The Word You Should Never Use When It Comes To Food

The Word You Should Never Use When It Comes To Food

There’s a word that I believe is misused quite a bit in the fitness and diet industry and the word is “cheat.”

While it may seem like no big deal to use “cheat” in relationship to diet, words have power and they can heavily impact how we look and feel about ourselves which can ultimately impact our behavior and health.

In today’s video I share how this word is misused and what we can do to replace it with words and behavior that will empower you rather than tear you down.

Take a moment to watch the video and if you think someone else you know could benefit from watching it please feel free to share!

Here’s to a happy and healthy week!

With Love,
Jennifer Ledford

Tis The Season To Be Good To Yourself

ledford0416-7746 - Be Good To Yourself This Holiday Season

One of the things I love so much about the holiday season is that it focuses on giving.  This season, I recommend giving yourself a gift and that’s the gift of grace.

All too often, we criticize ourselves for being less than perfect.  Thoughts like “I should have mailed the Christmas cards earlier,” “I should have been more patient with my spouse and/or children,” or “I should be exercising instead of watching dog videos on Facebook” not only rear their ugly heads during the holiday season they can follow us into the new year.

Guilty thoughts that attempt to beat us up usually come from a desire to be perfect.  And, even though most of us know that perfection is impossible, much of the”professional” advertising we see focuses on displaying perfection as a form of happiness or acceptance.  Thank goodness for social media!  Live raw video helps to remind us that nobody is perfect and to give ourselves a break.

Be Good To Yourself this holiday season

No matter how good you get at fending off the guilty voices that like to haunt all of us, they will show up from time to time.  When a guilty thought enters your mind I recommend taking a moment to ask yourself where it’s coming from.  If it’s a habit you know that you need to change, forgive yourself and tell yourself you’ll do better next time.  If you’re feeling guilty about something that is based on society’s opinion of you, it may be something you need to shake off and tell yourself you don’t give a flip what others think.  For example, you just ate a chocolate chip cookie full of gluten and loved it!  There should never be guilt attached to food.  Period.  🙂

I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life and Lord knows, I’ll make more.  One of the most valuable things I’ve learned from people older and wiser than me is that no matter how many times you beat yourself up, you can’t change the past.  Most of the time the issue causing the guilt is no big deal.  If it’s something that involves others and you need to apologize then I recommend doing so.  If your mistake or failure was a doozy (and I’ve had a few of those) then learn from the mistake and do better next time.

What’s important to remember at all times is that no one is perfect and that if you are doing your very best to be a good person and move forward in your life each day, that is good enough.

Here’s to a wonderful and guilt-free holiday season and new year!

Shared with love,
Jennifer

How To Feel Comfortable With Your Body And Enjoy Your Life

Jennifer Ledford - Hawaii Vacation - Be Comfortable With Your Body Enjoy Your Life - Broken FootLast week my husband and I joined some of our close family for an amazing beach vacation in Kauai.  I have never been to Hawaii and it was such a special treat!

Some of you know that I broke my foot back in September.  It’s not completely healed and I’m still wearing a boot, which means I haven’t been able to exercise the way I normally do for several weeks.  I’m also pasty white right now because I didn’t hang out in the sun as much as I normally do this time of year.   I decided a spray tan was out due to the fact that I can’t stand very long on my broken foot without the boot.  The tan is  not worth interrupting the healing process.

Did the fact that I was a bit less toned and neon white mean I was going to hide under a cover up?  Heck no!  It’s Hawaii and I like to wear bikinis.  I also stopped caring what other people think about my body a long time ago.  If someone is shallow and doesn’t like my cellulite then they don’t have to look at it.  I’m not wearing my bathing suit for them.  I’m wearing it so I can play on the beach, get some sun on my body, and create fun memories.  Plain and simple.

One of the reasons a person will hire a personal trainer is to help them get ready for a special event or trip.  Beach vacations tend to be some of the most common trips that motivate people to want to lose weight.  For many people getting into a bathing suit and heading out to the beach can stir up all kinds of comparison and body shaming.  If they don’t look like a fitness or swimsuit model the client feels they shouldn’t get in a suit.   Or, if they do decide to put on a suit they believe they should  cover it up with other clothing.

The reality is most of us DON’T look like traditional swimsuit models, myself included.  I’m not willing to deprive and torture myself to get anywhere close to looking like most swimsuit models.  That’s just not my natural body type.  I have to do things that are physically and mentally unhealthy for me to get even close and I’m not willing to treat myself that way.

Losing weight for a trip can be a slippery slope that can lead to unhealthy restrictive dieting that is unsustainable and will only harm you in the long run.  Dieting robs you of your joy and keeps you from living in the present.  When we restrict ourselves in hopes of obtaining the “perfect” body that we think is accepted by society, we are setting ourselves up for potential failure.  Your body does not like to be deprived and restricted.  It will rebel against suffering and that is when binging can occur.

Treating Your Body Right

When you focus on eating plenty of food that you know is good for you and exercising for all of the right reasons, you will settle into your natural body weight and it will no longer be a struggle to maintain it.  However, I can honestly and personally share with you that if you continue to try to force something unnatural on your body, it becomes a prison.  Will the scale go up and down from time to time?  Sure it will.  That’s NORMAL.  It’s called life.

One of my favorite plus size models, Ashley Graham, shares this awesome insight on body image and self acceptance, “I felt free once I realized I was never going to fit the narrow mold that society wanted me to fit in.”  I totally agree with her because I felt the same freedom when I gave up on being a size too small and decided to focus on being the healthiest me I can be.

You don’t have to lose weight to put on a bathing suit or any other item of clothing.  Don’t ever allow the pressures of the diet culture  to cause you to miss out on having fun.  Be a rebel.  Love yourself no matter what size your bathing suit is.

And most importantly,  go out and LIVE!

Shared with love,
Jennifer