The Importance Of Body Love With Listen Lucy and Lovin Your #Flexie!
February 17, 2017 -
one comment, add yours
Happy Friday, friends! I’m currently in Chicago with my friends at Cybex working on some fun projects! This is just the start of some awesome travel for February.
In a few short weeks I will be traveling home to do my 4th annual BODYpeace Workshop with my Alma Mature high school. Each year we have close to 100 girls join in on the workshop and bring body love to not only themselves, but support others to do the same.
It is one of the BEST days of the year for me to see this message spread, especially in a high school!
It’s really awesome to see others that I went to school with out there making a positive difference for girls. My friend from high school, Jordan, is doing amazing things with her organization Listen Lucy. I’ve chatted about LL before in a blog post as I love sharing about and empowering other women.
Jordan was a true light of love in high school, on our soccer team, and continues to be that way through her own business while she impacts the lives of many.
With National Eating Disorders Awareness Week being right around the corner (Feb. 26-March 3), it always hits home with me and many others who have or are currently struggling with disordered eating.
I wrote a super detailed post here about NEDA week and why it hits home in 2015.
In order to bring some body positivity inspiration around this time — Jordan is encouraging others to share what they love about themselves in a boomerang video to promote self-love. I obviously LOVE this idea and jumped right on board with my boomerang.
I took a boomerang in the gym the other day showing that I LOVE the STRONG body that I’ve built over the years and with that, a stronger mind.
I believe that everything really begins in our heads and that is where the magic happens.
I think sometimes we’re afraid to post a selfie or a flexie (flexing selfie?) because we don’t want to be judged or seem cocky – but in reality — you should be dang PROUD of what you’ve built and your dedication to be stronger both mentally and physically.
Unfortunately I can’t figure out how to post my boomerang in my blog post BUT check my instagram to see it! ;] Here is a blurry screenshot that will do!
For me – the gym is my happy place. I love to work hard, be competitive, and feel the athlete inside of me come to life. It isn’t a place (like it once was) for me to only “burn calories” or “work off something I shouldn’t have eaten”.
If you know my story, you know that I’ve been through deep anxiety as a kid & then 2 eating disorders routing from that anxiety of change.
I highly recommend you taking a look at this post [here] & this post [here] to read a bit more about WHY I am so passionate to do what I do now and help others hopefully never go down the same path that I’ve been down.
Fitness and food use to be an all or nothing approach for me and if I wasn’t doing 2-a-days or eating perfectly “clean” then I was a failure…
In reality, I wasn’t a failure – I was just failing to be true to myself and listen to my body.
My body didn’t want to be in the gym 3 times a day or only eat chicken/rice/broccoli with mustard 3 times a day just to look a certain way…or what I thought was the “only way” to attain my “ideal body”.
Self love needs to be acknowledged and you should be PROUD of yourself and who you are as a person. Too often we compare ourselves to others to the point where we won’t share things we love about ourselves because in our minds, they may not be “good enough”.
Guess what…
YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH.
You are enough!
Everything about you.
Yes, you!
Holding your own light back is a disservice not only to yourself but to others because you never know who you will inspire.
I would be PUMPED if one of my clients posted a FLEXIE because they were proud of their strength! Insert my boy Kyle who has been killing it —-
Go follow him @bestbootyinbristol on instagram! He posts his adorable pugs and fitness inspiration! His journey started when he decided to make a change and wanted to FEEL good.
There is so much more to life and WE are the start of it. We are in control of living our lives to the fullest and sometimes that means taking a rest day or 2 or 3 because we need to recover in order to crush our next training session or go to yoga, or get a massage for some self-care….
Or maybe that means going out to dinner with my husband to our favorite burger place in town and getting the everything burger with fries because I love how it tastes and I allow balance in my life now because it’s good for my mental health.
Or maybe it’s that I want to stuff my face into a big kale and spinach salad with salmon and homemade olive oil dressing because I love to nourish my body with all kinds of macronutrients and micronutrients and I love that way that makes me feel.
Being true to who you are can be one of the most challenging things to do because of pressure to be like others…but I promise there is magic in the challenge and the more you tap into what makes you feel good and thrive — the more you are living your truth.
Join the BODYpeace & #ListenLucyBodyLove Movement and make sure to share it with us on social media (@ListenLucy & @Powercakes)!
Be true to you,
xo Kasey