always been the
nice girl and while that won’t change, my “vibe” will. I vow to work on my health, fitness,
body, mind, and spirit. I
will always be nice, but there will no longer be any question regarding my
strength as a person. I will continue to be tender and open. I will
cry if something moves me to do so, I wont change any of that. I have so many goals and
plans for bootcamp, it is really an exciting time for me and marks a new
chapter in my life. Things are going to change – physically and mentally
– I hope you stick by me through the journey and go along for the ride with me! This post doesn’t say
everything I want to say about Venue A… but I vented enough to be able to draw
a connection and find meaning in the situation and find a way to better myself
as a result. That is enough for me :) Life is all about finding
ways to learn lessons from your experiences and coming out of the situation a
better person. I hope that everything
works out with my personal belongings and starting today, I will be taking lead
on all conversations going forward. I am not one to be hushed any longer…
I was at the mall picking up a few things that I had
forgotten to grab yesterday and all of the sudden I felt something in the pit
of my stomach, saying STOP.I slowed
down and turned to my right and I saw someone I haven’t seen in many, many
years.I will leave out names,
connections, etc. as I don’t want any privacy issues – I might share a lot of
my life, but that’s just me.
Anyway, I wanted to just keep walking but I couldn’t, I
literally felt a pull toward her.She
was talking to someone and I interrupted and I immediately regretted it but I
also wouldn’t have changed a thing.I
feel like I interrupted that conversation for a reason.It was just sketchy.
We walked for a bit and all I could think of is OMG I just
want to hug her and tell her it’s going to be okay… Perhaps I should preface
this by saying that I am INCREDIBLY in touch with emotion.When I see someone hurting, it rips my heart
in half.Sometimes I can feel how much
they are hurting even if they don’t show it on their face – that was what
happened here.I have known this person
for so long and seeing her today and remembering what she was like before,
broke my heart.
I will never know for certain what that conversation I
interrupted was about, or what is really going on in her life – but man… I am
so glad I made certain decisions in my life that led me down an entirely
different path.
It got me thinking how close I was to living the same type
of life as her – having her reality be my own.It shook me to my core.We are
ALL one decision away from changing our lives – for better or worse.
That is pretty scary when you think of it!
I truly believe that things happen for a reason, and I
believe that the universe just aligned and I was destined to see her.Because to be honest, I couldn’t find a
parking spot at the mall to save my life so I was just going to leave and come
back later in the week.I decided to
make one more loop around and there was a spot.I almost didn’t go in there.This
opportunity was almost missed.
Decisions are hard and they are scary sometimes, but I think
it should be that way, for some things.Decisions
should require time, thought, and consideration.You are painting the picture of your life,
one brush stroke at a time.Be conscious
of that.Making the decision to go back
to school is hard, expensive, and means you will have to sacrifice a lot – but if
you give it enough time and thought, you will be able to decide if it is the
best choice for you.Maybe it will open
more doors for you!Same goes for
deciding to live a healthier lifestyle – it is hard but it is worth it.It also requires daily decisions to stay
healthy.It doesn’t just happen after
you “decide to be healthy” – it is a work in progress!
My point in sharing this with you is just to remind you that
we are in charge of our lives.Things
may happen that are out of our control, but you can always change the situation
you are in.
Anyway, I hope that she got something from seeing me today,
however brief it was, and that it will help her somehow.That is all I can hope for :)If by any chance she sees this, know that it isn’t
written with judgement at all – just straight from the heart.
“You're more beautiful than you know, more talented than you
think, and more loved than you can imagine.” ― Kandee Johnson
I have heard so much about juice cleanses – how amazing they
are and then some talk about how horrible they are.If you know me, you know I had to find out
for myself.I can never just take
someone’s word for it.So I did some
research to find a local Juicer – I wanted my first juice cleanse to be excuse
free, so I wanted someone else to do the juicing.I came across Total Cleanse out of Toronto
and they had a 14% off New Year deal so I jumped at the opportunity.
I am going to review the experience as well as a quick review
of Total Cleanse.
Juicing Experience:
I ordered the following juices for 5 days – Green Energy,
Very Berry, Red Energy, & Lemon Rush.
Green Energy - Includes:
Fresh cucumber, celery, kale, lettuces, parsley, lemon, apple, romaine lettuce
Very Berry - Includes:
Strawberry, pineapple, blueberry, apple, lemon
Red Energy - Includes:
Beet, carrot, cucumber, apple, lemon, ginger
Lemon Rush - Includes:
Lemon, cayenne, maple syrup, filtered water
The juices were pretty tasty, but I have definitely created
better juices at home.The Green Energy
was very green.For me it was just too
much – I would’ve really appreciated more apple and less cucumber.The Very Berry was FANTASTIC!It tasted like pink Starburst.However, after day 2 – it became WAY too
sweet!Red Energy was pretty hard to get
through – the beets tasted like dirt.Ick!Finally, the Lemon Rush was
very refreshing but way too spicy.I
really enjoyed the maple syrup – it was a really nice aftertaste.
Day One – I was
very excited to get started.Green
Energy #1 – down the hatch!Lemon Rush
#1 – OMG SPICY!Very Berry – Delicious!Lemon Rush #2 – Still REALLY spicy!Green Energy #2 – I miss hot food…
When I started the day I was very excited to do this!Totally pumped and ready to go!By the end of the day the withdrawal symptoms
began to set in and it was horrible.I don’t
mean “wahhh I want chocolate…”It was
BAD!I had a nasty headache, bad mood, intense
cravings for anything and everything, and I wanted to give up.I knew that it was going to be hard but I had
no idea I would go through sugar withdrawals.I had the sweats and I looked like I belonged in a detox room at rehab
next to Lindsay Lohan.I pushed through
and made it to day two.
Day Two – Ugh.I am the type of person who loves
(temperature) hot food.I hate cold
food.So waking up to a cold glass of
grass juice was not my idea of fun, but I had a goal and I was determined not
to give up.I powered down my first
juice and made it through to the third juice, Very Berry.After that one, I just didn’t want to
eat/drink at all.It wasn’t fun and
exciting and I didn’t feel like the benefits would outweigh the
challenges.I kept pushing through!
Day Three – Meh.I didn’t really want to juice, so I just didn’t
eat or drink anything.I had a few sips
here and there.That was it.It immediately brought back those familiar demons…
“Don’t eat food, it will make you fat”, “As soon as you start eating again you
are going to gain 50 lbs… better get used to feeling hungry”… Thankfully I was
able to recognize that slippery slope and I cut the cleanse off after
that.Saturday morning I woke up and had
breakfast – real, hot, delicious healthy food :)
Now – I know that all sounds really negative… but I did
learn/experience a few things that made it worth it for me.
1)Foods that my body doesn’t respond well to
a.Gluten sucks.That is all.
b.Dairy – we aren’t full out enemies, but I really
dislike you.
c.Sugar – It’s over!I’m sorry, it’s not me.It’s you.
2)Mental Strength
a.Even though I wanted to throw in the towel, I
kept pushing and I showed myself that I can take myself as far as I want to!
b.On the flip side, I also recognized that I can
stop myself from going down a slippery slope.I don’t need to give in to those food issues – I am stronger than that.
3)10 pounds GONE!
a.I thought for sure this would come back as soon
as I started eating solid food again, but I have managed to keep it off!It’s a pretty sweet way to end a pretty tough
challenge!
Days After the
Cleanse – Pumped.I’m glad that I
did the cleanse but I don’t think I would recommend it.It is almost more of a mental challenge than
physical and I don’t think it is a healthy choice for women who are on their
journey to a healthier body.I DO,
however, highly recommend including juicing into your everyday lifestyle.Juicing (or making smoothies) is a fantastic
way to get in a lot of nutrients that can be a bit of a challenge to do when
eating them whole.Plus I love having
juice with my breakfast and I can do it guilt-free when I make it all
myself.I don’t have to worry about
added sugars and/or concentrated juices from the grocery store.I know exactly what is going into my juice :)
Total Cleanse:
I wasn’t blown away by Total Cleanse.Without getting into all of the nit-picky
details, I would suggest looking into all of your options (if you are
interested in trying a cleanse) and asking a lot of questions.Make your own informed decisions :)
Bottom Line:
I would not recommend a juice-only cleanse, but I would
recommend including juicing/smoothies into your daily routine!
This wasn’t my originally planned post, but I just need to
talk about something.Last month I
posted about Fat Talk – talking down to yourself.Today I want to talk to the bullies who
partake in Fat Shaming.
Every day – honestly EVERY DAY – I see posts on Facebook by people
who joke about those who are overweight.Let me tell you something – you are NOT helping!In fact you are a bully!I see two main categories here:
1)People who used to be overweight
2)People who have never been anything but skinny –
healthy or not
To those people who used to be overweight – I want to ask
you this.Do you not remember how hard
it was being fat?The emotional and
physical challenges you experienced.Did
you just forget about all of that?
It is absolutely none of anyone’s business how or why Person
A is overweight.It could be medical, it
could be because of depression (eating to soothe/feel better – even if only
temporary), or it could be because they really fucking like McDonalds.Either way you have no idea and you are not
owed an explanation.
Really though, what makes you think you have the right to comment on a person's size? Would you feel as comfortable talking about the colour of their skin? The country they were born in? The religion they practice?
Being overweight is not a desired state for most
people.Sure there are people out there
who enjoy it – to each their own.But
for the most part people don’t actually enjoy the sideways glances, the snickering
behind their back, or the judgement people place on them.
Maybe you think it is as simple as deciding to lose the
weight.Let me be really open and honest
with you… I have made that decision time and time again.You know what happens?I open my Facebook and see some GIFs or meme’s
that people have posted on Facebook about the fat girl who is doing something
that only a skinny girl can do without being judged – eating a burger, wearing
a bathing suit etc.That makes me feel
pretty shitty because maybe they think I am like that girl.Maybe people think I am gross.Maybe when they look at that meme, they think
it looks like me.
So I go to the gym and immediately wonder if everyone here
thinks the same thing… Then I spend most of my workout wondering - am I
sweating too much?
Some days I have high enough self-esteem to ignore those
people, and some days I can’t overlook it.I am getting stronger as a person each day and have channeled that
emotion into something positive.I
refuse to spend the rest of my life feeling like I am unworthy because my body doesn’t
match my beautiful heart.I struggle
daily but I have committed to changing my life!I really don’t need anyone making this any harder. (and neither does anyone else who is trying to lose weight)
Every winter, nearing the New Year, posts about “New Year’s
Resolutions” start showing up on Social Media – and a lot of people say
something about “OMG the gym is going to be SO busy—but don’t worry everything
will be back to normal in February”.Seriously?Did you ever stop to
think that that overweight man or woman is intimidated or even scared to go into “Your House” and
feel like an outsider?You look like you
belong there – you know what you are doing.
There has got to be something that makes you feel unsure of
yourself – think of a scenario in which you wouldn’t be the most comfortable or
the most skilled.Take a minute and
think about that.Then think about how
you would feel if people passive aggressively called you out on it all of the
time.They post stuff about how you won’t
succeed anyway etc.Does that feel
nice?Maybe you don’t give a shit about
what other people think – good for you!But empathize with those who do care – try to put yourself in their shoes.Do you think that helps them?
I encourage all of you who call the gym Home, to help the
newbies – make them feel welcome.I am
not suggesting that you walk up to the biggest person in the gym and start
telling them what to do.I am simple
suggesting that you smile, say hello – make them feel like they aren’t stupid
for showing up.Make them feel like this
is an OK place to be.
You have no idea how powerful and how influential your actions
are – and this goes for everyone in all parts of your life.Be nice to people.You don’t know everyone’s story.You might just change someone’s life for the
better with one smile :)
I am trying to think of all of the comments or thoughts
people will have regarding this post, so I just want to say one more
thing.It is true that you cannot
control how other people feel about things in life.Some people look for a reason to have a
problem with someone ex.) You are zoned out and happen to be looking directly
at someone but you don’t notice until they say “Can I help you?!”.You weren’t giving that person the stink eye
lol it was a mistake.But some people
just jump at the chance to create drama.
I am not talking about those situations.I am talking about the situations where you
choose to behave in a manner that can offend or hurt someone, and you know it.
We are all adults here and bullying in any form is wounding.I challenge you to think twice and stand up
when your buddy says something rude about another person – in person or behind the
keys of the keyboard.We aren’t in high
school anymore where we need to worry about our friends accepting us.If they truly are a friend, they will
appreciate and respect your opinion.
With that being said, all of us can stand up for one
another.If you see someone being rude, stop
them.It doesn’t have to be anything dramatic;
you can just let them know bullying isn’t cool.
I honestly hope that you read this and take something from
it. And if you think I am just "too sensitive" and making "too big of a deal" out of this, then I encourage you to read this again and pay attention this time.
