Needless to say...don’t read this if period talk or personal stories bother you!
“You can do this!” I say as I take two more ibuprofen. I sort through my leggings and find the black pair that has some, but not too much, compression. My belly feels large and heavy as I pull the waist band up and over. Now that my oversized sweats have been replaced with uncomfortable fitted leggings, I search for a loose shirt. Being a group fitness instructor means class must go on! I can’t cancel classes monthly so…I take a deep breath and hope that the ibuprofen works well enough to keep me from feeling like my insides are being ripped out. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE what I do…I just wish my body was more cooperative! I’m far from the only woman who dreads each month.
We don't talk about periods very often yet so many of us suffer each month. I am interested in other women's experiences. Maybe you are too. Continue reading for mine.
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Questions I've heard more than once: How do I shrink my belly? How do I get rid of arm “flab”? How do I get six pack abs? How do I get toned? How do I get smaller legs? These questions are similar and quite familiar to personal trainers. Of course the answer is: it depends! Many factors will come into it AND honestly, sometimes the answer is...You don’t! You focus on other things instead. For the most part, you likely have a pretty good idea of what you need to do and may have attempted and even achieved your desired results previously …but it’s not that simple, right? I’m not gonna lay out a weight loss or six pack abs plan for you here. But I will present a few important areas of consideration. Before you lift a weight, break a sweat, or modify your caloric intake in an effort to change a specific body part, consider the following questions.
Why do you want to change that particular body part? In order to sustain the effort needed to make these types of changes, it’s important to have a strong and defined why. Sometimes when we delve into the desire for change, we discover it is based on a previous negative experience, comparing our bodies to others or the bodies of our youth, or something deeper like improved health, self-confidence, strength or endurance. You may find that your desire isn't so much the arms or stomach or legs, it's what they represent to you. Body image issues and negative focus on specific body parts is pretty much a universally-shared experience among women. It’s okay to seek change or "improvement" but at the same time it is necessary to practice self-acceptance, self-compassion, and the realization that perfect bodies, especially as seen on Instagram, don't exist. The discipline of writing something down is the first step towards making it happen. Forty realistic things to do/continue doing/stop doing in less than four months (in no particular order):
1. Travel to a place I’ve never been (One down Pass-a-Grille, FL 6/2019) 2. Try SUP (stand-up paddle boarding) 3. Go see a local band 4. Buy a lottery ticket (Done! Not a winner!) 5. Try 4 new-to-me restaurants (Done!) 6. Learn how to make Finnish braided bread and do it 7. Buy an outfit that’s out of character…better yet, let a friend choose (Done!) 8. Celebrate with friends (Done x2) 9. Meet my dad for the first time in a decade (Done x2) 10. Finish my home office (Done!) 11. Go to a local coffee shop (Done!) 12. Create a big list of things to do before 50! (Working on it!) 13. Eat a vegetable I’ve never had before (Done!) 14. Try a new hairstyle or color (Got it cut shorter than I've ever had it!) 15. Watch the sunset with Tony (Done!) 16. Read 4 more books (Done!) 17. Toes in sand, beer in hand (Done!) 18. Schedule a regular massage (May done, June done, July done!) 19. Take a short trip with mom (This fall) 20. Run a 5K (wasn't up for extra cardio -teaching a lot of Jazzercise classes right now!) I love my dogs. I love ALL dogs. They make me happy until they make me very sad (Cue the song "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan and heartbreaking doggie eyes looking at you from behind wire cages...) I look at my two guys sprawled in a soft, fluffy dog bed and think, these are two lucky pups. But I’m lucky too. They make my life better and, in a funny way, they reinforce some of life’s little lessons.
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