Today, I no longer exercise because I hate my body.

I spent YEARS of my life exercising and moving my body from a place of fear.

The way I used to approach exercise👇🏼
❌ i thought more cardio was better
❌ i thought 2-a-days were the secret to 6-pack abs
❌ if i didn’t leave the gym feeling completely drained, then i didn’t go hard enough
❌ the gym would always come before social outings
❌ even when i felt fatigued and sore i would still push myself to “go hard”
❌ i exercised to burn calories ❌ i had a paralyzing fear of weight gain
❌ even if i didn’t get a restful night’s sleep i would still stick to my training schedule
❌ holidays and travel would stress me out because i knew my routine would be disrupted
❌ i used the ‘competitive athlete’ title as a way to justify exercising more

What that approach got me: 👇🏼
❌ i lost my period for 3+ years ❌ i was constantly injured
❌ my body was puffy & inflamed
❌ i’m still dealing with hormonal issues from overexercising
❌ intense cravings and ravenous hunger (from overtraining)
❌ i lived off coffee to get through the day
❌ i had no energy for anything else in my life
❌ my weight fluctuated from being at an unhealthy low weight to being at my heaviest. i never felt “at home” in my body

Today, my approach to movement looks a lot different 👇🏼
✔️ i prioritize rest and recovery 😴
✔️ i have the time and the energy for hobbies 🥋
✔️ i rarely do metcons/conditioning
✔️ i focus on resistance training over cardio 💪🏼
✔️ i LISTEN to my body. that means some days my movement is a walk or nothing at all, the biggest difference here is that I’m not consumed by guilt
✔️ I’m loving my daily walks and yoga sessions — these feel so nourishing for my mind & body🧘🏼‍♀️
✔️ i don’t “earn” my calories in the gym anymore, nor do i punish myself for eating a meal out or enjoying a delicious cookie #teamcookie 🍪
✔️ most importantly, i don’t feel guilty when I don’t make it to the gym. one missed workout doesn’t make or break my progress and goals ✨
✔️ i’m happier and healthier (mentally, physically, and emotionally) than I’ve ever been ☀️

By no means did this transformation happen overnight. I’m not saying that what’s currently working for me will work for you. I also know that as we change and evolve, our exercise, food, and lifestyle habits change too. That’s the cool thing about being a human, we have the autonomy and flexibility to change our daily habits and practices to serve us in different seasons of our lives.