This is a conversation I have had with a couple of clients now and in retrospect, I feel everybody would benefit from me sharing. Prepare for a little reading :) Everybody has body issues. Myself included, and all the other personal trainers I know. I don't know when exercise became associated with being "skinny" and connected to weight loss, but I can tell you that my clients with the biggest body image issues originally came to me with alternative goals. Specifically things like climbing a mountain or dealing with injuries/physical limitations. Weight loss was somewhere on the back burner. Somehow though, we get insecure and it always ends up coming out. That's not to say it isn't realistic or relevant. But that clients come for something much more maintainable and purposeful. We are working together to wake up your bodies and remind you that it's never too late to be an "active" or "athletic" person. Even if you are still working towards your goal. This becomes a permanent part of your life and from here on out you are a person who works out. While we definitely have to work for it, it's important to know you are not outside the "norm". I became a personal trainer because I didn't know how to "work out". In school, some teachers and students questioned how I belonged in my program; I often wondered how I made it in based on my experience included in my application. I have gone back and forth between being strong and finding balance in my body. I relate to my clients on that level and that's what I feel makes me a strong personal trainer. For me it's worst when someone labels me by my career. Others often ask "how much do you work out?" I feel obligated to live up to their physical expectations of me. It reminds me of those memes you see on Facebook of "What I think I do, What others think I do, What I really do" etc. I am still learning (and you will have to, too) that we need to be honest with ourselves. That doesn't mean, being critical and comparing to various points in our life (however more or less healthy/strong/beautiful we have felt). That isn't honest. That's a permanent bias we place on ourselves. So what you have to do is think about what you're doing NOW. If you feel like you should be doing more, ask yourself why. Consider how, and what might be preventing you from doing so in that moment. Then decide whether to change it or not. I have never looked at a client and judged them for size/shape or lifestyle. You are all here for a reason and it is important to me to help you live up to that to the best of my abilities. If you're hungry, you should never resist eating. But do consider what you are putting in your mouth. Never go to bed hungry. Drink lots of water. If you feel like you should be doing more, like going for a walk- why not? Trust your body and how you feel. Never "punish" your body and put "cheating" out of your mind. Cookies are delicious and everyone deserves to enjoy them! Most importantly, take every negative thought in your mind and counter it in a way that reflects positively. For example "I should be doing better" "I'm doing something to be better" Love your body, and ENJOY it!
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