perception...

Perception is an amazing thing. It really can change everything!

Have you ever thought about how you perceive yourself? Your goals? Your journey? My perception of myself, my goals, and my reality have changed so much since I really started this journey.


I always saw myself as quite active, relatively fit, but in need of some fat loss. I never expected it to be easy and I never really knew where to really kick start things. I used to look at really skinny girls and think of how lucky they were. I remembered being that skinny girl and longed for her to come back... But my perception of how to get there was totally skewed. I think I was scared of the changes I would have to make. I think I was scared to test myself and to fail. I think I was scared to show people that I knew I had a problem with my weight... I didn't want to bring attention to the elephant in the room. Who wants that?

When I decided to do this I knew I had to put it all on the line. I knew I had to try harder at this than anything I had ever done in my life to date. I had to change my perception. I had to stop looking to food for comfort. I had to start REALLY holding myself accountable.

There have been weeks of absolute dread of the weekly weigh-in. There have been weeks of horrible amounts of stress and sleep-deprivation, resulting in fat gain... and through that, I vhad to learn to change my perception of failure.

Failure, my friends, is what happens when you don't try. Failure is not what happens when you have an off week! Failure is not being consistent in your hard work. You don't fail if you try. And the more you try, the better things get... The closer you get to success!!

I used to be terrified to look at myself in the mirror to check my form during exercises. I didn't want to see my lumps and bumps and imperfections. But who is perfect?

The more I workout, the more I continue to make lifestyle changes, the better my results are getting. Every week I can see changes. I am no longer afraid to look in the mirror to check my form! Why? Because now I don't stand there looking for imperfections! I stand there and I see my strengths! I stand there and see new challenges! I stand there, completely drenched in sweat and I feel pride at what I have accomplished! Perception, my friends, is key.

Standing there staring at my negatives promotes negative energy. Eventually that makes me feel sad and cue the instant weight gain! No more!!

Now when I look at skinny girls... No I take that back... Now when I look at STRONG girls (there's a difference between skinny and strong... More on that later!) I feel pride! I feel happiness for them! I feel like I'm part of a club of women who push themselves to the max and come out on top! I admire the beautiful muscle tone of their arms, the strength of their legs. I know what it takes to get even half that! And I know how they earned it!

I no longer perceive my goals to be unattainable. I see them right there on the horizon. They are so close!! And when I get there, I will set a new goal. A new challenge! And I can't wait!

I have changed the way I look at food. Food is not therapy. But fitness... Fitness is my therapy! Instead of being scared of the gym, nervous to push myself, afraid to look foolish trying something new, I welcome it. I want to learn new skills, try new things, push myself in ways I never thought possible.

For those of you who work hard - BE PROUD! Regardless of where you are on your journey, be proud! Change the way you see yourself! Be positive! Look for the good changes and use those to help you change the rest! Don't dwell on you negatives. Know they are there, don't turn a blind eye to them, but don't let them consume you.

You can do anything! If you can't see that yet, take a step back and look again. Don't overlook your potential! You are exceptional!

Strong IS the new skinny. Be strong. Go get those goals!!