The Lies we Tell Ourselves

I hate to break it to ya, but you’re not working ‘hard enough’ if your results aren’t as obvious as the steroid-pumped dude next-door (sarcastic eye-roll)

• You are not fit if you don’t have a visible 6-pack
• You are wasting your time if you’re not pushing yourself
• You’re not working hard enough if your workouts don’t leave you drained
• You are slacking if you don’t improve your personal bests every week
• You won’t progress if you don’t maintain your rigid schedule — 

Blah blah blah. Do you ever tell yourself these things? Because I know I’ve definitely fallen into a few of these traps myself (telling myself I wasn’t fit if I didn’t have abs, but also in other areas of life telling myself I wasn’t studious enough if I wasn’t working 6 ’til 6 (at least), etc. etc. etc.). 

So here’s your weekend reminder that this comparison is NORMAL but it does not need to NORMALIZED. It can be super-detrimental, so choose to stop comparing yourself to airbrushed online influencers who don’t even look like their airbrushed online presences. 

These are some of the things that helped me most in my journey:

• Stopping body checking (starting with the scales (check out the YouTube video below for more on this)
• Unfollowing those pages and accounts that trigger the comparison mindset. Instead, following body neutral and positive pages that encourage gratitude, and taking occasional social media breaks
• Loving myself in the moment: buying clothes that fit *now,* doing things I enjoy *now,* and carrying out any other little actions to show myself that I matter and deserve to be treated well *right now,* no matter where I’m headed in the future
• Taking rest. Lots of it.
• Nourishing my body. Always. 

Try it out for yourself, and give yourself that much-needed break. If taking this time is making you feel guilty, extend your break. Take an entire month, or two. You need it. Use this time to redefine your priorities and deal with any thoughts that come up (the right way). 

Working out should feel like working with your body, not against it. Viewing your body should be a source of pride, not a source of shame. If it doesn’t yet, hang in there until it does.