Mirrors in our Gym and Body Image..

Like a child dancing in front of a mirror..

After watching our children dance in front of our Gym mirrors to their favorite song (you’re welcome – Moana!! Of course). I watched on with such admiration at their confidence.. and I was thinking…. What’s the issue with adults and mirrors? Children absolutely love moving in front of the mirrors. You can see them refining their movement and watching action and reaction. Really solidifying that body-mind connection. They have no skewed view of themselves. Just pure joy at how they can command their bodies to move!

So when did this become distorted for us? When did we start to apply harsh judgement on our image? When did we stop loving what we saw?

We made the decision to install mirrors in our Gym to help our members perfect their technique to maximize movement efficiency and reduce the risk of injury. Plain and simple. It’s about moving in the right ways. No ego! Wear your K-mart gears or well worn shoes, we DGAF what you look like. You’re here making a positive change, so we already think you’re awesome!!

What I didn’t expect to hear was the outward cry of “I hate mirrors”… Now I’ll be the first to admit I have struggled with the post baby body image. I would always pull at my stomach or love handles, thinking about a time when I was different. With no change in sight… I realized.. no amount of dieting, wishful thinking or exercising would create a “oh now I’m happy” stage. So what did I do?

I put this sticky note on my mirror and every time I saw myself, I would say .. “I love my body”. Huge change. It takes time to re write your scripts. But it works. Just stick to it.

What does “I love my body” mean to you? Changing my inner voice is shaping my mirror image. We know perception is biased. But I have created a positive bias, to see only love. Not hate or disappointment. What has followed is that very same pledge. I LOVE MY BODY…. So I don’t want to trash it or treat it like shit. I don’t want to keep putting junk into it. I’m not going to let my muscle waste away or my joints to become stiff from not using them well.

You are NOT your body. Your self worth should never be attached to it. But.. it is the only one you have got. So look after it. Fuel it well with the right foods and command it to move in safe ways that improve it. But most of all. Enjoy it!! Enjoy watching your incredible body transform as you continue to train and change your eating habits.

What you see is what you feel.. and what you feel is what you think. So change that FIRST and your body will follow suit.

AK