Weight, Health, and Loving Your Body: A new series!
Hey guys! It’s September now…and September always makes me think of new seasons, and fresh starts. Well I’ve got exciting news for you! We’ve been doing a lot of talking here about taking care of kids, and taking care of our marriage, but this one–It’s about taking care of YOU. Specifically, taking care of your body, and your health. Do you need a fresh start in that area? Some of you might welcome some fresh motivation…Others might want a fresh overhaul.
And this is the best time for it.
Summer…is over. Summer is that time where you run kids around, and put off your schedule, and your workout, and your diet to make everyone around you happy. (amiright?) Well, this is a new season and I want to talk about your goals, your weight, your health!…(and don’t even worry because the positive results will only spill over to everyone else in your life.)
Don’t worry, I’ll keep posting about parenting, and marriage, and all of that, but every week or two, you’ll find me here sharing some topic or tip related to helping you be fit, healthy, and most of all–happy in your own skin.
My background is totally in this area (Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine from Pepperdine University,) and I’ve spent most of my life teaching group fitness and personal training. To go with that, I will also tell you about my own journey to find a healthy relationship with food and exercise (it took me a long time!) and how that gives me great passion to help others overcome struggles as well. I’m currently not teaching fitness or training–so that inspired my crazy-fun idea is to do a little training….right here on my blog!
Finally: My husband, (the one with the MD by his name,) is in on this too. He has agreed to help balance me out with the medical side of things, and also provide the added bonus of a man’s perspective (score!)
So, to begin it all today, I am sharing below one of three posts I wrote a while back on my old site. It’s fun and light, but it should give you an idea where I am coming from– which is not what you’ll find in a typical magazine or infomercial. I don’t believe in “quick fix diets,” and I will never be feeding you the latest fads that are ALL. OVER. OUT. THERE. My approach is different. And it is good. I hope that each post leaves you inspired, and determined to become all that you can be: Body, mind, and spirit.
Please please share this post with everyone you think might be looking for a fresh start in the area of their health, weight, or body image. Since this is the first of a series–it would be great to get everyone in on it from Day ONE.
Here we go!
What got me thinking about all of this was actually a sort-of funny thing that happened recently. It all started when I stepped on my home scale. Now, I know we all have different relationships with the scale, but I’m the type to hop on it two or three times a year, just to be sure that I’m within a normal range for me. I shy away from weighing myself too often, as I don’t want to get obsessed with it. I know our weight can fluctuate a pound here or there, and I simply prefer to go by how my clothes are fitting, and how I generally feel. (It hasn’t always been this way, but that’s another story.)
Well, this time recently, when I got on that scale, it showed a weight about eight pounds LESS than my normal. Funny, it was just after the holidays, and I hadn’t noticed pants falling off of me or anything. I was really surprised! And of course–I was thrilled. I had not been trying to lose weight, but seeing a lighter weight was like a little gift. Obviously, it felt great!
And you know what I noticed after that? For the next day or two, I had a THIN-PERSON mentality. I felt good, and I wanted to keep it that way. I think I nibbled a little less. I probably walked a little taller. I went light on dessert, and I was pretty sure that my skinny jeans made me look…skinny.
But hold on for chapter TWO:
One of my boys had a doctor’s appointment later that week. He happened to weigh himself at home just before we left, (my boys are always weighing in, HOPING to gain a few pounds.) Then as usual, the nurse weighed him when he first checked in at the doctor’s office. Seeing that the weight at the doctor’s office was HIGHER than the home scale, my boy was super excited. He yelled out–“Mom! Our scale is wrong at home! I’m more than FIVE pounds heavier than I thought I was!”
I was excited for him. For about one second.
Until it hit me: That means…
I felt foolish. I had not LOST any weight, but was probably the same, or a little heavier than my usual.
Sure enough, as each family member weighed themselves later, it became very clear that our scale was at least five pounds on the light side.
The boys were stoked.
I was…
NOT.
But this whole psych experience only served as a reminder of something I really already knew.
Something that I TRIED like crazy to communicate to my clients when I was personal trainer.
Something that if I could BOTTLE IT UP and hand it out, would be a great help to a whole lot of people in their own personal weight, and body image journey.
I was reminded that the greatest DIET TOOL we have is our own MIND.
Remember, when I thought I weighed less, I ATE like someone proud to weigh less who wanted to keep it that way.
When I felt GOOD about myself, you might say I wanted to keep the ball rolling in that direction, so I kept the positive behaviors going…which in turn creates a snowball effect.
Most of us respond to positive news the way I responded to my perceived weight loss. Most of will feel so good about a little success, that we are willing to go the extra mile to keep it that way–or even improve on it.
And sadly the reverse is also true: When we are feeling lousy about ourselves, we tend to “feed” the behavior that got us there. (excuse the pun.) Our human nature can get us feeling so negative that we don’t want to begin rolling that ball…up hill. It’s just too hard to get started. OR it might be an easy start, but it gets hard really fast. And then we buy into the belief that we are always going to be this way, and this is just WHO. WE. ARE.
(By the way, this same mentality can apply to a multitude of other areas of life.)
BUT NOW, I ask: What if you could see a weight of five…ten, or more pounds lighter on your scale right now?
Would it motivate you?
Would it give you the confidence you need to push the plate away a little sooner? To skip dessert? To workout?
It isn’t always about the weight, obviously–you can apply these principles to any area that you are working on…
What if you started to believe that underneath it all, YOU ACTUALLY ARE the person you WOULD LIKE TO be…What if you could BELIEVE That your TRUE SELF IS the IDEAL self that you have simply not yet achieved? What if you chose to LIVE, EAT, and EXERCISE as if you were the size/shape of the IDEAL YOU that you want to become?
I believe that our thought life plays a huge role in our behaviors…Diet, exercise, and far beyond.
How is your thought life?
Please join the conversation, and definitely let me know if this is something you’re interested in hearing more about, and if there is a specific area you would like addressed as we continue on this topic!
Also, I will be sharing some fun motivation through Facebook, so be sure to be following along there as well.
ALOHA,
Monica
One thing I’ve always told myself is that 90% of the struggle is mental, the remaining 10% is just physical. When I’m tempted to skip a run/workout/gym class/etc., I ask myself if I’ll feel any worse than I do at that moment. That answer is usually “no” so then it’s easier for me to make the right choice of not skipping. I’ve never once regretted that. 🙂
Looking forward to more of these fitness related posts (don’t get me wrong – I love reading the other stuff as well!) especially as we creep into cooler weather.
It’s so ironic that I just read your post about health as I am in my gym clothes and ready to focus on my health as both of my kids are back in school now. I’ve been reading your post for about a month after a friend posted the blog on her Facebook about raising teenage boys. I have a teenage daughter who just started high school last week and a preteen son who will be 12 this month. I’ve been blessed by your posts and wanted to tell you that you have a gift for writing and connecting with people. I love how your advice and suggestions are sound, and biblical. We attended a memorial service on Saturday for our friend’s husband who was only 51, he died of a massive heart attack. It reminded me that life is a gift and we need to cherish those around us and help us live that life of purpose, as we don’t know how many days we will be given. This has particularly hit home to me as I was just hospitalized and diagnosed in June with a heart problem I didn’t know I had, atrial flutter and fibrillation. It was surprising because I’ve always been a healthy, fit person, trying to exercise and watch what I eat. I had a catheter ablation procedure last month, and though they fixed the problem on my right atrium, they discovered I have it on my left atrium as well. So I am on medication to prevent blood clots and to try to keep my heart rhythm regular until I can fix the left side too. I am going to try a yoga class this morning, something I’ve tried a couple times in the past, but never really liked. I’ve been advised this is a good way to get back in the gym and not aggravate my heart problem. Thanks again for your blog, I think it is an awesome way to help others. I hope the next time my family and I go to Oahu, we can possibly meet you and your family in person! We live in Huntington Beach, CA, so if you ever come out this way, such as for the US Open of Surfing, we would love to meet you and your family too! 🙂
Hi Monica , thank u so much.. Reading your blog made me happy ( after a long hard working).. You are absolutely right… Love your writing.
Hi Monica,
I recently started reading your blogs .I came across your blog when I was confused (and upset also ) over few things about handling my Teenage son and read one of your blogs about handling teenage kids.It has really helped me so hoping that you will write about it more !!
I am also struggling with my weight loss since a year .I lost around 30 pounds with the help of proper diet and regular exercise .And I gained 8 pounds as I went out of country for 3 Months where whole my routine went haywire.When I returned home and again tried getting into the weight loss efforts ,I went through the thought pattern ie the day I feel I have lost a pound so I shall eat carefully and go for my gym .But the day I feel little bloated or heavy i would eat more than what I would eat on normal non diet days!!So you have described it so well !!
After reading your blog today I am going to train my self to think that I am as slim as I want to be and I should eat healthy and go for regular workout to maintain my slim body and I am sure I shall achieve my goal sooon .!!!!
Thank you so much for writing such an inspiring post and I love to read them so Keep writing!!!!
Oh I am so glad you commented, thank you!!! SO glad the teenage boy post was helpful to you, and yes, more along those lines are coming. 🙂
You are absolutely on the right track to tackle your thinking first thing. Next week I have another post related to thinking…I believe that is the absolute foundation for everything–then I’ll get to more practical stuff later. Much aloha, and please keep in touch with how you are doing!!
Really looking forward to this series Monica! I read this one a while ago when you first posted and it is SO true. Such a good reminder as I attempt a health kick start for spring (here in Australia!)
Love
Elaine
Elaine!! I was going over old comments before I re-posted this and was seriously going to email you…I was wondering if you were still around! 😉 So happy to see you here. I’d love to hear how you’re doing. I really hope you enjoy this series. Much aloha!
Definitely still around! I love your blog, sorry I’ve been a bit quiet on comments lately! Heading off to New Zealand on holidays tomorrow so pretty excited about that! Looking forward to reading your next posts and will email soon! 🙂
Hi there
I am looking forward to what you have to say, Monica! I tend to struggle with the fact I am not the weight I was before all 3 boys. It is frustrating to see other women seem to shrink back down and I haven’t even when I have exercised or ate different.
Fantastic, and I’m a firm believer in the “live like the person you aspire to be” principle. Reminds me of what my dad taught me when I was very young and scared to death of dogs – “Act brave, even if you don’t feel that way, and after awhile, you’ll be brave.” It applies to fitness, too, as you’re saying…if we act healthy/fit/lean, even though we are not currently (or don’t currently feel) healthy/fit/lean, we will create habits that eventually make us and keep us healthy/fit/lean.
Looking forward to this series! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Monica, I am loving your blog. 🙂 What you address here is an interesting phenomenon. I am pretty fit, spend a lot of hours on the dance floor and some in the gym. Recently I went WAY out of my comfort zone and signed up for a HIIT small group class at my gym. Despite already being in good shape, making this one change has inspired me to eat more healthfully, stand taller, and feel better about myself than before! It’s a psych game. 🙂 I look forward to more on this subject for sure!
Becky–So glad you commented–I love to hear that this makes sense to you in your particular situation! It really does apply to anyone and everyone–but not everyone sees that right away. I hope you’ll keep in touch as we go. Your perspective gives me great feedback! much aloha!
Thank you! My husband and I both have quite a bit of weight to lose and have just started making some changes, so this was perfect timing! I’d love to see a whole dedicated blog just on health (or personal coaching long distance)!
So glad the timing is good for you and your husband, Melissa! Awesome! Keep me posted on how things are going! 🙂 Aloha
Hi Monica,
I’m a registered dietitian who struggles with weight. I KNOW that you are soooo right here! I get myself caught in the trap of thinking, “This is just the weight you are gonna be”. I get down on myself….plus,add the extra guilt of being a dietitian teaching weight loss…but being overweight myself. I also was in a past relationship where I was constantly told I was not good enough the way I was and that I was fat. I am now married to the love of my life…and he loves me just the way I am. Now I want to be able to love myself too. I’m looking forward to your next blogs!!!!
Renee–Oh I am so glad you are here. Just like anything in life, we can have all of the head knowledge in the world, but still struggle. Putting those puzzle pieces together in the heart and mind can be tricky–but it IS do-able! Keep in touch so I can hear how you’re doing in time…Be patient with yourself, I can tell you’re a lovely person! (and I am so glad you found a great man too! :)) aloha
You say “It isn’t always about the weight, obviously–you can apply these principles to any area that you are working on…” and that is so true. Exercise is so important to having balance in life and having a brighter outlook on life’s issues and to me exercise is the way to “manipulate” my mind to become that person I strive to be.
I totally agree with you.
Our minds are such a powerful part of us. The older I get, the harder I fight with my mind over this issue. Thank you for the reminder of where the struggle starts. I’m looking forward to more of your wisdom.
Thanks!!
Yay, a fitness series… LOVE it. Can’t wait for more. Keep it up, Monica.
~Corinna
This is right on time. Love it and you are so right it is totally in our minds. I am excited to read the next posts and I had just told myself this is a new month so just start over.:-)
Hi Monica
I am from Australia and I stumbled across your blog via facebook. I have really enjoyed reading your posts. This particular post inspired me to comment…it is the start of spring here, so time to get motivated and fit for summer. I will look forward to following your new series.
Aloha – Pam
Thank you Pam! Even as I wrote I knew that it wasn’t fall for everyone–But so glad if it works out timing-wise for you too! 🙂 Much Aloha!
This is great, Monica. I don’t always get to comment, but I so appreciate your wisdom and insight! Thank you.
Wow Carissa–What an honor! I always love to get your posts in my feed…You inspire me in so many ways. XO Aloha!
Your so right! If I weigh more I eat more. Then I get more depressed. The whole thing is so exhausting. But if I weigh a few pounds lighter I feel better and eat a little better………just want it to stop!
awesome… I mean, not awesome at all, but awesome that you are here and I want to speak to that! 🙂 Much aloha-