I’ve gained weight since going into quarantine.
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Not a ton, but enough to see and feel the difference.
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My ego wants to be upset about it, but I won’t let old body shame issues run the show.
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My daughter deserves a better role model than that.
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She needs to know and believe that her worth, our worth as women, isn’t tied up in our shape, size or weight.
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She’s beautiful as is, and how she wants to look, feel and what she wants to do with her body is both up to her and doesn’t add to or take away from her value.
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She needs to know and believe that, and that starts with what she sees and hears at home.
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Instead of picking at or berating myself like I have in the past, I’m simply accepting my current body size/shape as just a phase, part of the experience I’ve had so far during quarantine.
An experience that so many of us have had.
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Instead of dieting or becoming strict or harsh with myself around food, eating and exercise, I’m choosing to:
- proactively change some eating habits,
- be more mindful and less impulsively indulgent so I don’t continue to gain weight,
- prioritize movement of every kind throughout the day,
- address stress and anxiety issues without turning to food.
I won’t diet and I won’t constantly worry about ‘getting lean’ just so I look a certain way.
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If you’re not in the shape you were, or the shape you want to be in, try to look at it objectively, without judgment.
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Weight gain and/or body changes are a fact of a positive energy balance (more calories in than are being used by the body) and a phase, not a failure or a source of shame.
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And these changes are most definitely not permanent.
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We’re always changing, so learn from this time, take good care of yourself, and reevaluate your own priorities during this challenging phase in our lives.
I’m betting being ‘super lean’ doesn’t even crack your top 10.
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It’s just a phase we’re getting to learn and grow through, not a life sentence.
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Be kind to yourself, keep your chin up, keep moving because it makes you feel good, and keep on keepin’ on.
And if you need a hand, reach out. I'm here for you [email protected]
We're in this together. All the way.