Hey everyone,
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.
xoxox
Kayla
Kayla
No comments:
Post a Comment
Leave Me a Comment!