We are almost to the 1-week mark of our first OctoberFit challenge.
I wanted this challenge to be about more than just a “transformation” in the popular sense as cool as those are.
So while yes, there are killer workouts and even menus, the focus is on movement and taking care of yourself in all ways.
To keep it fun, each day has a theme and a challenge that goes with it.
I want to share todays challenge with you because it’s not your typical “transformation challenge” type challenge.
It’s Free Friday.
At first this was going to be a chill day, a day off. But in the spirit of working on all aspects of self-care, I decided to make it about some mental freeness.
This week the challenge is to Fre.e yourself from one article of clothing that has been living in your closet for 3 years or more that you swear you will get back into “one day”.
See “one day” can be a handcuff, a box, even a trap.
At one time I literally had 14 (!!!) pairs of jeans (and dozens of skirts, dresses and tops) that were 3-4 sizes smaller than the size I was. And these were not pants that used to fit that did not anymore. Nope, I actually bought them 3-4 sizes too small on purpose! They were to be my goal. My reward and my motivation.
They were all in my closet waiting for someday. Whilst in the real world I had like 2 pairs of pull-on pants and one skirt to wear.
I kept at it for YEARS (<- did you catch that? YEARS!)
It never worked.
In fact it actually de-motivated me. Putting on jeans that were about 9” from even thinking about zipping made it seem like my goal was unattainable.
It often felt like all my little bits of progress didn’t really amount to much.
Truth be told, I often headed for the nearest pint of ice cream after one of my “motivational try on sessions.”
However, I was dead set against buying new clothes in my current size.
See, I had this fear that buying new clothes in my actual size would mean one or both of the following:
I had given up and was just gonna let myself go
and/or
I didn’t believe in myself and I wasn’t determined.
Eventually though I realized that buying all these “Goal” clothes was doing nothing for me at all. No motivation, no joy.
So one day when I was sick and tired of all of it: the worrying about what I
looked like and what I ate every minute of the day, I chucked it (almost) all in the donation pile. And then I went out and purchased a few cute things in my actual size.
Did I continue to slide and pile on weight? No. What actually happened was that I rose to the occasion. Instead of slipping into complacency I was actually motivated to do better.
Don’t be confused, it wasn’t the actual clothes. It was the fact that I was beginning to treat my current self like it was worth taking care of as-is.
Now, here’s where “one day” can be a trap: After all the struggle and longing and tears to have the body that fit all those goal clothes, the body I have now, makes me way happier than the body I thought I wanted back then in so many ways.
Let me name a few:
-I can actually eat food. Daily. Haha! The body I thought I wanted would have required me to be on a SUPER low calorie diet to maintain.
– I am way stronger than the body I thought I wanted would have been.
– The body I thought I wanted had to be perfect: No stretch marks, no bulges, even my scars were gone in my imagination. Since we all know perfect is unattainable, the bottom line is I was going to be chasing that body for a long time.
When I let go of those clothes that boxed me into wanting the only version of my body that would fit them, I freed myself to do the best for myself NOW and see where it led me.
What I got was what I really wanted all along; the healthy, fit body attached to a mostly (we’re human) happy, resilient person.
So today I challenge my clients and YOU to begin to free yourself from the handcuffs of what you “should” be with one small act.
You just may find something better.
Sarai