Real talk from Joy's post-workout brain

I'm working out today, thinking about where my physical wellbeing is now and where it was 10 years ago. Real talk? I work with people on changing and adjusting their mindsets to be more supportive of their aspirations and more honoring of themselves, and here I am hearing voices that tell me I am less valuable because my body has changed.

8 years and 8 pounds ago I was in fitness full time. I was a personal trainer, fitness instructor, master trainer and fitness video consultant. I was a fitness mentor and guru and a pro at motivating people and helping them have fun while exercising, and my body looked aligned with what I taught. But of course, I still complained about it. I remember my sister-in-law telling me one day, "Joy, be careful how you talk about your body. There are people out there who would love to look like you and who would be grateful to be able to do what you can do."

Fast forward 8 years. I've had a desk job, I'm likely in peri-menopause and experiencing its changes, and my crooked spine puts limitations on me. I have to be really careful about jumping or high impact activities, I need to move a lot more slowly through exercises, and my ability to twist or hold weights away from my body has decreased. My body is different and tells me very loudly (usually through pain) what it needs. Things are different for me now. And guess who would love to have 8-years-ago Joy's body and abilities? Me!

I fight the voices that try to demean me for where I'm at now and I've come face to face with the necessity of shifting my mindset to be supporting and honoring of my body. Our bodies were meant to move and I love to move! I need to keep moving, and I need to listen more carefully to what my body is telling me it needs, it can do, it wants to do, or it can't do. I have a completely different approach to exercise, movement, workouts, whatever you want to call it, and I'm working on honoring my body and enjoying what I can do, when I can do it. But I still do hear those negative voices in my head, judging me and wishing I was the me from 8 years ago.

If you hear those voices telling you that your worth is dependent on how your body looks or operates, or words like "workout" and "exercise" have negative connotations, I encourage you to consider with me what might change for you if you listened to what your body is really saying. For instance, what if, instead of saying, "Ugh. I better go for a run and burn some calories" you said, "I need some mental clarity, so I'm going to go for a run." Or instead of saying with dread, "I hate core work but I guess I "should" go do it." you said, "I don't love core work but I love how strong and stable it makes me feel, so I'm going to go do it." Your body was made to move. What if you connected with it and supported it in what it's telling you it needs and wants? Let's fight for honoring this beautiful body, soul and mind we have been given!