All in mindset

Why You Haven't Tried that Fun New Movement

Why You Haven't Tried that Fun New Movement

Stephanie Ondrusek
body image, mindset

I spent a long time wrapped in the coiling tendrils of perfectionism, that Devil's Snare tightening its grip the harder I tried to escape it.

I've forced myself into countless situations (friendships, relationships, jobs, even a college major!) that weren't really for me, or even things I wanted. My intuition was screaming at me to get out--you know the feeling when, deep in your gut, you feel clenching, writhing, twisting, and a bit of nausea? I was a pro at ignoring it. Through lots of trial and error, I've learned to let go... slowly but surely.

One of the places this has been most prevalent in my life has been in my fitness endeavors (and, I suspect, many of yours, because I've had some version of this conversation with almost every client I've ever trained longer than a few weeks).

How to Know You're Making Progress (A Letter From (and to) My 16-Year-Old Self)

How to Know You're Making Progress (A Letter From (and to) My 16-Year-Old Self)

Stephanie Ondrusek
body image, Bold Body Initiative, coaching, mindset, offers

This is a note from my journal one week into my senior year of high school.

This is one of the times that journaling really tugs at your heartstrings. If you don’t have a regular journaling practice, I’d encourage you to start, even if it’s just one line in your planner or on your phone about how you felt that day, and this is why: you gift yourself the opportunity to witness your growth in real time.

Fighting with Your Scale? 7 Better Ways to Measure Progress

Fighting with Your Scale? 7 Better Ways to Measure Progress

Stephanie Ondrusek
body image, coaching, FAQs + hacks, mindset

Monday morning did roll around, carrying an unwieldy dose of guilt and shame every time.

I’d wake up, feel badly for not, “sticking to the plan,” wondering why I couldn’t just have one, “cheat meal,” why I had to do this every time, why anyone ever saw anything in me other than a fraud, and I’d step on the scale.

I lived and died by that number.

If it wasn’t too far off my Friday weight, then I somehow, “got away with,’ eating foods that didn’t work for me, because my feelings didn’t matter if they weren’t reflected on the scale.

If I WAS far off my Friday weight (which I often was), I was a failure, and the only solution was to buckle down even harder the next week, promising myself that this week, a “cheat meal,” would be just one meal.

Been there? How’s it working for you?

That Time I Thought, "It HAS to be Valentine's Day by now..."

That Time I Thought, "It HAS to be Valentine's Day by now..."

Stephanie Ondrusek
feminism, mindset

If you're new to the fitness scene, welcome! The endeavor to begin a new habit can sometimes be a rocky one fraught with hiccups and false starts, making January a frustrating month for many.

If you find yourself there, hair in your hands and wondering why you even started again, know that you're not alone, and anything that hasn't gone according to plan is not a signal of failure, but a call to listen to your body and soul more deeply, asking questions to further refine your goals. What's worked so far? What hasn't? How has it felt? What's made it easy? How can you get more of that?

If you're a gym veteran, you may have had to make some space on your favorite Stairmaster or in the squat rack with the best mirror, which can also make January feel like a long month. If you've felt a bit frustrated, know that you're not alone either, and consider that anyone with the desire to share a space with you or with the courage to ask you a question is likely overcoming some uncertainty, and they'll find their rhythm soon enough (and you were new once, too).

Working on Your New Year's Resolutions?

Working on Your New Year's Resolutions?

Stephanie Ondrusek
coaching, mindset

I've been there too: wanting desperately to change. Not certain I could, but hoping I would anyway.

Wondering if it was possible, or if all of the messaging and articles and products were simply designed to play on my insecurities.

Aching for relief from questioning why I couldn't just buckle down for 30, 60, or 90 days and do what all of those ads promised.

"No One Ever Told Me It Wasn't About My Body Before." (probably not like the rest of what you're reading on New Years' Day)

"No One Ever Told Me It Wasn't About My Body Before." (probably not like the rest of what you're reading on New Years' Day)

Stephanie Ondrusek
body image, coaching, mindset, offers

“No one ever told me it wasn’t about my body before.

It was never about me. Nobody before you. I hope you know that has given me the ability to move in the world with less fear and shame; I can be entirely myself without disclaimers and I get to reclaim all of that energy and put it into things and people I love.

It has an impact on every single person around me.

No one told me that I can be as smart and insightful as I am and STILL not know that it isn’t my body’s fault and it isn’t about my body.

I can be a genius and still be fucked up by these things, but I don’t have to be anymore.”

And neither do you.

Tired of Constantly Trying to Lose Weight?

Tired of Constantly Trying to Lose Weight?

Stephanie Ondrusek
coaching, mindset, offers


The day I realized that I could use exercise for something other than losing weight, my world changed.

I’ve told the story before, but the Cliff’s Notes version: I was sick as hell (strep throat, no insurance, riding it out with some Popsicles and a blankie), no one by my side (I was deep in the swill with the most familiar of swine, to quote @hozier), and I just wanted to feel capable of one motherfucking glob-damn thing, so I picked up a barbell and saw what happened.

How to Handle Toxic People

How to Handle Toxic People

Stephanie Ondrusek
mindset

Do you know any toxic people? (lol, it’s the holidays; if yours are anything like mine, for at least one day between November and February, you’d rather rip each individual hair strand out of your head and reattach it than spend one more minute in someone’s presence).

I used to wonder what the common thread was relating all these "toxic" people. What was the common thing I was "falling for" every time?

How Do You Care for Yourself?

How Do You Care for Yourself?

Stephanie Ondrusek
coaching, mindset, offers

Loving yourself looks different for everyone, and it's important you find what it looks like for you.

For some, it's strength training. It can be meditating. It can be yoga. It can be cooking. It can be your favorite show on Netflix. It can be a manicure and a bubble bath and a glass of wine.

Those wonderfully-Instagrammable acts of self-care are important parts of loving yourself, for sure, but this picture is not complete. The ultimate act of loving yourself, imo — the one ring to rule them all, if you will — is to protect your energy.

Can I Share a Personal Story with You? (+ work with me!)

Can I Share a Personal Story with You? (+ work with me!)

Stephanie Ondrusek
body image, coaching, mindset, offers

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.

The Difference Between Self-Love and Self-Acceptance

The Difference Between Self-Love and Self-Acceptance

Stephanie Ondrusek
body image, mindset

A distinction between self-love and self-acceptance:

#selflove is trending, for good reason: we deserve to feel safe, nurtured, and adored in our own arms. We're entitled to butterflies in our stomachs when we behold ourselves in all of our glory (and I'd encourage you to take time to do so regularly. #alwaysbefeelinyourself).

But if you're constantly pinching yourself in the mirror to focus on what doesn't measure up, self love can feel 45648 miles away.

You Don't Have to "Earn" Your Body (Fitness is Not a Punishment)

You Don't Have to "Earn" Your Body (Fitness is Not a Punishment)

Stephanie Ondrusek
body image, coaching, offers, mindset

Ready for some unconventional holiday season advice?

You don't have to "earn" your body (or mashed potatoes).

It's the language of the season, the undercurrent of every holiday-themed meal, but I don't find it productive. In fact, it often does more harm than good.

I think it's terribly destructive to use this language, not only because it sets us up on a food-as-reward-fitness-as-punishment cycle, but also because it reinforces an idea I am vehemently against.

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