Fitness memes I refuse to post

As a Beachbody coach, part of my job is to motivate and inspire people to be the best version of themselves. Usually, I turn to Pinterest to look for cute graphics to help illustrate my point before I post a status. Lately I've been thinking that there are some, while they have good intentions, only fuel the feelings of inadequacy among women and really make it seem like an impossible goal. 

I never have, nor will I ever, post a picture of a super thin, muscular and oiled up woman with no butt and her hips sticking out. I don't do this because I look down on women that look like that or think it's an unattainable goal for myself, but because that's not the one defining image of healthy I want to project. Women have butts, thighs, hips... NATURALLY! They can still be healthy and have softness and curves. 

While I try to be positive most days, today I am posting some images I hate in hopes that you will also realize that you don't HAVE to look like that to be sexy. Don't be so hard on yourself and be healthy for YOU and not for others. 

#1- Fat Lasts Longer Than Flavor- This is outrageous and also a total lie. You know what I like better than working out and getting rid of my "fat?" Food. I love food. Food and I have had a 28-year relationship that I would hate to see go to waste. This meme gives the message that healthy food can't taste good. And, that you have to eat unhealthy food to find flavor. Wrong. So wrong. In fact, many times healthy, fresh food tastes WAY better than processed food.

There are countless cookbooks that focus solely on delicious AND healthy food. You only have to look as far as the internet, folks. Remember: Healthy food CAN be delicious AND you don't get the guilt afterwards that you would get after a #3 at McDonalds. Don't let crap like this image fool you. It's nonsense. 

I found another picture that I would DEFINTIELY use that portrays a better message about food. It's simple and gives a great message. Yes, you HAVE to eat to live, but you don't have to live to eat. 

#2- Um... ? Seriously, WHAT is this girl doing?! Yes, she has great body. Yes, it's clear she's worked hard to be that toned. But that come hither look she's got going on says, "I'm sexy." Yes, you are, TO SOME. Truth be told, her body isn't 100% realistic for most women. It CAN be, sure, but if you have tons of time and eat totally clean. That's not realistic for 90% of the women I know. They have kids that want macaroni and jobs that require them to work long hours and sit most of the time. But, women look at this and think, THAT IS SEXY. You know what I think? It's confident.And that's the sexiest thing about this picture. 

Going into the new year, where the inevitable #1 resolution will be to get in better shape, I'm concerned about women setting goals for themselves to look like this girl and then get discouraged 2 weeks in because you don't yet. You CAN look like this if you put in the work, both with fitness and your diet. The better option for this one is the image below. Your only comparison should be to yourself. Imagine that. 

#3 Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.Guys, PLEASE, if you get anything out of this entry, take this (and I'm talking to myself here as well), skinny is not the magical cure that will make you happy with your body. I PROMISE you. Yeah, if I could fit into my jeans from college, I'd be happy about that. I'd be happy if, when I waved, my arms didn't jiggle like a lunch lady's. I'd be thrilled if I could wear a bathing suit confidently. BUT I also know skinny people who would be happy with those things, too.

If I lost the amount of weight that I want to lose, I would still have hips and a butt. Guaranteed, y'all. I weighed 110 pounds when I graduated from high school and I had hips and a booty. It's just how I'm built. I will never look like the girl in the picture. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's Kate Moss, a SUPERMODEL. It's giving me, as the viewer, an unrelaistic view of healthy. Here's something better:Nothing looks as good as healthy feels. Super skinny NEVER looks better than a healthy woman. Remember that. Also, Marilyn Monroe was a size 14.

 I could go on with this, but the entry could get REALLY long. Just remember when you are looking at Facebook or Pinterest or billboards or TV (images are EVERYWHERE!) that you have to put your filter on because not all memes are sending a message of health. If you're interested in getting HEALTHY and making a lifestyle change, I'd love to talk to you about some great options through Beachbody and some things that have worked for me. Be the best version of YOURSELF, not someone else. <3

Why I do what I do {my motivation}

Hey everyone! Welcome to my NEW blog! I'm so excited you have taken the time to read this. It means that at least a tiny part of you is interested in becoming the BEST version of yourself. I'm happy to be a part of that.

I'm getting ahead of myself, here. This entry is for an introduction. Why I do what I do and why I'm making it a big part of my life. Every woman has a story and I believe it's important to share mine and why I'm a Beachbody coach.

That's me, top right circa... 2002?

I have always been THIN. I grew up eating meat, potatoes, vegetables, and fruit, but also chips, pizza, and lots of unhealthy snacks. I stayed thin! I was also extremely active, especially in high school-- track, soccer, cheerleading. I wasn't just sitting around eating Cheetos all day. I mean, I ate Cheetos... I just ate and then burned it off like it was nothing.

College came and I was a little less active... not as involved but I walked everywhere on campus. On the average it was at least a couple of miles a day. My diet, however, didn't change. I ate pizza and drank beer with the best of them. Again, I didn't think anything of it! I was still thin and healthy!

After college, I got a desk job. I participated in the obligatory potlucks and birthday celebrations, happy hours and girls' nights out. I completely stopped exercising. Slowly, I started to gain weight. Incredibly, it didn't bother me too much. I was thin-- I could stand to gain a few pounds. I joined a yoga class and called it good.

Feeling AMAZING after a year of healthiness in the mountains.

Then I got a great opportunity to move to North Carolina for a year. I lived in a little hippie town and for a year, lived the healthy lifestyle that is embraced there. I experimented with getting rid of red meat, and then getting rid of meat all together. I hiked a lot and started running again. I got to a healthy, manageable weight and I felt amazing. My contract expired after a year-- otherwise I may have stayed in that mountain paradise forever. But, I came back to Iowa and was back at a desk job.

Girl Scouts. I worked long hours, ate out a lot and the cookies. OH THE COOKIES.  I love me some Girl Scout cookies, friends! I was stressed out, so I ate. I was tired, so I ate. It was unavoidable with all the cookies, potlucks and other excuses to eat. Every birthday, welcome to the office party, farewell party, shower... it was constant. Not to mention, my boss had a bowl of chocolate on her desk, free for the taking. I would go to her office to have a 30 minute meeting with her and just eat chocolate. You'd think all of this would explain my weight gain. but...

I fell in love. I met the man that is now my husband and focused on him. Working out took away from that time together. It was fun to go out to eat and get a big popcorn at the theater and "veg out" together. I gained even more happy-and-in-love weight and the cookies. kept. coming.

By the time Randy proposed, I was at my heaviest. I wanted to be stunning on my wedding day, but I needed to get my rear in gear. So, I hired a trainer in September 2012. She was a little bitty thing and that was discouraging each time I saw her. I wanted to be effortlessly thin like I once was and I hated how hard she made me work. I felt like I could never accomplish the goals I had if I could barely lose a pound.

May 2013.

In spring 2013, 2 months before the Big Day, my sister, also a Beachbody coach, talked me into trying Shakeology. Just in that month, I lost 7 pounds. I was able to control my portions and my cravings. I has more energy to actually go to the gym. I started to feel like myself again. When the wedding day came in June, I had lost a total of 15 pounds... about 10 of those came after I began Shakeology. It was a definitely improvement from where I was, but I'm not happy with how I looked on my wedding day.

You know what they say... it's not about the wedding, it about the MARRIAGE.

Randy and I celebrated 7 months of marriage yesterday. Together, we are working towards the BEST versions of ourselves. We are married to each other we are married to the idea that we can be healthy, happy and totally in love. We are married to the idea that our future will be better than our past.
In August of 2013, I became a Beachody coach, again at the prompting of my sister. Women have so many stories of themselves and how they got the where they are today. Beachbody offers so many solutions to help women get to their goal- the BEST version of themselves. I want to be the turning point for others, like my sister was for me, in the story of their health and wellness. <3