If you're struggling with consistently moving that body of yours...

Let’s do a compete reframe with movement & exercise.

This is especially needed if you find yourself struggling with…

Being consistent. 

An all-or-nothing mentality.

In these cases, there is a fundamental lack of *true* respect for our bodies, and we’re MUCH too focused on the surface level bullshit.

No judgment, btw, as I’ve been sitting squarely in each category!🙋🏻‍♀️

The solution?

Consider the worst case scenario with your body—[this has to be something that would severely limit your ability to move to the extent you’re capable of today].

Sounds dark, but stay with me!🙃

For me, I’ve always feared becoming paralyzed and not having the ability to use my legs.

Whenever I find myself wanting to take the escalator, elevator, a short uber ride, or go to the gym, I imagine what it would feel like to *NOT* have the privilege of movement.

Because that’s exactly what it is: a privilege.

This doesn’t mean you that you go overboard with excessive exercise either, because that’s demonstrating a lack of respect for your body, too.

Start viewing your body as a gift for YOU to live this beautiful life in rather than a greeting card for others to look at & watch your relationship with exercise transform.

How are you respecting your body with movement today?

Why Making Changes with Your Food Behaviors is SO. DAMN. DIFFICULT!

Human behavior isn’t compartmentalized.

That’s right.

The old adage of,

“How you do one thing is how you do everything.”,

really is true!

Especially when it comes to how you interact with food.

Some common examples:

• The woman who lacks boundaries & is afraid to use her voice allows others to dictate her food choices. This means listening to others (diets, “gurus”, doctors, family, etc.) over her own body & preferences. She likely uses food to numb/soothe too!

• The woman who needs to be liked by others & changes based on her surroundings eats & drinks what everyone else is eating & drinking.

• The woman who’s afraid to step outside of the box with how she lives her life (can’t stray from the predetermined plan!) is sticking to the foods & routines she knows & is comfortable with.

• The woman who believes she & her life are for others—not herself—is going to succumb to societal norms with food & body. Pleasing others is more important than being true to herself.

• The woman whose energy is scattered, is moving at 100 mph, and is constantly seeking the next thrill eats quickly & without presence. 

• The woman who is afraid of experiencing pleasure makes food choices that are often quite boring! She’s fearful of her own enjoyment.

There are endless possibilities here, but you can see that your relationship with food is a mirror for your relationship with SO MANY other facets of life!

Most importantly, your relationship with yourself.

Instead of *just* looking at food, how can you start to make adjustments with how you’re showing up in LIFE?

At first glance, this might seem like a much bigger mountain to climb, but it isn’t!

In fact, if you start focusing on your foundation (belief systems, relationship with self, relationship with life) rather than the surface, not only will the changes actually last, but they’ll be much easier to come by.

For today, just start with awareness. Start drawing those parallels between how you interact with food and the other areas of your life!

My Response to People Saying That More Freedom with Food Leads to Eating Donuts & Watching Netflix All Day

There's a common narrative today when it comes to a more "intuitive" way of eating (although I don't subscribe to "intuitive eating" in the way many do).

It usually goes something like this:

"Well, my intuition tells me to eat donuts and pizza and watch netflix every day, and it's what led me to gain weight in the first place."

I'm calling bullshit.

This way of thinking is just plain lazy.

It’s surface-level, and it’s why we find ourselves in this whole diet confused mess to begin with!

Why are so many people thinking this way?

Because they don’t want to look at WHY we eat the way we do.

At first glance, this approach is more difficult to practice, implement & coach (🙋🏻‍♀️), but that’s really only in the short-term.

Giving you numbers to hit and sending you on your merry way would make my job a HELL of a lot easier, but it wouldn’t change anything in any meaningful way.

It’s just the tip of the iceberg, when what you REALLY *need* (not want), is a complete transformation of your foundation!

💥A better understanding of your own preferences, goals, values, & body.

💥Exploration of what foods, habits & behaviors make you and your body come alive!

💥An individualized definition of health—you decide what that means.

💥Increased self-worth.

💥Stronger boundaries.

💥More tools to manage day-to-day stressors & emotions outside of food and controlling your body.

💥A realignment of your energy with your values (is your life truly fulfilling?).

💥Some damn respect for the vessel you’re experiencing life in.

Do these things take more time than following a set of macros or blindly adhering to a list of approved foods?

FUCK👏🏻 YES👏🏻

But these are the things that will make it so you don’t have to follow these things one year from now!

Stop being so willing to choose a “side” and turning your critical thinking skills off as a result.

You know SO much more than you think you do! You may just need some guidance on how to get there✨

Have a wonderful week, and remember that YOU are the one/thing/idea you've been waiting for!

If you don’t want to be standing in the exact same spot with food one year from now…

Then you have to stop seeking short-term gratification.

I know, I know—it feels so damn good (now) to watch the changes occur rapidly & to succumb to every whim!

But how has that worked for you thus far?

I’m guessing not well, or you wouldn’t be here😜

While *patience* may not be the sexiest word on the planet, it’s a HUGE sign of maturity. And it’s a requirement for a long-lasting, healthy relationship with food!

You have to be willing to sacrifice your desire for quick endorphin hits for deep & sustainable health—mentally & physically.

Make no mistake! If you’re consistently…

• Bouncing around from one extreme to the other (all-or-nothing)

• Obsessed with your tightly controlled & miserable routine.

• Eating a bunch of shit that doesn’t serve you all the time (YOLO)

• Refusing to look at your emotional state & are seeking escape.

• Focusing on your appearance at the expense of your mental & physical health…

You’re sacrificing your future self.

You’re letting your ego or monkey brain run the show instead of the real-mature-evolved-deeply-knowing you make the decisions.

What does patience (& maturity) look like?

• Developing a positive relationship with food BEFORE pursuing aesthetic goals.

• Learning skills to navigate discomfort outside of food, exercise & manipulating your body.

• Taking the time to understand WHY you interact with food & your body the way you do.

• Prioritizing physical health over aesthetic goals.

• Taking the time to learn about your own body, preferences, & goals rather than blindly following everyone else’s.

These outcomes are what everyone wants, but very few are willing to put in the work. To sacrifice child-like temptations (I get them too, big time!).

But I promise you—you’ll be SO DAMN HAPPY, PROUD, & EMPOWERED when you do!

Not Sure How to Tap Into Those Hunger & Fullness Cues Yet? You May Need This First!

Hunger and fullness cues often feel very elusive to every single one of my clients, and this is a huge source of frustration and confusion.

"How the hell do you expect me to listen to and trust my body if I don't have any clue what it's telling me?"

Fair question. Very fair!

This issue stems from overriding those hunger and fullness cues that you were once so familiar with as a child.

The good news? You absolutely had the ability to understand and listen to those cues at one point in your life, so it's just a matter of removing the diet layers to get back there!

It's possible, I promise.🙌

This is especially true if you have a history of:

• Going to extremes with an "all-or-nothing" approach—usually under-eating followed by bingeing

• Strictly following regimented eating times & quantities (often happens with tracking macros or following meal plans)

• Under-eating consistently—intentionally or unintentionally

• Eating a lot of processed foods, which can lead to blood sugar dysregulation

• Overeating most of the time.

As you can see, every person BUT a moderate, balanced, & instinctive eater falls into this category.😜

This means that YOU likely need to have some structure before you can fully rely on your hunger and fullness cues. It's very understandable, really, so don't beat yourself up!🙅🏻‍♀️

This structure often looks like:

• Eating every 3-4 hours

• Eating mostly unprocessed foods

• Balancing your day (or plate) with adequate protein, fat, carbs, and fiber

• Sleeping consistently with a routine

• Moving regularly while NOT overdoing it with exercise

• Managing stress, as it can cause hormones to get pretty whacky, leading to blood sugar issues & appetite changes.

No need to be obsessive about ANY of these, but the more you can consistently implement, the better.

As always, your motivation behind these choices matter more than the actions themselves!💕

A Statement From My Dad That Left Me SHOOK

“Your body is one of your greatest tools. Have fun with it!”

• Bill Golden, my dad

I was discussing my work with him a couple weeks ago, and as we mulled over body image, he candidly made the statement above.

It stopped me dead in my tracks.

So simple, yet so profound.

Also the perspective of someone who’s never struggled with any body image hang-ups.

Rain or shine, 20 lbs. up or down, he shows up as the exact same person.

He’s had goals to gain or lose weight as HE sees fit, but he’s never allowed any iteration of his body to deter him from showing up in this world.

We can discuss the differences in pressure that women are subjected to versus men, sure. Although men are absolutely not immune to similar pressures and side effects.

However, I believe it’s really important to seek the perspectives of those who *don’t* have body image hang-ups.

Engage in these discussions, seek alternative view-points, and get out of your own head.

You may be surprised at how differently you view the world and—just maybe—that beautiful vessel you’re experiencing this world in.

Now, let’s go have some fun with these bodies of ours, shall we?

You can find me playing in nature, in the gym, or in yoga class with mine!

What about you?

5 Ways Science Reduced My Food Obsession

With the big cahuna at the end!

You see, I spent years & years of my life blindly following diet trends and believe anything I heard. 

This was the result of pure desperation, and it’s a common place to be!

It’s a dangerous one too, because we lose sight of the long game.

What were the biggest lies (that many still believe)?

1. Can’t gain fat without carbs—You mean I spent YEARS of my life obsessively manipulating my carb intake for absolutely no reason? Yep. Optimal levels vary depending on size, activity level, gender, hormonal function, etc., but they don’t inherently lead to fat gain or ill health. In fact, my well-being greatly improved once increased, as is the case with many clients.

2. Eat lots of fat to burn lots of fat—another aspect of the Atkins, low-carb era, and we’re seeing this again with the prevalence of keto. Fat is the most calorically dense of all macros, so they add up quickly. Necessary for optimal function, but they don’t have magical fat-burning properties. If you’re free-basing butter & coconut oil without expected results, you’re not broken. This idea is.

3. Sugar is addictive—do you stand in the kitchen and drool over a bag of sugar? Don’t think so. Sugar is, however, mostly found in processed foods that combine sugar, salt, and fat—a HIGHLY palatable combo. It’s not the sugar prompting you to overeat.

4. Eat several meals per day to increase the metabolism—I still hear this one a LOT, which is the opposite end of the “intermittent fasting” extreme. Eat when you want & in a way that works for your body and lifestyle.

5. Calories don’t count—this is one of the most problematic. You know I’m not a huge fan of counting calories or macros, but this idea is important. They absolutely DO count, and ignoring this concept will lead to a lot of frustration. This should be liberating, not restrictive, as it simplifies everything!

Our intuition will naturally lead us to understanding these concepts, but a period of “un-learning” is required.

We fall into these traps when we try to out-think our bodies--Mother Nature wins every time.

Which one did/do you believe?