I know some of you have only known me since I’ve been a Beachbody coach, so this may come as a surprise to you… But I have not always been into health and fitness. I’m going to back this waaaay up and tell you my story.
I was always involved in sports growing up. Basketball, cheerleading and track were my things. I started with basketball and cheerleading in the fourth grade. I played basketball until the ninth grade when I realized I was awful and was never going to play. Rather than just sit and ride the bench, I stuck with cheerleading and let basketball go.
I was actually rather good at cheerleading. We were a competitive squad and I was a back, so there was a lot of throwing girls around. I was not a tumbler (not coordinated enough for gymnastics!), so I was basically doing stunts the entire routine. We cheered and competed almost year round with the exception of late spring. That’s where track came in. I was somehow chosen to run the 330 hurdles and throw shot put. I didn’t care about placing or winning. For me, running track was a way to keep in shape for cheerleading.
I was never really exposed to a gym, lifting or other traditional avenues for fitness until college. My college roommate used to drag me to the gym. I did a lot of cardio and learned how to use a few of the machines. I did enough to keep me mostly in shape. I ate horribly through college, like most college students do, and that continued after college as well.
It’s not until well after college when I realized that I had gained all the weight. You know how that goes, right? All the sudden, it was just there. I had many years of eating poorly and not exercising under my belt by then. I just didn’t think I needed it. Until I did.
Now obviously, it didn’t happen overnight. It wasn’t until one fateful New Years’ Eve and I couldn’t find anything that I felt comfortable in, let alone pretty. That was the absolute worst feeling ever. I will never forget how I felt that night.
Self-conscious
Awkward
Uncomfortable
Ugly
Overweight
I cried before we went out and wanted to come home immediately after the clock struck 12. Thankfully for me, the next day was a new start. It was January 1! Little did I know at the time, but I would get engaged just 8 days later.
Now the real work was about to begin. It wasn’t so hard to get myself to do the workouts. I worked out 4-5 times a week. It was slow going. At the time, I couldn’t figure out why. I knew what I shouldn’t be eating, but I wanted it anyway. And many times, I ate it anyway. But I was working out, so I should be able to enjoy these treats when I wanted them. Or so I thought.
It wasn’t until I found Beachbody that I really started to change my relationship with food. You see, once I was dedicated to it, the fitness portion has almost always been easy for me. It was the diet that has always held me back and even to this day, I struggle with it from time to time. However, I do know that you cannot out-exercise a bad diet. To get results, both have to be in sync and firing on all cylinders.
This is the thing that I have to beat into my own head every single day.
Food is fuel.
Food is not comfort.
Food is not healing.
Food is not a reward.
I am not a dog. I should not reward myself with food. Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with indulging in a wonderful, rich meal every now and then. However, food cannot fix what is wrong in your life and it will only make you feel better for the short-term.
As I said, I still struggle with food. It is not something that always comes easy to me. When I have a plan in place, I follow it. If I do not, I’m screwed. This is what I discuss with all of my challengers. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Period. I know some people have better self-control than me. I cannot even have bad food in my house or I will eat it. If you can avoid it, more power to you.
So why the long story? Because I know someone out there can relate to me. Someone out there struggles just like I do. Someone gets me. If you are that person, I want to talk to you. I want to help you. And in return, I want you to help me. You see, this whole Beachbody coaching thing is somewhat selfish. I need the accountability just as much as you do. I have been able to be successful by having people around who will keep me accountable. That is the only way I can do it. I bet you can too.
If you are interested in learning more about how I can help you, please email me (nicole@popefitness.com). I would love to help you create a healthier relationship with food and with yourself!
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