Health & Wellness: Body Image + BIG news!

Don't value your body over you being. 

Born as a blank canvas; fresh, clean and filled with possibilities. 

Those around us wrote on that canvas, filling us with words that would begin to define us. 

The more we experienced of the world, the more people we met, the more they left their mark. 

Creating our sense of identity with their own thoughts, wishes, comments, hopes and dreams for our life and what we are capable of.

Some were delicate, kind and loving in their approach and choice of words. 

Some were hard, demeaning, and cruel. 

Some wrote on our canvas but once and, others continue to write still.

As we progress through life, some of those thoughts are amplified by many voices, loud voices.

Some of the writing disappears under it all, lost in the noise. 

Then comes a time when the strongest mark is our own. 

The story we tell. 

The truths we believe. 

And yes, the lies. 

We circle, underline, embolden what we believe to be true. 

We erase, cover, or repaint over what we don't.

When we don't have the tools to paint a better way the noise becomes deafening.

Terrifying. 

How can we be authentic through all of the confusion?

It is our canvas though. 

It is my canvas. 

I can write what I want. 

I can learn to be protective, loving, gentle, kind, empowering, strong. 

I can learn to cherish the canvas of another.

I can learn to teach my children to build resiliency in their canvas. 

I can fight what does not feel right, I can choose to be different. 

I can choose to honor and respect my canvas. 

We don't get a new one you know... 

We must work with what we have. 

Turn it into something beautiful, powerful, strong. 

Born as a blank canvas...we will each be a work of art.

It is my absolute honor and with complete excitement that I am joining the Body Image Movement  as an ambassador!!!

My story (more of which I will share another day), like many, involves a roller coaster of defining moments with my body. Love, hate, and everywhere between...my story has led me here. To be a voice, a teacher, an inspiration, to be a shoulder, an ear, a soft place to fall...to stand in the dark and light the way for those around me to find their own body love and to (finally) make peace with the amazing vehicle that is their body. 

I have made it a mission in my own life, in the lives of my children, and in my practice as a fitness professional to create a body loving life.

The time is now, to accept where we are; as a beautifully complex canvas. Time to welcome change to help us meet life goals that don't come at the cost of our values or involve self-harm. It is time to embrace ourselves and others with open hearts & minds. It is time to share the tools required to break the mold. It is time to create a world that is about our being and not our bodies. 

"As an ambassador, I will encourage people to rejoice in what their bodies enable them to do – to live and love life - and that happiness is not determined by body shape or size."(1)

I hope you join me, and give yourself permission to redesign your canvas to be you, perfectly imperfect.  

(1) Body Image Movement Global Ambassador Pledge

Health & Wellness: Screw the Scale!

My body is not an ornament, it is a vehicle.

-Taryn Brumfitt

About a year ago, and to the complete shock of my new client, I walked out of her home with her scale in my hands. 

I'm not going to lie, I felt quite brazen!

Since becoming a personal trainer however, I feel like in an effort to marry my scope of practice to my own moral compass, I have to get both creative & brazen to navigate the waters of body assessment with and for my clients.  

Why?

Because there is a fundamental problem with stepping on the scale for the majority of people...somehow, that number gets screwed up with self worth!

Somehow, every beautiful thing one's body has done for them gets washed away in a river of self loathing, disappointment and anguish as the numbers appear on the screen. In that moment, one's body is no longer this home to live in, move in, breathe in, dance in, it is a reminder of why "we" are not good enough, never reaching that mythical goal of body perfection.

Every time I ask a client to step on the scale, even though I don't typically allow them to see the result, I can FEEL the instant dread wash over them. No matter how many times I explain that this number is a guide for "my eyes only", it doesn't change how they feel...

The only thing that could perhaps be worse is the other, often found, symptom of scale weighing....obsession! Obsessive counting, calculating, weighing, measuring.

Shame, shame, shame, shame...

That is no way to live. 



I understand that feeling...because in truth, even as a trainer, I don't like stepping on the scale. 

I fall under that all to common truth, which is that as a personal trainer, I feel like I should look a certain way, and the scale can undermine the reality that is...my body is amazing. I also have a hard time equating reality with the disappointing number that can leer up at me. Which is insane-my body has given birth to three babies, it moves me through my very active and full schedule, it allows me to work effectively & efficiently as a firefighter...there is nothing wrong with my body! That scale doesn't tell my story. 

Over the past month, I've really begun to question this practice of assessment, and I am breaking "all the rules" from this point forward...the cost of stepping on that damn scale is too high. Nobody's body or mind deserves to travel that mind field. It's just not necessary!

So, this is my challenge to you: TOSS OUT that scale. 

You are NOT a number on a scale. 

You are an incredible human being. Like everyone, you may struggle with some vices or lack tools that keep you from being a healthier version of yourself, but that scale is not going to give you answers. 

Now, this is going to come with a disclaimer, if your medical professional needs a number to help round out their understanding of your body---don't call out the cavalry. Weight assessment can supply professionals with important information to help guide their decisions around diagnosis, further assessment, and best practices for your body. 

There are so many other ways to define your success--even if the goal is weight loss for health. You want to start achieving health? Let's look at some ways to assess your body today that has NOTHING to do with a scale, but will give you real answers, and once worked out, real results that will last a lifetime:

• Do I get enough sleep?
• Do I get the right amount of protein, carbohydrates & fat (vitamins and minerals)? (I HIGHLY recommend seeing a dietitian, you need the facts!)
• Do I move enough during the day? Log it, how much time do you spend seated during the day? Movement is different then exercise...exercise involves elevated heart rate of over 50% of mhr (maximum heart rate), movement is your body's way of adapting through the day. A sedentary lifestyle can lead to obesity.
• Does my body impede me from doing the things that I'd like to be doing? Am I strong enough to live a life that I enjoy? (Chasing after your children, going for a run with friends, able to tie your own shoes (not a recommended way to assess if you are pregnant by the way ;-) ), dance at a wedding, vacuum the house, go for a bike ride etc;---that's where a personal trainer can really help you meet your goals)
• When I exercise, does any part of my body start to "fail"? Seeking out a doctor or physiotherapist is imperative when injuries begin to inhibit movement. 
• Do I manage my stress well? It's incredibly difficult to manage your body when your brain is on overdrive, seeking out mental health services is an incredibly vital part of being healthy!
• Is my body flexible enough to help prevent injury?
• Do I work in self-care to my daily routine?
• Is my health, in any other way, impaired by my current state? (Seek out medical advice if required)
• Am I going to age "well"? Will your body's current state allow you to age with an ability to be self sufficient, strong, and live a high quality life doing all that you wish to be doing at 60, 70, 80, 90 years of age?

Life is too short to measure it upon someone else's measuring stick...your body is too important to battle with on a daily basis. 
Free your mind, your body, yourself from the scale and START measuring it on the things that matter...

Learning, laughing, loving, LIVING...be good to your body, it's the only home you have!

Note: many of my links send you directly to professionals in the Jasper, Ab area. If you are unsure of the health professionals in your area, check in with your local medical clinic or community support services.

Photo Credit: Unknown