lasting change

Change is kind of a scary word sometimes, huh? I mean, when we really get down to it, usually the thing we most want to change starts in a place we don't want to go. It's buried in a dark basement + the swinging, bare bulb is busted + we need a flashlight + then we don't even know where to go when we get there.

It's tough + the real issues can be downright terrifying to confront.

I meet so many people that just want to "lose 5lbs" (or more), "have clearer skin," "get toned," or "just look different." I'll be honest, there's not always much I can do for you in the looks department (that might just be the nose you were born with, I think it's great, I hope you embrace it), + generally I'm not all that interested in reasons related to just losing a bunch of weight. Now, if your ultimate goal is weight loss, I'm so down to help you get there but I'm not gonna let you take the easy way out.

Because the easy way out doesn't even work. Shallow goals don't make for deep roots of lasting change. Crash diets may cut enough bloat out of your system to lose a few pounds, but they're coming right back as soon as you slip up + eat something salty or drink a soda. I can tell when you're scared because when I explain to you what I do as a coach you change the subject, or you make an excuse.

+ no, I don't judge you.

Because I understand.

I mentioned in my first post how I've been vegan for about 8 years. Well, that came with many many stops + starts along the way. I don't know how many times I tried out "vegetarianism" for a few hours or at most a couple days starting in high school + through college. + I mean, that's fair, right? Those are not really years that anyone is all to serious about anything (or at least I wasn't, I didn't even technically graduate high school). As much as I thought animals were important or recognised eating more vegetables would be way healthier than...well...anything I ate during that period (they served these hot pocket things in the cafeteria + I ate those almost every day, I know, the shame), it just wasn't something I wanted to really face in my life. Changing the way I ate would mean changing huge parts of my lifestyle.

I mean, I went to school in Alabama, y'all...eating veggie would mean never eating with my friends (or so I thought).

So uprooting my whole eating mindset meant uprooting what little social standing I had. I have always been an introvert, + one of the few places I could be comfortable was over a meal with a small gathering of friends in deep conversation.

But when confronted with a severe dairy allergy (cystic, painful skin reactions, not fun at all) I had to do something. I had already made a baby step + stopped eating meat, + began cutting dairy out followed by anything not plant-based. I researched vegan nutrition + general veganism even more, becoming more convicted + solidified in my decision.

Not only did my allergy clear up, but I felt better overall...+ I didn't lose any friends.

It's funny the thing we are most afraid of losing by changing sometimes is more irrational than any phobia of snakes, or spiders, or small spaces (or leeches, seriously I will never not be mad afraid of those).

Maybe it's just vanity that makes us want to change our outer appearance, so we'll never do any real work to actually make a difference. But I think most of the time it really does come down to fear. 

I want my friends + family to be healthy. I don't want them to leap from crash diet to weird fitness fad to "miracle pill." No, I don't pressure anyone to eat vegan, but I do encourage them to eat whole foods + get moving.

The unhealthiest thing I witness most of the time is how people think about diet + exercise. So it's a mental game before it ever becomes a physical one. You have to see the value of uprooting your existing deal + plant a better, sustainable way to live + grow. + you have to do it because you see the value of yourself, because being healthy isn't just going to help you lose a bunch of weight, it's going to give you the energy to pursue your passions, to find out what those are, even. It's going to start a ripple in you that spreads to the way you take on the world, your relationships, + your future. 

Being healthy isn't just about the size of your butt, is what I'm saying. You could have the tiniest waist + the fattest mind. I'm not here to just help you shave off ten pounds for your sisters wedding, I want you to feel like yourself, to see yourself lovingly without even looking in a mirror. I want you to feel strong + powerful + ready to take on all the good + bad + in between life throws at you.

Everyone should have that. You don't have to give up the things most important to you to live healthy + confront what's holding you back from doing so. You might even be surprised to find the people rooting you on, the relationships that improve, the new joys that meet you.

When it's right, it's right...+ you'll grow deep + strong + be unswayed by silly fads. As I go through my coaching business I am constantly reminded what a blessing it is to be encouraged to develop my mind just as much if not more than I develop my body. Your brain is a muscle that needs to get worked as much as any other part of you, + to create change that lasts it's where you have to start.

So, for sure, it can be scary to face those things that create bad habits. But when storms come along, wouldn't you rather have done it so that you're this big strong tree that doesn't get knocked down by the wind?