Imagine having a friend who never stops talking to you about your health and your body. Sometimes he or she uses your mom’s words, telling you being overweight runs in the family and you’ll never be fit. Or the friend says you’ll never find a partner with that body and you need to hit the gym to adhere to society’s standard of stick-thin beauty. And then, sometimes, the friend soothes you with the comforting voice of a trusted grandparent, telling you everything will be okay: “Just have a piece of cake to feel better.”
I really hope you don’t have a friend like that. If you do, please oust them from your life immediately! The thing is, many of us carry around a voice similar to that friend – our inner critic – which constantly feeds us lies about our bodies and capacity for self-improvement. This voice comes from years of input, some of it innocuous and some of it downright devious. Our subconscious minds absorb all of these messages and repeat them back to us as truth. Then, in turn, we start to feel unable to break out of any negative habits we have.
The voice of the inner critic is strong, but not invincible. You can fight against it and reject the negative messages swirling around in your mind. Be aware of when the voice speaks up and how it tricks you against meeting your goals. For example, it might try to rationalize skipping a workout by saying, “You worked hard today! You deserve to relax at home.” On the other extreme, it might berate and punish you for giving anything less than 100 percent: “I can’t believe you’re quitting after just 30 minutes! You’ll have to make up for it by just having salad for dinner.”
The inner voice can talk you into and out of all kinds of situations; it preys on your logic, your emotions, your fears and your dreams to keep you from trusting yourself. When it comes to health and fitness, it often feeds off of your sense of inadequacy. It might push you to diet religiously so you can look more like a model, or it might keep you on the couch because it’s convinced you’ll never change. Both of these approaches punish you and provide no benefits whatsoever to your well-being.
Remember, that inner critic isn’t you and it isn’t true. You are absolutely capable of loving yourself and accepting your body, while also changing for the better and smashing through your goals! The next time you notice that little voice, tell it to shut up or pack up. Stay focused and stay positive. Recruit your inner cheerleader to remind yourself that you are worth investing time and energy in!
Kara Wutzke is a fitness trainer who offers boot camps and individual classes in Guangzhou, as well as running the K2Fit Challenge, a 10-week guided fitness competition for those who want to tone up or slim down. She can be contacted by emailing k2fit.gz@gmail.com or through WeChat ID: KaraK2Fit
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