My body. My business.
January is coming to a close and although the weeks are flying by, I hope that you have been able to maintain your resolutions and healthy habits you set your sights on at the beginning of the month. Working and being fully submerged within the wellness, health, and fitness industry, you see lots of things, you get asked a million questions, and you discover that a lot of people seek help and advice because they are not happy with the current way they look or feel. I am fortunate to work with some amazing clients and help them achieve their goals of feeling great, but most importantly have them realize that they have it all within them before we even get started. I just get the fun and rewarding job of making them realize it for themselves!
The more I work and become exposed to different types of clients, of all different ages and life experiences, the more I realize the impact society has on how people portray their own looks and develop self-esteem. Magazine articles and social media posts online are spewed with titles containing words like, “shrink”, “lose weight”, “get smaller”, “drop 10lbs”, “get rid of cellulite/extra jiggle”. It is no wonder that I then have clients after sessions or classes I teach asking me how to do it! Society, and I am still trying to find these people specifically, bombard ads and articles telling people – women in particular – that they aren’t good enough, that the way you are is too much and that becoming smaller will fix it all. I don’t know about you but from my own experience, that is definitely not the case.
We all have different goals and ideals we imagine for ourselves when it comes to self-evaluating. I completely understand if weight loss is your main goal, but we must remember and encourage others that it is not the ONLY goal. How about getting stronger, maybe lifting a specific amount of weight? No one wants to tell us to be loud, or bold, or stand up. This not only applies to fitness now but women in our communities. We can be big and be loud, standing strong and tall; have a presence and be heard.
Another line I love to cringe at is “accept your flaws”. Molly Galbraith of Girls Gone Strong wrote an amazing article on it. To read that, click here. I completely agree with all she has to say. Instead of accepting our flaws, why not take a step back and ask who decided it was a flaw in the first place?! Girls Gone Strong uses a wonderful line I implement as much as possible, “My body, my business”. It can be applied right here! No one has the right to comment, or decide what I do with my body and how I feel about it. Only I do. When I look in the mirror, I see no flaws. Instead I simply see me. A 23 year old who loves her body, feels great, and tries to lead a healthy, active lifestyle. I still have goals I want to achieve physically, and otherwise, but it isn’t because I want to change a flaw. I just have ideas of things I want to accomplish.
Remember this the next time you pick up a magazine, read a social media post, or interact with others. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”. -Eleanor Roosevelt
Be fierce. Be strong. Be vibrant.
Rachel
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