How I Start My Morning

Your alarm goes off, and you blearily rub your eyes as the mechanical beep (or, you know, the sounds of The Rock Clock) ring in your ears.

It's still dark outside. You're dreading putting your feet on the cold floor, but the bills don't pay themselves, so you swing around, hunt for your slippers (you missed one, so now you're awake), and head to the bathroom.

As you brush your teeth, you look in the mirror and take in your presence for the first time today.

What do you say to yourself?

• Do you spend your mornings twisting and folding, figuring out which clothes will cover up today's "flaws?"

• Are you pinching and poking, cursing your love handle and wondering how your partner deals with it?

• Do you wish the lighting in your bathroom could follow you around everywhere, because it's hitting your curves just right, making your muscles pop (and camoflauging that dimple)?

Or...

Are you just brushing your teeth?

I remember the first time I actually noticed that I was focused on the mundanities of my morning routine rather than reciting a well-rehearsed refrain about how no one will ever take me seriously as a fitness coach if I have "extra" body fat ("extra" compared to what, exactly? *pin that thought.), or playing the lead role in the worldwide play, Why Does My Body Look Like That Today and What Did I Do to Deserve Such Punishment?

It was, above all, remarkably quiet.

It was strange. It was peaceful. It was revolutionary.

That's not to say that I never have body-shame-spiral solos in the morning, but they're far less frequent (and far less long-lasting) than they used to be. Working on my body image by inviting curiosity into my fitness routine has shown me under no circumstances do I have to punish, restrict, or shame myself in order to feel, physically and mentally, the way I want to feel: confident, powerful, flexible, and strong.

One of the biggest steps I've taken to invite this freedom into my life is to divorce myself from the notion that fitness exists for the sole purpose of shrinking our bodies.

Understanding that I could utilize the gym for a goal other than losing weight led to a lot of questions, the biggest of which at first was, "well, now what?" and, in response, I answered myself, "let's have fun, get strong, and see what that looks like."

I called upon curiosity, first in the gym, and then, becoming adapted to asking myself, "what if...?," in the rest of my life.

I'm interested in the shapes our bodies take only because I believe in so choosing, our lives follow suit.

Are you constantly hoping to be smaller, conforming to a standard you didn't choose for yourself, whipping and stretching and bending yourself and your diet and your life into a mold not designed to hold you? Are you measuring yourself against a standard you accepted without question (*"extra" body fat: who determined what feels good for you, in your life, in this moment? Did you?)? Are you looking to shrink — in stature or in voice?

Are you searching to perform well? To get stronger, and accept whatever challenges and responsibilities come with the territory? Are you aiming to stake your claim in the world — in spaces physical and energetic?

All goals are valid; your desires aren't wrong. Our approach makes all the difference.

I had the honor of leading a small group of women in determining their own standards for their bodies, their own approaches to fitness and nutrition, and their level of freedom over 12 weeks, ending in December. If you’re ready to drop the stories keeping you from living your biggest, boldest life.... if you’re ready to stop stealing your own power...and if you’re ready to find fitness that actually fits into your life, that energizes you, and that reminds you of how capable you are, click here to learn more about The Bold Body Initiative, a 12-week group coaching course designed to help you build a movement and mindset practice that helps you finally feel strong, capable, powerful, and at home in your body.

Enrollment for round two will open in the spring, so if this sounds up your alley, add yourself to the waitlist here to be the first to know when we have an official date!