Let me tell you a story…

I was so pumped to get the In-Body Machine into the gym at the start of our most recent Take Back Your Life Challenge. I had been working so hard, killing my goals, and I was finally super happy with how my body looked and felt. I finally had a “good body”! I couldn’t wait to see that reflected in the numbers on the machine. It was going to be awesome!

I stepped on the In-Body. And those numbers didn’t reflect how I felt at all. Instantly I felt like a hot mess. I could feel every little bit of body fat on me expand (in my mind). I felt all of a sudden like a had a “bad body”. I guess I hadn’t really worked as hard as I though. My body composition hadn’t changed since the last time we had the machine in. I felt like a failure.

Ryan (um, did I mention he’s the best Coach ever?) told me to snap out of it. Those numbers didn’t change anything. I had the same body as before I stepped on the machine as after. Ryan knows that numbers really mess with my head. That is why I don’t really do the scale.

I went home that night and made myself stand in front of the mirror. I still had the same body that was strong and healthy that I had praised the day before. I still had MY body.

There is no such thing as a “good body” and a “bad body”. There is just “YOUR” body. You need to own it. If you feel good and look good in your clothes, own it. If you are just starting your journey and not super happy about your body, it’s still yours and you have to own it. Don’t let the In-body results mess with your head. Use them as a starting point, set some goals, work hard, and get where you want to go.

The Coaches can’t make you healthy. We can’t take responsibility for where you are now or where your body will end up. What we can do is give you the tools you need to get there. We can push you during your workouts. We can text you when we haven’t seen you to tell you to get your butt in the gym. We can lay out healthy eating habits. What we can’t do is follow you around batting cupcakes and pizza out of your hands. We can’t tell you to get off the couch and go for a walk. We can’t make you want it (it being whatever your goals are). You need to WANT IT and take responsibility for your actions and choices.

We are all on a journey; some of us are just starting, and some of us are well into it. The goal of this journey is not to “diet” for 6 weeks to lose 10 pounds that will be gained back 2 weeks after you stop. It is to make sustainable habit changes that we can carry with us through life. Please remember that and take responsibility. And don’t let the numbers mess with your head. It’s your body. Own it.