Wednesday July 12th is Primal Potential’s 3rd anniversary. Pretty crazy, right? The very most important thing to say today is THANK YOU.
Primal Potential wouldn’t exist without you & it exists for you. In today’s episode I’m sharing some ideas I have for making this community even more fun & transformative for you.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for making Primal Potential what it is and everything it will become. I am beyond grateful for you!
If you want to help me celebrate, it would mean the world to me if you’d take a second to leave a rating & review of the podcast on iTunes (Apple Music) or wherever your listen.
When I was 350+ lbs, a lot of my misery came from my mindset. There were parts of life I absolutely could have & should have enjoyed, but I let my negativity about my body get in my way.
It didn’t have to be that way. I could have been more social. I could have worn dresses & skirts & bathing suits. Being overweight didn’t prevent me from those things, my thoughts about being overweight did.
There’s a difference.
But, there are things that my physical size did keep me from.
I was constantly worried that if I went to a concert or sporting event the seats would be too small and I wouldn’t fit or I’d be uncomfortable.
I was anxious about flying because I didn’t want to encroach on the space of the person next to me.
I avoided hiking, biking & kayaking because I didn’t think I had the capacity to keep up. I didn’t think I’d fit in the kayak.
There were tremendous limitations, both mental & physical. The things I missed out on because of my weight were NOT worth the choices that were making me overweight.
Yesterday I had a moment where I realized just how far I’ve come.
My boyfriend suggested we go kayaking. I didn’t think twice about it. My only thoughts were “Yes! It’s a gorgeous day, that would be fun!” (Maybe I also thought “Should I? I have so much work to do!” but I quickly replaced those thoughts!)
There was a time when I’d have tried to find a way out of it. I’d have been afraid that I wouldn’t fit in the kayak. I’d have been nervous about getting in and out without falling or needing help. I’d have worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up. And, because I lacked confidence and joy, I’d have been completely resistant to wearing a bathing suit.
Yesterday, I put on my bathing suit (which I love & think is sexy), helped carry the kayaks to the water, pulled mine out, hopped in it & paddled away.
We kayaked out to an island where I easily got out of the kayak and then walked back into the water to dig for clams.
My only limiting factor yesterday was my mascara. Quite literally. When I found a clam with my feet, I didn’t dive to get it because I didn’t want to get mascara all over my face. Haha. True story. Don’t worry, I stood on top of it while the boyfriend dove to pull it up. #notsorry
As I walked back through the water to my kayak on the island I thought, “This is the best part of weight loss. This is what made it worth it“.
It’s not about the size of my pants. It’s not about what I see in the mirror.
It’s the ability to live life fully and without real & perceived limitations. It’s the ability to get into and out of a kayak. To be more concerned with the adventure of the moment than the cellulite on my thighs.
To be able to just say “yes” to life and be free from all the fears and reservations that seemed incessant when I was obese.
Here’s an important thing to remember: people live with optional limitations whether they’re overweight or not.
Let go of the limitations.
Say no to the things that create those limitations – they can be choices or thoughts.
If it creates a limitation due to your perspective or your ability – say no. Say no so you can say yes to your life.
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After getting home late last night and having hundreds of emails in my inbox this morning, I didn’t get in my normal early workout. I didn’t even mentally commit to going later. I just decided, “not now”.
After staying focused on work for a few hours, the feelings of overwhelm subsided and I headed to the gym for the 12:30p workout. I didn’t want to go but I knew I’d feel better if I did than if I didn’t. It was actually a great workout.
Rowing outside yesterday in the kayaks was so much more enjoyable than rowing in this workout! No surprise there! But I’m glad I did it.
On the food front:
I am straight up not hungry today. At all. I’m sure it’s related to the wine, cocktails and amazing food on Saturday at my favorite restaurant! I drank black coffee all morning and didn’t have lunch until after my workout.
Around 2pm I had a chicken & broccoli over cauliflower rice from Paleo Power Meals and then a cobb salad for dinner.
I know I’ve said this before but the calorie & macro counting movements that suggest we should eat the same amount every day don’t make sense for my body. My hunger is variable day to day depending on my sleep, workouts, hormones, etc. I’d rather listen to my body than hit some arbitrary numbers.
For most of my life, I regretted the majority of my choices. I’d regret over eating. I’d regret giving up on my “diet”. I’d regret spending so much money or not working out consistently. There were daily regrets & big picture regrets. I wasn’t proud of how I was living my life or spending my days. It felt awful.
These days, I’m all about the minimization of regret.
When I’m faced with any choice where I’m wavering between two options, I think about which choice minimizes the likelihood of regret.
For example, if I’m deciding whether I should go to the gym or skip the workout, I’ll look at which choice I’m most likely to regret. I’ve never regretted a workout. I’ve often regretted skipping one, especially as a trend over time. Easy choice: getting the workout done minimizes regret.
Yesterday I was getting a pedicure & I people kept walking by the store front with cups & cones of ice cream. I thought about getting an ice cream. Then I asked myself, which choice minimizes regret? Getting the ice cream or skipping it? My intention yesterday was to make great choices – deviating from that has a greater chance of regret than missing out on ice cream does. Easy choice: saying “not today” to the ice cream minimizes regret.
A huge part of getting what you want out of life and fully loving the life you live is minimizing regret. Consider all your options & make the choice that minimizes the chance of regret.
The alternative perspective here is: which choice will make you feel amazing? Either. Both. Try one. Practice it. See what works.
I did not want to get up when my alarm went off this morning, but I knew that I’d be more likely to regret staying in bed than I would be to regret getting up and getting things done. So, to work I went! After a couple hours of work I headed to the gym.
“Full Split”
Teams of 2, AMRAP 20:
5 Front Squats (165/110)
15 Plate Hops (45#)
10/7 Calorie Bike
*Partners complete full rounds before switching.
This workout was a total beast! You have less than 1 minute to rest while your partner completes their round, so you’re essentially sprinting and then making your way back to your barbell to go again.
Those front squats were feeling mighty heavy 1/2 way through the workout!
On the food front:
I’m planning to eat a little lighter today since I’ll be pseudo-celebrating my birthday this weekend. I already have a couple treats in mind, including an ice cream place in Boston I want to try! Yum yum!
After my workout I had some hormone free greek yogurt with cacao.
Lunch was chicken & broccoli over cauliflower rice & dinner was a cobb salad.
The other day on my daily blog I invited you to “ask me anything” and today I’m sharing my answers. Some of the questions are personal in nature – everything from my goals & recent progress to whether or not I have a boyfriend. Others are playful and some are certainly tactical.
I consider you guys family and I love when we can get to know each other better. Today, you’ll hear a little bit more about my own journey, my life as well as my thoughts on things like sugar addiction, perfection and working out.
Do you feel like you’re a bit complacent? You want more results but you’re just not pushing yourself to get those results?
On today’s episode I’m talking with one of my clients who has lost 70 lbs and wants to lose more. When I asked about his current challenges & struggles he said, “I’ve become complacent.”
He finds himself rationalizing choices because one treat or indulgence won’t really make a big difference in the long run.
Part of this is human nature. Our motivation, if not constantly cultivated, ebbs & flows. Plus, with 70 lbs of weight lost, it’s easy to focus on how much you’ve accomplished and use that to justify throttling back on the effort.
And, we can rationalize & justify pretty much everything.
The problem is: that’s not what this client wants. He doesn’t want to throttle back. He doesn’t want to rationalize & justify. He wants to overcome the complacency. Today, we talk about how.
