How To Be More (Not Less).

more not less

Tired of being told to eat less, weigh less, and BE LESS in your life? Here’s why it’s time to choose to be more and stop looking for ways to be less.

more not less

It seems that everywhere you turn there’s a message telling you to shrink.

“Lose 5 pounds in 5 days!”

Slim your thighs with three easy exercises!”

“Simple strategies to eat fewer calories!”

These headlines are hard to miss, constantly telling us to eat less, be less, to minimize ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of it. The never ending cycle of trying to eat less and weigh less is mentally exhausting. Not only that, but if you fail to eat less or weigh less, you end up experiencing shame and feeling like a failure, so then you move on to the next tip and hope that it’ll work. Going day after day constantly striving for “less” is exhausting, frustrating, and definitely not fun. That’s why it’s time to choose to be MORE, and stop looking for ways to be less in your body, your fitness, and your life.

(Note: There’s nothing wrong with trying to change the shape and appearance of your body. There is nothing wrong with challenging yourself to live healthier and increase your fitness. I’m simply proposing that there’s a better way to achieve these things. We can choose to be more.)

How to BE MORE (not less)

Whether you want to improve your fitness, enhance your health, or you just want to feel more confident in and out of your clothes, choosing to be MORE will get you there, and here are a few ways to do so:

Stop dieting. Stop looking for tips to constantly eat less and less.

Believe it or not, “dieting” is not mandatory for losing fat and improving your health. You don’t have to follow a crazy cleanse or detox or even avoid certain foods or food groups.

There is no diet out there that can teach you what YOU need to feel your best in your life. Stop trying to fit a diet plan or finding ways to trick yourself into eating less. Take the time to learn the basics of nutrition that ultimately turn into effortless, lifestyle habits. You are smart enough, capable enough, and skilled enough to create and follow a way of eating that fits for you and for your life. Food is meant to be enjoyed, and nutrition is not complicated.

Let’s choose instead to eat more of the things that make us feel good and give us energy.

The Strong Body Beautiful program gives you resources, knowledge, and tools to help you find a way of eating that fits for you and for your life. Course topics include mindful eating, nourishing your body with real food, listening to your body, and creating healthy eating habits that last. 

Complain less, appreciate MORE.

Choose to focus on what you have, not on what you haven’t. When you appreciate what you have, what you have appreciates in value. And happiness begins to arrive the moment you stop complaining about all the things you aren’t and start appreciating all the things you are. **MIC DROP**

Focus on GROWING into MORE. 

Instead of looking for ways to constantly eat less and weigh less, let’s focus on building up and growing. For example:

  • INCREASE your self-confidence
  • Add MORE weight to the barbell
  • BOOST your physical (and mental!) strength
  • BUILD a better body-image
  • INCREASE your stamina and energy levels
  • ENHANCE your overall life

Work on growing yourself in all areas of your life and your health will benefit. The purpose behind the Strong Body Beautiful program is to help women to develop a positive relationship to their bodies and themselves. And you know what? It’s WORKING. We are building ourselves into MORE through consistent self care, coaching, and community.

Listen to your body MORE than the media.

It’s time we stop listening to popular advice and start listening to our bodies.

We don’t need to revolve our life around following the latest fitness trend when we can likely get better, long-lasting results from listening to our bodies. Do workouts that challenge you in a healthy way and help you feel stronger every day. Eat more of the foods that make you feel good and give you energy. Eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full, and let yourself take a rest day when you need to. Tap into your body’s cues on how you eat and choose to move. Your body is smart and it will give you feedback on what works and what doesn’t. So learn to listen to it, it can tell you much more than any diet book.

Challenge yourself MORE

Maybe you’re more comfortable doing cardio over strength training, or you don’t like using too much weight on an exercise. Maybe you’ve never really tried to see what you can actually do and the physical strength that’s yet to be released.

Get out of your comfort zone, even if it’s just a little bit. Try a new exercise. Increase the weight. Just do something that challenges you MORE in a new way.

Focus on what your body can DO instead of how it looks. Then do MORE with it. 

When was the last time you really stopped to appreciate all of the incredible things your body can DO? This is why I love fitness so much, it helps remind me of what a powerful tool my body can be. I see every workout as an opportunity to explore and discover what my body is capable of. But I also appreciate the little things, like being able to walk to work, help a friend carry a heavy package, or simply give my mom a hug. We take our bodies for granted far too often, it’s time to be proud of what your body is right now, and then do MORE with it.

Follow MORE information from resources that empower you, not those that make you feel bad about yourself.

Be a conscious consumer of what media you follow, read, watch, or listen to. I’ve had clients set goals to stop following specific people on instagram because they trigger unhealthy behaviors, feelings, or thoughts. “I had to stop following “Sally” on social media because every time I looked at her photo feed of her workouts, food, and endless bikini images, I found myself comparing my body and life to her in an unhealthy way”. Seek out sources of information and inspiration that empower you to be healthy and positively affect your self-esteem.

It’s also important to mindfully choose what fitness classes, instructors, and groups you choose to be around. If a class or an instructor ever makes you feel bad about yourself or your body, it’s probably not a healthy source of fitness support. There are plenty of fitness classes and coaches that can help you challenge yourself in a positive way, so if you haven’t found them yet, keep looking. You should feel encouraged to do what you need to do to be MORE in a healthy way.

Spend MORE time with those who make you smile, and less time with those you feel pressured to impress.

Spend time with nice people who are smart, driven and likeminded.  Relationships should help you, not hurt you.  Surround yourself with people who reflect the person you want to be.  Choose friends who you are proud to know, people you admire, who love and respect you – people who make your day a little brighter simply by being in it.

(Like the Strong Body Beautiful community of positive women supporting each other in health.)

Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  When you free yourself from negative people, you free yourself to be YOU – and being YOU is the only way to truly live.

Stop trying to get the numbers on the scale to go down. Instead work to make your workout numbers go UP. 

Instead of trying to eat less or weigh less, work on getting other numbers UP. Lift more weight on your deadlift. Run one more mile. Perform a challenging exercise variation. Do more reps than you did last time. Making numbers go UP and training to be more can stretch you in a positive way to grow.

Compare yourself less, accept yourself MORE. 

We often waste too much time comparing ourselves to others, and wishing to be something we’re not.  Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses, and it is only when we accept everything we are, and aren’t, that we are able to become who we are capable of being. Accept who you are and OWN IT. There is no one else who can be you.

Surprise yourself MORE.

Think you’ll never be able to do a heavy back squat? Or a pull-up? Or run a mile in under 8 minutes? Just because you may not have the strength or ability to do something now doesn’t mean you won’t ever be able to. Even if you are recovering from an injury, there are so many things you can do and unique ways to challenge your body. Get rid of self-limiting beliefs, focus on what you can do, follow a plan, and surprise yourself MORE. Chances are, you are stronger than you think you are.

Be yourself MORE.

This is what matters the most: being the best YOU possible. Don’t try to be better than any one else or mold yourself into something else to be liked.  You were born to be real, not to be perfect. And the moment you start accepting who YOU are and making the best of it, the MORE you’ll feel good in your skin and love your life.

Want MORE? Watch this video

I believe if you shift your focus on being MORE instead of less you will see fitness results that last AND feel good in the process. Are you ready to choose to be MORE not less?My Strong Body Beautiful program is where you should begin. Join us.

Enroll in course. 

It’s time you find MORE for yourself, your fitness, and your health.

Love,

Caroline

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