20 years of being a gym rat and I have some thoughts…
I worked out before IG was a thing. That meant there weren’t a million different “IT” moves, diets, trends, outfits. We didn‘t take gym pics or workout selfies in perfectly paired outfits. We worked out. Went to the gym, lifted the weights, got sweaty, then went home, cleaned up, and went about our life.
Years into my journey I became a personal trainer, then an online fitness coach. I filmed workouts for clients and IG. It became a thing. How I looked became part of my job, part of my identity.
Then I had baby #1. I gained almost 50 lbs with a healthy pregnancy while eating 90% clean and working out 3 times a week. Then postpartum hit and I was back in size 4s in 3 months and size 2s in 6. I felt like I was crushing this health thing and I shared my journey and before and after pics with the best of intentions.
Then baby #2 and another 50 lbs gained. A surgery postpartum, a move, and 7+ odd jobs in a financially hard season and when she turned 1, I still had 15 lbs to lose. She weaned and then I started passing out. I was so tired I couldn’t function. I did a full autoimmune elimination diet and lost all the weight in 2 weeks. Again, I thought I’d figured this out.
Then everything hit the fan.
If you’ve followed my journey you know the next 4 years were awful with health issues, anaphylaxis 5 times in a year, multiple immunotherapy shots every week, baby #3, PPD and claustrophobic panic attacks, muscle cramps and bone pain, lots of sickness, and inability to lose weight. We found out in October that it was all due to mold toxicity. Now, I'm on a path to fix the root cause, but during this time God taught me a lot about fitness.
1. You can do all the right things and if something is an underlying issue, you won’t get better. Keep asking "why" until you find the cause.
2. Sometimes the healthiest behaving people don’t look fit because extenuating circumstances. Don't judge someone based on their exterior.
3. The “fit” ones may actually be the most unhealthy and restricted. Many of the people you look up to on IG these days have very strict, special diets and routines that aren't manageable for year round health.
4. Don’t offer fitness advice to someone who has had 3 kids when you have had zero or even one. It's just not the same. The hormone changes, the nutrient deficiencies, the lack of sleep and interrupted schedules simply change things. (Sorry to anyone if I ignorantly did this back in the day.)
5. Eat real food. Proteins, carbs, fats. Do NOT limit calories below 1800. Protein grams should be minimum half your body weight in grams. Grass-fed, pastured, organic. Carbs are GOOD, but bleached, enriched, processed carbs are not what I'm suggesting. Potatoes, sourdough, root vegetables... and fats, oh the fats. Raw whole milk, grass fed butter, ghee, coconut oil... your cells need it to function.
6. Move your body in ways that leave you able to recover and not depleted. After 35, HIIT workouts just are harder for recovery because the body may be overstressed from other life areas. Lift weights. Build muscle. Stretch and walk. 30 minutes is enough.
7. Rest is NOT a bad word. If you are tired, sleep. Honestly, sleep like it's your job. Forget the whole 7 hour thing. Shoot for 9-10.
8. It's okay to pray to lose weight or get stronger when you are doing all the right things, but simply need your body to heal for the results to come. I'm currently 25-30 lbs overweight and it's due to the fact that my body stored toxins in fat in order to protect my organs. How amazing is that? So, if I can start eliminating toxins, then I will lose fat, and that is something that means I'm healing and for that I pray.
9. You are not your body. Your identity is in who God says you are. But I will say this... as someone whose entire life has been spent moving and flipping and stretching and balancing and lifting, it is plain old HARD to not be able to do that. It's why pregnancy has always been a challenge for me. I am used to moving a certain way and when I can't, it's hard. So while I am not my body. It is okay to work towards the body you use best.
10. Healing is not linear. There will be days you can lift heavy, weeks were stretching is it. There may be months where walking is the most life-giving thing you can do for yourself. Taking steps backwards doesn't mean you are off the path.
Lastly, unfollow the people who make you feel not enough. Maybe they aren't doing anything wrong. You may know and love them. But if they make you feel behind or not together enough or bad in any way, you unfollow them and keep following YOUR plan.
There's more, but that's enough for now.