3 Things I’m Focusing on Right Now That Have Nothing to Do With Fitness (But Are Helping Me Get Stronger Anyway)
In this episode of Embrace your Real, I’m sharing 3 things I’ve personally been focusing on lately that honestly have nothing to do with fitness or nutrition—but they’ve helped me show up stronger, more focused, and more energized in my workouts.
Because here’s the truth: sometimes the key to building the body you want isn’t found in more workouts or more discipline... it’s in building a life that supports your goals. From the inside out.
Because the truth is, sometimes when you hit a plateau, the answer isn’t to push harder. It’s not to add more workouts, tighten your macros, or stress about your steps. Sometimes, the thing that unlocks progress is actually the least expected strategy: Cultivating more peace in your life.
What I discuss:
Protecting my energy
Savoring the little moments
Being intentional with what I consume
If you loved this episode, I know you’ll also love episode 436: 6 Simple Ways to Reduce Stress Daily
If you want more from me, be sure to check out...
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Transcript:
00:00
Hey, hey, beautiful human, Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace your Real with me, julie Ledbetter. I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned If you're ready to embrace your real, let's get it. Let's go. Hello and welcome back to another bonus episode on the Embrace Real podcast.
00:36
Today I'm going to be sharing three things that I personally have been focusing on lately. That honestly, have nothing to do with fitness or nutrition, but they've really helped me show up stronger, more focused and more energized in my workouts and in this postpartum season, my workouts are few and far between a lot less than prior to getting pregnant and prior to having Blake. But here's the truth. Sometimes the key to building the body that you want isn't found in more workouts or more discipline. It's found in building a life that supports your goals from the inside out, because the truth is sometimes, when you hit a plateau, the answer isn't to push harder, it is not to add more workouts in, to tighten your macros, to stress about your steps. Sometimes the thing to unlock progress is actually the least expected strategy, and that's cultivating more peace in your life. And so in today's episode, I'm going to be walking you through three things that I've been focusing on lately. That really do have nothing to do with weightlifting, but they actually are helping me show up better in my workouts. They're helping me to recover faster and feel stronger than ever before, especially as I continue on this journey of rebuilding postpartum.
01:42
But before I dive in, I wanted to share this review. It comes from Smiley Cake Bake. Love that so much. She gave a five-star review and said complete mindset shift. I was such in the mindset to just be in weight loss mode and if I could lose weight then I'd be happy. But Julie lays it out perfectly and helped me shift my mindset that I don't actually need to deprive myself. I can actually enjoy the food that I eat and work out in a way that's effective and actually helps me to get the body that I want. I love my new mindset and feeling strong. I love this so much. Yes, that is amen, sister. Like you need to be able to enjoy your food. You need to be able to work out in a way that actually helps you get the body that you want. That's effective and efficient, and that is exactly why, hopefully, my podcast and my programs alongside of this podcast help you in that. So thank you so much for taking time out of your day to send in that review.
02:30
All right, let's dive into the three things that I've been focusing on. Number one I've been really, really protective of my energy, and this one's huge for me, like as a mom, as a wife, as a business owner. There are so many people, tasks and things pulling me at every which direction, and if I'm not intentional about protecting my energy, I notice myself feeling drained before I even get my workout in. So lately, I've been paying attention to how I spend my time and who I give my energy to. So this means saying no to the things that don't align in the season of life, putting boundaries around work hours and also letting go of the pressure to respond to every message or every email immediately, because, personally, when my energy is scattered, I'm more tired, I'm more anxious, I don't recover well. But when I protect my energy and I make space for rest and quiet and stillness, especially during nap time or early in the morning before Blake wakes up. I actually want to move my body. I show up better. I enjoy my workouts instead of forcing them, and so if you've been feeling off in your fitness lately, check in with your energy first. Like your motivation might not be the issue, you might just need more margin in your life.
03:37
The second thing that I've been doing is savoring all the little moments, even when they feel ordinary, and this is something that motherhood really did and has opened my eyes to. Blake is growing so freaking fast. I cannot believe that he is already nine months. He just turned nine months and that just literally blows my mind. He's growing so fast and I don't want to miss all of the little things when he giggles for no reason or when he reaches for me because he's hungry or he just wants me. These little moments could be so easy to brush past, but I'm really trying and choosing to slow down and to notice them, and so, whether that is like hugging him right before he goes down for a nap, or sitting on the floor with him when he plays or, you know, soaking in that five minutes of just quiet time, those small moments, those everyday moments, they really do ground me. They remind me what matters most in my life. And you know what, when I slow down and find joy in those little moments, I find that I feel less rushed, less reactive and much more present.
04:38
This mindset really does carry into my workouts. I'm not rushing through workouts to check a box. I am showing up with gratitude for what my body can do, and so, if you're constantly chasing that next goal, I want you to take a moment to breathe. I want you to look around. I want you to find joy in something small today. It's not woo-woo, it's really how you build a lifestyle you actually want to sustain.
05:02
And, last but not least, number three, I have been being intentional with my inputs. So what I'm listening to, what I'm watching, who I'm following all of this matters. I've been really intentional lately about filtering what I allow into my mind, unfollowing accounts that make me feel like I'm not doing enough, muting the negativity and choosing to listen to podcasts that fuel me instead of drain me, because if I'm constantly consuming messages telling me that I'm behind, I'm not measuring up or how stressful this life is with politics or whatever it is, it shows up in how I treat my body. I push too hard, I can care too much, I get stressed over the little things, I feel like what I'm doing is not enough and overall I just feel so scatterbrained. But when I stay grounded in my values faith, family consistency, simplicity I feel so much more peaceful. I train from a place of joy and not pressure, and that's personally when the results actually come for me.
05:59
So I want you to take inventory of what you're feeding your mind with. It's not just background noise, it's shaping your perspective, your motivation, your results. So let me quickly recap what three things I'm doing and I'm focusing on right now that have nothing to do with fitness but are helping me get stronger anyways. Number one I'm protecting my energy. Number two, I'm savoring those little everyday moments that are very ordinary but, man, if you actually savor them and you actually find joy in them, it will change your entire outlook. And, last but not least, number three, I'm being very intentional about what I consume. None of those that I just mentioned involve weights or workouts, but all of those things are actually helping me personally, postpartum, in this season, to feel better, to recover faster and to stay consistent, because, the truth is, fitness isn't just about what you do in your workouts, it's about how you live the other 23 hours of your day and sometimes feeling happy, grounded and at peace is the key that really does unlock the results that you've been chasing.
07:03
If you love this episode, I know you will also love episode 436, six Simple Ways to Reduce Stress Daily. I will go ahead and link that in the show notes below, but that is all that I have for today's episode. I hope, again, that you found this helpful. I love you so dang much. I mean it, and I'll talk to you in the next one.
07:27
All right, sister, that's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. First thing if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real, because you're worth it.