New Year, New You

Every past new years resolution that I can think of was always to lose weight. It was always to finally buckle down after the holidays and lose all that extra body fat and to look like those models in the magazines! So many people have that exact same goal. They believe since it's the new year, they will just cut out sweets and sugar and be sure to hit the gym every day and get this amazing body they have always wanted. The idea is there, and it probably last about 3 weeks i'm willing to bet.(I think when I made those resolutions they only lasted about two days.) This cycle is becoming the norm for people because they aren't taught any different. They think to lose weight they have to restrict their calories, up their exercise and restrict all the 'bad ' foods. When the scale doesn't budge or they just cant hold out one second longer, they binge and become mad at themselves for not having enough will power.....again. What a crappy cycle that we have put ourselves through.

Before I get too far along in this blog I want to give you some crazy statistics that I got directly from www.nationaleatingdisorders.org

• 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life
•  4 out of 10 Americans either suffered or have known someone who has suffered from an eating disorder 
•  By age 6, girls especially start to express concerns about their own weight or shape 
•  40-60% of elementary school girls (ages 6-12) are concerned about their weight or about becoming too fat. This concern endures through life 
•  46% of 9 to 11-year-olds are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets and 82% of their families are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets 
•  35% of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 20-25% progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders 
•  Over one-half of teenage girls and nearly one-third of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting and taking laxatives 
•  40% of newly identified cases of anorexia are in girls 15-19 years old  
•   Most fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women
•   For females between 15- and 24-years-old who suffer from anorexia nervosa, the mortality rate associated with the illness is 12 times higher than the death rate of all other causes of death.  
  

To me, these are heart breaking facts. Most of you know by now that I suffered from Bulimia for about 10 years. I cant even think of a word that could describe what kind of hell it was for me. Luckily, I sought out help and worked on overcoming it for almost 3 years. It has been a goal of mine for a very long time to raise awareness of the issue and to help all women (eating disorder or not) to have a healthy relationship with food and their bodies. It is a new, crazy concept for most women to love themselves and treat their bodies right. I know it was for me.

When I first started getting help I was on that terrible cycle of restricting, binge eating, purging, taking fat burners, working out for hours on the treadmill, etc. I was scared to eat out at restaurants and scared to eat any foods on my 'bad' list. I wished multiple times that food didn't even exist. Now I am one extreme. Maybe that is not you, but maybe you have been caught up in an unhealthy cycle of trying to lose weight. Maybe you've been restricting and binge eating and just can't get out of the cycle. My goal is to teach you how to tell that cycle to go to hell.

I remember when the nutritionist I went to told me I first have to stop trying to lose weight. (and please remember that I was 40 pounds heavier than I am now). I laughed. And to be perfectly honest, I didn't buy into the idea for probably a couple YEARS after that. Now that I've been living it I know exactly what she means. Lately I've had people commenting on how much weight I've lost, asking what diet i'm on, what workouts i'm doing, etc...It's funny, but the truth is, I've stopped trying. For the past couple years I have stopped trying to lose weight, stopped trying to count calories and follow a crazy workout plan. Instead, I've gotten to know my body pretty damn good.

It may sound silly, but I believe this is the best way to put it. Your body, should be your friend. You wouldn't starve your friend, you wouldn't hurt your friend. You would not look at your friend and say girl, you got fat! I use to treat my body like crap. We were not in sync. But now I realize how smart my body is and how it can tell me exactly what it needs. It can tell me if i'm hungry, tired, craving a run, literally everything. I stopped focusing on calories, workout plans and the scale. Instead I put the focus on feeding my body whole, natural and healthy foods. I started listening to it and realizing the difference of when it needs to rest and when it's craving a hard workout. I give my body the sleep it deserves and I have thrown out all the negative self talk. The outside results will happen, but first you have to get to know your body a little better. So how do we do this?

1. You need to gain your bodies trust back. It's got to believe that it is going to be fed through out the day and not starved.

2. You have to be nice to it. No name calling, fat shaming or any other negativity. Replace those mean words with positive ones whether you believe them or not right now.

3. Really, really, really listen to it. Are you tired? Rest. Are you out of sync? Meditate. Are you stressed? Go for a run, clear your mind, hit the gym, listen to what it wants.

4. Give in to your cravings. Do not feel like it is a bad thing to enjoy your food. If you want a piece of pie, eat it guilt free. Savor it, taste it and enjoy it!

These are the first steps to start with. So I urge you, instead of making this new years resolution about perfection, weight loss and fitting into this perfect mold; make it about getting to know your body. Make this new year about earning your bodies trust back and loving it again. My biggest goal is to teach women how to love themselves, love their body and not feel ashamed about taking time for themselves and liking who they are. The weight loss, appearance and physical goals will come, but we first have to learn how to to love ourselves.

If you need any help ever, please do not hesitate to contact me.

-Hanna Kuyper
iAM Lifestyle and Fitness Coach