I am not and never have been the skinniest girl in the room. For years, I’ve had issues accepting my body. I feel like, starting in high school, I was always trying one diet or another… but I was never happy with how my body looked.
As most of you know (because I talked about it here… and here), I have a personal trainer. My friend Kami – who, by the way is one of the most darling humans I know – has been my trainer for a few months now. And I’ve honestly never looked forward to working out so much in my life. Our workouts are always full of laughter (and cursing… so much cursing).
Though my weight or dress size hasn’t decreased by much in the months I’ve been working out with Kami, I have achieved my main goal: I feel stronger and more fit. I feel healthier than I have in years and that has nothing to do with the number on the scale. I have been using fitness to boost self-confidence… and it has worked.
What I’m Wearing:
Bra: Panache / Pants: Zella, sold out (similar, similar) / Sweater: Athleta, c/o / Sneakers: Nike
Let’s deal with the elephant in the room: I’ve never gone shirtless in a blog post or on my social media before. I’ve never posted myself in a swimsuit – not even on Instagram Stories. I really tend to steer clear of wearing tight clothes. And a lot of that has to do with my own self-consciousness about my body.
For years, every time I’ve looked in the mirror, I’ve focused on the negatives. My stomach is flabby and so pale that it reflects light into outer space (but really). My thighs have touched literally since I was born. AKA I never once had a thigh gap. I’d never been actually sad after looking in the mirror… but I’d also never been happy. My emotion after seeing myself in the mirror usually seesawed between ambivalence and disappointment.
If you’re planning on using fitness to boost self-confidence, I have one piece of advice for you: focus on what you can achieve instead of what you look like.
Four months ago, I started off with doing bicep curls with 8 pound weights (on a good day). Now, I can do balance challenges and bicep curls at the same time… and I’m curling 15-20 pound weights in each hand. I can do more reps with more weight on just about every activity. I can squat lower, I feel stronger, and I can almost do a real pushup (still working on that last one).
Now, when I look in the mirror, I see all of the positives. I see the muscle definition in my biceps and legs. My butt is higher and more defined. I’m still paler than those Twilight vampires and many would tell me I have a few pounds to lose, but, despite all of that, I’m happy with and proud of what I see in the mirror. And a lot of that is attributed to the fact that I’ve committed to my fitness regimen and I’ve been using fitness to boost self-confidence.
Using Fitness to Boost Self-Confidence
I’m taking my commitment to fitness one step further this month and I would love for you to join me! I have created a September fitness challenge for myself… and I have two major goals. The first is to workout 25 times between now and the end of the month. For me, that means personal training sessions, pilates classes, and at least 5 miles on the treadmill/elliptical/Katy Trail. My second goal is to finally get serious about what I eat.
I’ve said before on the blog that I eat a lot of crap. I eat a lot of salads and fruit, but queso is one of my favorite foods. As is pasta. And chips. Burgers and french fries, pizza… I’m not a big fan of sweets, but I am a huge fan of tacos. For my second goal, I’m eliminating all of this stuff from my diet until the end of September. I’m cutting out the crap.
Oh, and drinking 8-10 glasses of water per day (though I’ll still have my coffee and wine because I simply cannot live without either of those!).
As a part of the challenge, throughout the month, I’ll be sharing recipes and articles on my various social media accounts. And, at the end of September, I will share a photo of how my body has changed over the past 25 days (and some words so I can share the non-visible changes too!). I’m not expecting big changes. I don’t care about losing weight or dropping dress sizes right now. But I am interested to see how I feel changes over the course of the month.
By the way: my trainer, Kami, is running an amazing special to help those of you in Dallas figure out how to get fit this fall. For the first time ever, her personal training packages are starting as low as $40/session. So if you’re in Dallas and planning on taking part in my September fitness challenge (or if you’re just interested in using fitness to boost self-confidence), you can partner with my personal trainer for the lowest prices she’s ever offered. ALSO if you sign up for #TKLFitforFall before September 15th, you’ll receive a complimentary yoga mat and a personalized meal plan! Just tell her that I referred you when you sign up (you can say “Amanda” or “Glitter & Spice”!).
Please let me know if you’ll be joining me in my September fitness challenge. Or if you have any advice on how to survive without queso for an entire month. I would love to hear from you in the comments below!
Photography by Rebecca Langford Photography.
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