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Workouts Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Just Justice

Category: Workouts

Workouts /

Lets Talk Body Baby

Hello friends!

Today we are going to talk about something a bit more serious and deep, which is body dysmorphia. According to my first google search, body dysmorphia is a mental health disorder in which a person can’t stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in their appearance. I may be going out on a limb here, but I can confidently say that most everyone has these thoughts cross their mind at times. Whether you’re 15 or 80 years old, I think we can all struggle with our self-image. I am not implying that experiencing these feelings from time to time, is or leads to a disorder. However, I feel it’s worthy of a discussion. I do however feel it’s somewhat normal to look at your body some days or at certain angles and just be confused, let down, or maybe frustrated. Again, we are human and this is normal. As a young adult, these thoughts cross my mind every day. We all want to look our best and look thin, fit, or even more muscular. In my blog, I promote being intentional with my health goals and hope you have great health goals for yourself as well. However, let’s face it, some days it’s really hard to feel good about ourselves no matter how intentional we are. Recently, my friends and I have challenged each other to say three positive things we like about our appearance anytime a negative thought about our body occurs. 

Approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies, and 71% of men feel the same way. Friends, this is a very high percentage. But this doesn’t surprise me, because I also fall into this category. We all want to look and feel better, right? My encouragement for you is to try to be content with your body and practice self-compassion. This doesn’t mean don’t push yourself with your personal goals, because you should. But rather don’t beat yourself up because you don’t look like the jacked woman or guy you see on your Instagram feed. God made you so beautifully, and your body is so unique and unlike any other. Becoming stronger or more fit is a process and a lifestyle. So if you’re someone that is struggling with your body image, feeling discouraged, or not seeing results in the gym, I encourage you to be easy on yourself. Give yourself some grace! Eat the damn cookie or pasta. Having a good balance of listening to what your body wants and pushing yourself physically is healthy. 

Something that I find crucial to becoming physically healthy is putting your mental health first. You not only want to look good, but you want to feel good as well. Comparison robs you of your joy! With social media being so relevant in our lives, comparison can be a hard thing to tackle. The quote, “You can appreciate the beauty of others without questioning your own,” comes to mind. This is something I have to constantly remind myself. 

We live in a beauty-obsessed world that perpetuates the idea that your happiness and ability to be loved are dependent on how you look. Something I know so many people may struggle with is the body fat we may contain. For years I have been saying, “I just want my little pouch to disappear.” If you have a little pouch like me or not, having body fat is a highly specialized organ, critically important for your health and longevity. We need some fat, my friends. Instead of self-criticizing or loathing your body…start thanking your body for all the wonderful things it allows you to do.

Appreciate all the simple pleasures of life like taking walks, playing with your kids or friends, traveling, or getting to exercise. Wow…I’m so guilty of taking these things for granted! I have come up with a couple of tips to help remind yourself that you are beautifully made.

  1. Identify and challenge your negative thoughts.
    • The first step is to overcome the negative thoughts that pass through your mind. The things that we tell ourselves often take root and become repetitive. These statements are often opinions about ourselves, not facts. Don’t believe the lies your brain is telling you.
  2. Appreciate your body for everything it is capable of.
    • One of the best ways to improve your body image is to see your body in a positive light. Let’s start focusing on what our bodies can do and all its abilities. 
  3. Repeating affirmations
    • It can be very difficult to focus on all the positive aspects of our body, but we need to start repeating affirmations about ourselves every day. For example, “I am strong, confident, and loyal.”
  4. Avoid comparisons
    • Body dissatisfaction often comes from comparisons to peers and celebrities. Everyone’s body is unique and beautiful in its own way. We must start surrounding ourselves with body-positive people. 

We all take so much for granted in our lives, share below what you will be more thankful for this week!

 How do I improve my body image? Seeds of Hope. (2021, December 10). Retrieved March 20, 2022, from https://seedsofhope.pyramidhealthcarepa.com/how-to-improve-your-body-image/ 

Workouts /

My Fitness Journey

Hello lovely friends!!

Today I am going to share my fitness journey with you. I honestly don’t know anyone that doesn’t have even the slightest desire to improve their overall wellness. Two obvious areas that we are going to dive into today are, yes, our diet and exercise routine. No, I am not suggesting we all go on diets or train for a triathlon. Rather, I want us to talk about what foods we are fueling our bodies with and our fitness routine. Allow me to share my journey in these two areas. 

I felt led to share this picture of me during my freshman year of high school to just give you a reference of what I used to look like before my fitness journey. Yes, I recognize that I was not extremely overweight and I had some baby fat to shed. It makes me giggle, knowing my sister thought this was a great picture of me. After seeing this picture of myself, I didn’t focus on my weight but rather committed to getting fit. 

My first order of business was to look at my diet. When I refer to ‘diet’, I know the first thing you think of is crazy strict or the latest fad diet being shared in the media. No, whether you realize it or not, we are all on a diet every day. Your diet is what you are filling your body with or more importantly, fueling your body with. No joke, my sister and I still talk about how every day when we would come home from school we would down some hotdogs and ramen. I would pop a hot dog in the microwave every day. I’m sure my dad was just happy that we were supporting the pork industry. So, when you think of how you are fueling your body, does that make some of you cringe? This conversation isn’t to make you feel guilty but rather just be more aware and intentional of what you are eating. What would happen if you started asking yourself, ‘what am I going to ‘fuel’ my body with today?’ Rather than, ‘what am I going to ‘fill’ my body with?’ This would be huge! It was for me at least. I shared earlier that I have stomach and digestive issues. I was tired of feeling miserable and came to the realization that most of my issues stemmed from what I was filling my body with. Something had to change! I want to share a couple of things I started doing that made the biggest impact on my overall nutrition. I started listening to my body. I realized when I would eat fast food I would have to run to the bathroom about a million times a day. I knew I had to cut way down on my fast food consumption and gluten. 

As I have shared my love for cooking, this meant I had to consider all the things I was personally cooking and baking for myself. I started making small changes and incorporated healthier options. It’s all about baby steps. For example, I stopped using butter in most recipes and instead used olive oil. I substituted leaner proteins in place of fattier meats. I tried to cut down an enormous amount of carbs. Boy, oh boy, do I love me some carbs. Many dietitians have mentioned, “it’s 80% diet and 20% exercise.”

So, friends, I want to encourage you to make a shortlist or even choose only one healthy thing you will add to your diet or an unhealthy thing you will eliminate from your diet for one whole week. For me, I have an insane sweet tooth. I am going to try and limit my sugar intake!

Moving along to working out…something that I have realized many people struggle with is knowing what to do when they are at the gym. I used to prance around the gym accomplishing very little because I didn’t know where to start. I felt intimidated and didn’t have enough sense to ask for help. Can any of you relate? This is just silly! I want to encourage you to start researching and reaching out to the gym staff that is available to you. If you don’t feel comfortable asking, then start watching YouTube videos and educate yourself.

It wasn’t until my freshman year in college that I made working out a priority in my life. I started seeing a drastic change in my body when I would keep my heart rate at a certain level for a certain amount of time. My goal for every workout was to push myself so hard I felt drops of sweat running down my face. I know this might seem silly, but I am serious. I also think that sweating is so healthy for your body. Sweating is a detox for your body, and it also releases bad toxins. It’s time to start sweating, my friends. 

One of the biggest struggles I have felt along my fitness journey is not seeing changes. I know many of you can relate. Friends, we aren’t going to get abs overnight. Gosh, I wish. It all boils down to being patient with yourself but also being consistent in your workout routines. During the pandemic, as you all know, all the gyms were temporarily closed. At first, this derailed my workout routine. Obviously, no one knew how long this would last, so I was determined to do some physical activity even through the pandemic. I would grab my yoga mat, and google “10-minute HITT workout” or “5-minute ab workout.” Anything to move my body. Maybe this is where some of you can begin. Start small. Grab your yoga mat or a blanket and move your body. Or better yet, make a walking date with a friend. Put that date on your calendar each week.

It’s time to start making a difference in your lifestyle. Challenge yourself to take one food item out of your diet. Challenge yourself to do 50 squats a day. For the next two weeks leading up to spring break, this is exactly what I am going to do. 50 squats a day, and taking one item out of my diet. Let’s do it friends, who is with me?

Please share below if you are taking on this challenge with me!