Here on the East Coast, we are approaching the warmer weather, which means we will be swapping our leggings and pants for warm weather dresses! Yay!

But it’s also right around the time that we all start panicking about getting our ‘bikini bodies’ ready. I’d like to ask you what exactly is a ‘bikini body?’ I’m pretty sure the last time I checked, it meant all you need is a body and bathing suit! That’s it.

I’ve been guilty of it, working for my ‘beach body’ and changing my diet to experience the same. There was a time when I would completely starve myself to get to a certain size, but not anymore. That ship has successfully sailed. I will be honest with you, though, accepting where you are at and LOVING yourself completely and fully hasn’t always been such an easy road for me.

The problem isn’t with your body, the problem is what you think of it… and what you think of yourself.

I know it’s a tough one to swallow. It wasn’t until I accepted full radical responsibility for my thoughts, actions and beliefs around my body. Some of you may know, I struggled with an eating disorder for over a decade. To this day, I have reminders for myself to help acknowledge that it’s not about the size I wear, but the way I actually wear my size. Do I step into my jeans with confidence? Do I put on my bathing suit with confidence? If not, why not? Who said your body should look a certain way? I think it’s safe to say your weight WILL NEVER DEFINE YOUR WORTH. EVER.

I think it’s safe to say that everyone sees beauty differently. Yes, of course, there are norms set out by social media for what is beautiful and those gradually change over time and evolve… like fashion.

What if we could start shifting people's minds through conversation about body image. About confidence. About BEAUTY and that shape is GOOD... Ultimately, taking care of yourself will bring you to YOUR OWN optimal beauty. Your body wants nothing but health, and wouldn’t you agree that HEALTH is BEAUTY? It's clear skin. Strong muscles. It's 8 hours of sleep. Its strong nails and luminous hair. It's hitting the beat in spin class and letting the sweat pour out of your pores as you detox your healthy body. It's the gym, perhaps hiring a personal trainer, if you don’t like the gym you could always hire a virtual trainer, like my program here. Not only that, but it’s a walk outside. It's the grocery store. It’s picking healthy restaurants and healthy options.

There is a future for every single one of us who has struggled with body image. Trust me when I say there is a way to get stronger and more confident. Listen to what you want and not what society tells you to be. If you want to get in shape, DO it for YOU, but don’t do it because you feel pressured by someone else.

With added accountability and investing in yourself that we COLLECTIVELY show up more.

Feed your body with the good. Find outlets to discuss what you are going through, this is where my coach comes in for me. Yes, even a coach has a coach! I like to challenge myself weekly and monthly, set goals and make sure I have the surrounding accountability to make sure follow through happens. I THRIVE with accountability! Totally THRIVE.

I’ve seen it time and time again, with added accountability and investing in yourself, that we collectively SHOW UP more. WHY? Well, how many of you have noticed that when you have a workout buddy, you are far more likely to show up at the gym? Making a commitment to do a certain thing at a certain time and knowing someone outside ourselves is expecting us to follow through increases our success in doing so.

I’ve met clients who say they can be accountable to themselves. While that’s a lovely thought, most of us are less than stellar at keeping our word with ourselves and tend to far better when we give our word to someone else. I want to say its science, but it’s honestly the way it is. Invest in yourself, and you create movement for yourself.

So why is it that we do so much better when someone else, perhaps a coach, is involved? Well, because it honestly takes a village to work with our Conditioned Self. By that I mean, the part of us that has developed to protect us, typically in childhood, from judgment, hurt, and shame.

We all like to believe we’re capable of running 100% of our existence by ourselves, yet it is so truthfully and sometimes painfully obvious that we don’t know what we don’t know. In other words, oftentimes we’re blind to our own barriers to success. And these barriers to our success oftentimes masquerade as logical-sounding reasons why we cannot accomplish what we’re fully capable of accomplishing. Does this resonate with you?

Unfortunately, that Conditioned Self part of us still functions in a child-like capacity so its skills at taking care of us are very limited, and often unproductive. Our Conditioned Self is stuck in fear-based thinking, reactive, worrisome, anxious, feels heavy and burdened, contracted, negative, distorted in its views, and trapped in a victim stance. You can see how this is not conducive to success, either personally or professionally.

On the other hand, when you have a coach or a mentor, they end up holding you to a different standard. They support you operating from your Authentic Self. Here are a few signs that you are in your Authentic Self:

Connecting through faith vs fear-based thinking
Taking positive action and steps forward
Reaching out for support (vulnerability)
Expansive thinking
Feeling empowered and self-loving
Breathing fully, and feeling energetically light

Wouldn’t you agree that this is a much more productive way to stay on track with goals, which will over time ultimately lead you to success in your business and your life?

Do you feel stuck locating your Authentic Self? Hit reply to this post here, I want to hear from you!

In case you missed it, I promised my favorite lasagna recipe. I hope you love as much as me!

Tips:

I am serious about taking good care of my skin and weekly, I get asked what my skincare routine looks like.

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