Can I Share a Personal Story with You? (+ work with me!)
I grew up in an emotionally abusive household, and I received a message from a young age that I wasn't good enough. For millions of reasons, but the point on which it all converged was my body.
My body became a physical manifestation of everything I wasn't: I wasn't tall, or thin, or unconventionally beautiful like my mother, or quiet, or succinct, or self-controlled.
I was too much, constantly spilling over the edges of my container, and my body was alleged to have reflected that.
It's effortless to pick on our bodies; the "flaws" there are visible, after all, so they're very easy to pinpoint.
Many of us internalize them and begin trading food for exercise and adherence for worthiness, and we end up in a loop. We do a metric fuckton of physical work to cover up deep emotional issues and call them problems with our bodies ("if I finally stick to this program, then I am good.").
But, almost all of the time, in my experience, they have very little to do with our bodies at all.
This problem compounds when we DO feel better from what we're doing — we feel stronger, we feel more energized, we feel more in control. Those are accomplishments, to be sure, but what happens when they go away?
What happens when we're stressed, or exhausted, or injured, or we just want some damn cake? Are we then weak, lazy, or inadequate?
Of course not. We're human.
Having a positive body image, one that doesn't hold you back from playing big, doesn't start with celebrating your body at every second. Can you see where this would worsen the problem? If we're only not thinking about our bodies because we think they look perfect, all we've done is cover up a conflict within ourselves with a physical solution.
So, what then? Where do you begin?
With knowing a deep, irrefutable truth: you're here, and you wouldn't be here if you didn't have something inside of you that's already perfect.
You have a purpose in this world, and it's yours, completely independent of the vessel in which it arrived.
Know that, and work from there.
xoxo,
Steph
PS- the process of understanding and deeply knowing that is just that: a process. It's not easy, and it's not often linear, no matter what the, "just love yourself first" memes tell you.
My coaching group, The Bold Body Initiative, has done absolutely AMAZING work over the last 10 weeks to deepen their relationships with their bodies and finally feel at home in them, and it's been an incredible honor to witness their processes and guide them through it.
As that group wraps up (missed it? Keep your eyes peeled in the spring 👀), I'm opening up some one-on-one slots to help meet you where you are and break through what's been holding you back with your fitness and nutrition. Need a strength coach who wants you to feel powerful in the gym, AND in the rest of your life? I've got you.
Learn more and apply here:
www.strongbysteph.com/coaching
