Let's Talk Body Dysmorphia

 yes. you may have struggles with it too and it's okay.

I have realized that over time I created HORRIBLE habits centered around the way I look. Specifically, my core area. You see, at 8yrs old I was doing TaeBo in the living room for fun. I LOVED doing the workouts and looking at the men and women with their "perfect" bodies and this created the inspiration  to look like them. Me moving into fitness later on in life, only heightened my insecurity that I wasn't even aware existed. Every time I passed by a mirror, I looked at my stomach and secretly hated I didn't look the way I thought I should. 

I begin to realize how I never had anything nice to say about while I simutaneously begin to read a book called "Sacred Pampering Principles- An African American Woman's Guide to Self -Care & Inner Renewal". The author Debrena, talks about how she had to write a letter to the body parts she had been most mean to and of course, I too had to take on the assignment. I realized how difficult I had become with my personal views of myself and it bothered me because, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO YOURSELF?! Listen, I am the trainer who preaches from the heavens how each health journey is based on the mental and physical aspects of your personal life. I understand that you can not go into your home or local gym, workout, then come out to only beat yourself up internally. The affect it has on you eventually shows up in the physical, and its important the practice of training, also goes into a practice of self gratitude. When I say that, I mean really appreciating every organ, bone, tendon, and piece of flesh that assisted you in the movement. 

It's important that a practice of BOTH are built because if not, that journey only becomes less fun and more critical. I realized that I had slowly (and I mean from 8 years old until 33) formed an unhealthy, very damaging relationship with my core area. In writing that letter, I also realized how I could do better with actively working on changing those ways in which I'd begin to judge myself. I learned that even in my most fit stage of my career, I still didn't realize or appreciate where and who I was. Most of my training after that, I'd missed the process, too focused on that one body part. 

So, I extend this challenge to you: What body parts have you CONSTANTLY been hard on yourself, and in what ways can you say that body part still supports you in your every day life? I am not here to fix anything in one day because my habits have affected me for YEARS. What I am here to do, is make you reflect more on how to show these body parts gratitude, to lessen the time you spend critiquing them. We're both on a path to fix it so I am well aware some days we will feel amazing, and others we will still silently judge the extra roll or piece of skin we see. I want you to get that this will first be ambitious and day after day you and I will both feel more and more worthy of the body we're in. This does not negate the goals we have but this does make this process less gruesome. 

We can not appreciate the body we want, until we love the body we have. 

I wish you well in your letter to yourself. I hope you find gratitude in who you are today. It's going to make a huge difference tomorrow! 

- Coach Joy