Being Big - And Loving It

I aspire to have this mentality. Erin Brown is my idol. I recently acquired her book and can't wait to dive in.

Since I let go of my own damaging self-talk, I have found so many things to love and celebrate about my body at every size. But here is what I enjoy about being big:

It feels rebellious.

Having spent so much time and energy in the past beating myself up for being big, loving my bigness feels like a revolution. There are so many ways women are asked to be small, that being proud of being “big” feels wonderfully radical. It’s a tiny victory in a lifetime of feeling shame over my size.

 https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/big/

Rewards: Dangerous Territory

As a general rule, intrinsic motivation > extrinsic motivation.

If the outcome of your goal (say, exercise three times a week consistently) is the prize itself (you've made exercise a habit, woo hoo!), you will be more likely to succeed rather than setting a reward for its achievement, which creates a mental "finish line" which begs the question...now what?

This post talks about the same thing in terms of food-as-reward - it's a quick read, go enjoy:

The difference between allowing an indulgence and deserving one suggests an element of worthiness unbecoming of eating a simple danish. When we give a simple treat reward value, we exalt it to a level that allows for a fair amount of control over how we behave. And even worse, our misguided importance of said indulgence may sometimes give us license to use it as a means of self-sabotage.

http://markfisherfitness.com/blog/the-cherry-danish-conundrum-are-you-worthy-enough/

Positivity: A How-To Guide

If Rog Law writes it, you should read it.

It's that simple.

http://roglawfitness.com/how-to-be-positive/

Eating Disorders: Awareness is Step One

February 21 - 27 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

Here are two points of fact I read on the website that chilled me to the bone and made me tear up and also made me want to scream in rage:

• Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental disorder and 30 million Americans will suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their life.
• With treatment, 60% of eating disorder sufferers will make a full recovery.

What in the WHAT now?

Highest mortality rate of any mental disorder? Worse than depression?! That surprised me, and yet I realized the very symptoms of an ED can kill the sufferer, without intervention. Denied nutrition, how could the body survive?

And while they are proud of the 60% who can recover, I'm over here screaming that ONLY 60% make a full recovery? That means the other 40% spend the rest of their life battling issues with eating, something that is necessary for their daily survival - unlike someone battling alcohol or drugs, where pure abstinence is an option (and often a more effective one than moderation).

That breaks my heart.

So if you are even remotely diet-focused, please, click this link; it is a short, simple, FREE screening of indicators for eating disorders: http://screening.mentalhealthscreening.org/neda

I took it and rated as low risk, but I can clearly, sadly, see that 5 years ago, I would have answered MUCH differently, and I wonder (often) how it might have helped me, if only I'd known what I was fighting.

Take it. Seek help and investigate a diagnosis if you have even the slightest concerns about your mental health and/or eating habits.

The help you receive may just save your precious, priceless life.

Shut Up, You're Amazing

Stefani is one of my favorites. She's smart, and she's real, and she's helpful. What more could you possibly need?

I know who and what I am. I know my limitations. I know many of my weak spots. I know that I have many weak spots that I don’t even know about. Those things existing do not in any sense take away from who I am. They are a part of me. They are a part of this girl who has grown up and developed in all these complex ways, who has a terrible temper she inherited from her father, who is impatient and feisty and so obnoxiously rebellious. My weaknesses are a part of the whole package of me. I know who that package is. I accept it. I try to make it better.

But I am what I am… and why not let it be awesome?

She is like my internal voice on my good days, which I've had less of lately - and I sure do miss feeling good about myself. When I'm down I can't focus on my awesomeness; it's monumentally hard to just get through the day without bawling.

But when I'm me, when I'm normal, when my hormones and neurons are doing what they're supposed to... then I do like myself, and I have fun being me, and I do the sort of stuff she writes about in this post, and I can tell you that it WORKS.

Honestly, Stefani is one of the reasons I'm able to have more good days than bad. Go read, you amazing badass.

http://paleoforwomen.com/repeat-after-me-shut-up-im-amazing/

That Voice In Your Head

Do Negative Body Thoughts Rule Your Life?

Or is it just me?

It can't be just me.

Read this, and then read all her other stuff, too: http://summerinnanen.com/negative-body-thoughts

What NOT to Eat

5 things NOT to eat when trying to get LEAN

This is from one of my real-life friends, and it's GOLD:

I use to be that person who would try to follow someone else’s meal plan. I would crush it the first 2 days and then slowly dwindle with my compliance. I’d grow madder and madder as the days of me failing the “diet” far outnumbered the days I crushed it.

Instead of thinking, “hey, this just isn’t for me.” I’d be determined to make it work.

The thing is…. It won’t.

Enjoy my girl: http://holeabruggman.com/getlean/