9 Health Truths I Learned the Hard Way (Part 2)
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In life, we pick up knowledge and beliefs along the way. Some we learn early on in our lives, others very much later.
This is the part of the two-part series of the Embrace Your Real podcast where I’m sharing 9 health truths that I learned the hard way that I wish I knew sooner.
What I discuss:
5. Your hair will not grow because your hormones are not healthy.
6. Makeup will not hide your insecurities.
7. Finding satisfaction in boys liking & lusting after you will not fulfill you, it never will.
8. If you’d just open up about your disordered relationship with food and your body, you will find so much freedom.
9. Lastly, you are beautiful just the way are.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Episode 342 - 9 Health Truths I Learned the Hard Way (Part 1)
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Transcript:
[00:00:00]Hey. Hey, beautiful human. Can I steal 5 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 a real. Let's get it. Let's go. [00:00:29]
[00:00:29] Hello and welcome back to part two of the nine health truths that I learned the hard way. These are the things that I'm sharing that unfortunately have become very normalized. And the purpose of this episode is to ensure that they are, in fact not normal and they should not be a part of your regular day to day or things that you should experience. And I'm just speaking from my personal experience. Some of these things are pretty uncensored, especially in Part one that I talked about, and I just hope that the sister to sister talk can just encourage you and help save you some time, or at the very least know that you're not alone if you're struggling in these things. But before we dive in, I wanted to share this review. [00:01:14][44.6]
[00:01:14] It comes from Nikki vapes. She gave a five star review and said:. [00:01:18][3.3]
[00:01:19] "Wow, only a week in and I'm hooked. I usually listen to music during my workouts and now I do not turn off Embrace Your Real. This helps me with myself, my business and my family life. Thank you, Julie, for helping my confidence.". [00:01:30][11.8]
[00:01:31] I am so grateful for that. Thank you for switching from music to podcasts. I'm proud of you. There is so much growth that can happen just in your mindset when you are committing to learning about things. And I'm grateful that this podcast is helping you. [00:01:47][15.8]
[00:01:47] So thank you in advance for leaving a reading interview. If you do have an Apple device, you can scooch over to Apple Podcasts and do so. It really does help us out and it also just helps other people who stumble upon the podcasts and say, What is this podcast all about? A lot of times people read their views and that is what they make in terms of the determining factor and if they decide to listen or not. So thank you in advance for doing that. [00:02:10][22.6]
[00:02:10] Okay, So let's let me dive in first and kind of recap the four things that I talked about in part one, and I will link that in the show notes. You don't necessarily have to listen to them in order. So if you didn't tune in to that, you can tune into that after this. But number one, I talk about not celebrating, not getting a menstrual cycle. And this is not something to get excited about and this is not something that you should wear as a badge. In fact, you should actually go get yourself checked out if that's something that is not happening. Because looking back now, being 33 about to be 33, I just look back and I'm like, Oh, how naive. Oh, Julie Oh, sweet 20 year old Julie that was celebrating not getting menstrual cycle. That is definitely not something that you should be celebrating. [00:02:54][43.8]
[00:02:55] Number two, I talked about the 1000 calories that you feel like you have to burn on the elliptical is not and does not make you any more worthy than anyone. And it's just, quite frankly, a waste of time. Number three, protein is essential to a healthy diet. You got to quit being scared of it. It's not going to make you bulky. It's not going to make you fat. [00:03:12][17.6]
[00:03:13] And lastly, I kind of went real and raw, and I just talked about how I would struggle with binging. At 10 p.m., I would drive to Sprouts after my long days of school and work, and I would just binge on dried fruit and nuts to the point where I would get physically sick. And the reason why I was doing that and I didn't know at the time was because I was depriving myself. I was depriving myself of food. So I will link that part one in the show notes that you can easily go Listen to that after this. But let's dive into the remaining of the nine health truths. [00:03:47][34.3]
[00:03:47] So number five, your hair will not grow because your hormones are not healthy. Also your nails. And this is likely why your skin keeps breaking out too. You can literally buy all the supplements by all the creams and products to try and make your hair grow and your skin get clear. But ultimately you need to focus on getting your hormones back in balance. Please remember that your skin and your hair is likely a reflection of what is going on inside your body. [00:04:14][26.3]
[00:04:14] Why are they imbalanced? Most likely, at least in my case, it was because I was completely over exercising and completely under eating. And it's a night and day difference. When I started properly feeling my body, when I started exercising in a balanced approach and I started celebrating exercise instead of using it as a punishment. And I started really incorporating overall wellness into my life. And I talk about wellness. I mean, so many aspects go into this and this is number one. First and foremost, most important thing in my life is my relationship with God. And so for me, just prioritizing that, that when you prioritize that in my world, that really reorganizes everything into its proper perspective. [00:05:01][46.8]
[00:05:02] But when I did that, you guys, it's a night and day difference. My skin, my nails, my hair. And the craziest thing was at the time that I really struggled with this was in my early twenties when I was in college and just right after college. And at that time I was actually working at a salon and I remember the hairstylist telling me, Oh yeah, we can definitely tell like if people are not, you know, eating properly. Or we can tell like when your hair is thinner or your nails are better. Like we can tell that there's something going on, like, you know, they know hair more than anybody else. And so I was just so naive to that. I was like, Oh, it's because I keep, you know, straightening my hair and not using a heat protectant. And that might be part of it. But it was so much deeper than that because I look at my hair then versus my hair now and I'm like, Oh my gosh, it's a night and day difference. But just the shininess, the quality of my hair, the thickness of my hair. Same with my nails, same with my skin. [00:05:58][55.5]
[00:05:58] And so just recognizing that everything is so interconnected is so important. And please, please, please don't just think, oh, I just need to get this supplement or oh, I just need to get this cream and this will fix it. If you're not focusing internally, then you're likely just wasting time and you're wasting money. [00:06:16][18.1]
[00:06:17] Number six makeup will not hide your insecurities. It doesn't matter how many layers of makeup you put on or how much time you spend on your hair, or whether or not you have the best outfit on, you will still feel insecure underneath it all if you don't deal with the root issue. If you don't deal with what is happening on the inside of you, it doesn't matter. Anything external. [00:06:37][20.5]
[00:06:38] I mean, you can spend all the time on your hair. You can spend all the money on the makeup and the clothes, but ultimately your insecurities will still be there. And that's something that I wish I would have learned because, man, if there's one thing that I've learned now, being in my thirties, it's that true beauty, genuinely, as reflected once you have like peace and you have confidence within you, that's ultimately what shines through. [00:07:04][26.1]
[00:07:05] Like the most beautiful people in my life, I don't care if they have makeup on or not. I don't care if they have a bomb outfit on or if they're literally in their husband's t shirt, oversize t shirt and sweat pants and greasy hair from six days and throw up from their kids if, they are confident and they know who they are and they are, in my world, like they are walking in step with what God has called them to do, they're the most beautiful people to me, like the most beautiful two people to me are the people that are confident. They know who they are, they know what their purposes, and it has nothing to do with their external appearance. And that true beauty is ultimately what captivates me. [00:07:45][40.3]
[00:07:46] What captivates me when I meet a person, it is when I look into their eyes and I say, Oh, that person knows who they are, Oh, that person knows their purpose. And this doesn't always mean that you have to be walking in this purpose and you have to be, you know, achieving all of these things because they're we're going to go through seasons, valleys and mountaintops. Right? We're going to be in these seasons where there's some seasons where we're in the in-between. We don't know what the heck is going on. We don't know what the heck is next. And that's okay. But ultimately, you know who you are, you know what value you bring. That's ultimately what I see when I see true beauty in people's eyes. [00:08:21][35.1]
[00:08:21] And so if you are struggling, I want you to make peace with yourself. And personally, that comes from knowing who I am because God tells me who I am. God tells me who I am. He tells me what my purpose is, and I rest assure and that and my confidence is found in him. And not the makeup, not the hair, not the clothes, not the success, not the accolades. None of that brings me true confidence. Ultimately, my confidence is in him and who he says I am. And that's to me, what true beauty is. [00:08:55][34.1]
[00:08:56] Number seven. This is going to get real and raw pretty quick. Finding satisfaction and boys liking and lusting after you will not fulfill you. It will never fulfill you. This is something that I wish I would have learned sooner. And this is more for well, this is honestly for anybody who's struggling with this. But personally in high school and the beginning of college is when I struggled a lot with it. And I man, there are so many times I look back and I'm like, Oh, what was I doing? I was trying my hardest to have the perfect body or to dress the certain way to get the attention of a boy. And it would just wear off and it would leave me feeling more insecure and more empty, like it was this constant chase that I struggled with like I really did. [00:09:47][51.1]
[00:09:47] If I'm being completely honest with you, in high school especially, I struggled a lot with wanting to get the attention of the most popular boy or of the captain of a football team or whatever. It was like I wanted to get the attention of whoever it was and I would not let up and I would do any and everything to get the attention of that boy. And it would just leave me feeling empty. It would leave me feeling never satisfied. And I just, you know, I think back, like, how and why did this start? And it really I can clearly remember it being about 14 years old when my parents just got it. Of course. And I was, you know, just freshly in high school. My sister was heading off to college. My parents got a divorce. I didn't feel like I could control that area of my life. And so the only thing that I could control was how I looked and what boys were liking me or lusting after me. And that's what I chased. I chased that high, that temporary satisfaction where I was like, oh, like it's, you know, I'm like in this like, chase. And once they like me and once they tell me that they want to be with me, then I would get this like instant high and then I would immediately feel so insecure and so empty. And it wasn't until God really, really wrecked me with this in high in college. It was my last year of college. And I just remember, you know, wasting so much time dating boys and then and then breaking up and then trying to get them to like me and then me. Like, once I achieved them liking me and asking me out, then me being like, No, I'm good. And moving on to the next chase. And it wasn't until my last year of college that I really feel like God was like, Julie, you need to have a year of just complete relying on me and getting to know me and I need to be the person that is ultimately fulfilling you. Not this chase after boys. And so I committed to a year of singleness, and that was one of the most transformative years in my entire life. I had been in a in a long term relationship just about until my beginning of junior year of college. And when I got out of that, I thought I was going to marry that man. When I got out of that relationship, I was like wrecked. And it kind of spiraled me into what I was doing in high school where I was like, okay, I'm just going to I'm going to try and get like these boys to like me and less me and like, I'm just going to it's I was addicted to this chase. And once, like, I got him, it was like I was like, okay, bye. And I would just leave. And I just it was like this temporary high. And so I committed to a year of singleness and I said, okay, Lord, I need to rely on you and I need you to redefine love in my eyes. And I need you to just love on me and tell me who I am. And that's when I also started in my husband journal. And so I was journaling to my future husband and I was praying for my husband. I didn't know who he was. And during that year of just commitment to singleness, I really found who I was and what God called me to. And I also really feel like I just was love was redefined in my heart and in my mind, and I was able to see what true godly love look like. And I wanted a man that was so in love with God that he needed to seek God in order to find his wife. And that's like ultimately what I was praying for and journaling about. And during that time, God gave me a crazy I don't know if you'd call it like vision or I just I really genuinely feel like he spoke to me during that time when I was journaling and I felt like he said this story of you and your husband getting together is going to be one. There's no doubt about it that I brought you two together. And you guys know anything about my story with now Who? I then found a few. It was about a year later after I got that vision from him and who I am married to now for over eight years. It's one that there is no doubt about it, that God brought us together. I had previously never met a deaf man in my life. I had previously never known any sign language. And for those you guys who don't know, my husband, Joshua, is 100% deaf. He was born 100% deaf. And it has just been God's story, like handwritten from heaven, literally. And I'm so grateful for it. But during that time, you guys like it really just helped me redefine what I wanted, what my values were, and who God said I was and not seeking the attention of anybody else. And so if you're struggling, if you're in this season of life where maybe, you know, you can relate to this a lot, like I just want to encourage you that maybe taking some time to just seek God and ask God to reveal to you what his love looks like and what and how it should feel in terms of what a true godly pursuit looks like. It transformed my life and I'm so grateful that I did it. So anyways, that's definitely something that I learned. I hope that that tangent helped you, and I just want you to know that God's timing is so perfect. Please trust in that. Please trust in God's perfect timing. Like, I cannot state that enough because his timing is so far beyond our comprehension and it's everything that we didn't know that we needed. And so just rest assured that he knows. He sees all and he knows all and he knows what's best for you. [00:15:13][325.4]
[00:15:13] Number eight, If you just open up about your disordered eating relationship with food and your body, you'd have so much more freedom. Trust me, you're not alone in this battle. When you open up about this, it will. I have so much less power over you. Like, that's the one thing that I learned. And it was the lie that I allowed myself to believe for a decade of my life was, Oh, I can't tell anybody about this. Oh, if only people knew they would judge me on X, Y, and Z. And I it couldn't be more further from the truth. The more that you talk about it, the more you realize how much more you were in company with so many other women in your life, or who are currently struggling or who have struggled with the same issues as you. And when you open up, it encourages other people to open up as well. When you're struggling, I want you to remember this. When you let go of the illusion of control, you will be amazed at how many things and peoples and opportunities come to you. And this is the sole reason why I do what I do today with this podcast, with my programs that I offer, is because I want people to know that these things, yeah, you might be struggling with these things and you're not alone. You're not the first person to struggle with this. And here's that. The other cool thing is that maybe if you're in the muck of it, if you're in the depth of the struggle, I want you to know that there's someone who has gotten to the other side of it, and I want that to give you hope, and I want that to give you inspiration and encouragement. And so, man, if I would have opened up sooner about my struggle with my eating and body image disorder, who knows what have happened? You know, I can't live in the past and be like, dang, like I wish I would have you know, I wish I would have done this or I wish I would have done that. The fact of the matter is, it didn't. But the beautiful thing is God turns all things for his glory. And so for me today, I genuinely feel like this is my life's purpose, this is my life's mission, is to encourage and inspire you and educate you so that you can know that you are not alone as well. [00:17:07][114.0]
[00:17:08] And lastly, number nine You are beautiful just the way you are. You are wonderfully and beautifully created. Stop trying to fit into x pant size because that's what society tells you need to be in order to be accepted. Stop trying to look a certain way. You just need to be you. You just need to rest assured that God does not make mistakes. You are in the season of life that you are in right now for a reason. It might suck. You might want it to be over like yesterday or a week ago. Or a month ago. Or a year ago. But I want you to know that there is a purpose in your pain. And I also want you to know that when you're on the mountaintop, cherish that and know that it's not always going to be like that. But the beautiful thing is if your faith believer like I am, God never leaves you. You have him to be and walk alongside you throughout the valley, lows and the mountaintops. And you are incredible. You are beautiful. You hold so much value to this world that you might not have even discovered yet, but you have so much purpose left in your life. And I hope that this encouraged you. I hope that this, I don't know, inspired you in some way, shape or form. I really did kind of get real and raw with you. So thank you for coming alongside me and being that sister to listen to all these things. I just want you to know that I'm thankful for all the things that I went through because it is now led me to be able to speak to you and have incredible conversations with you guys in my direct messages and on email on a weekly basis. And I'm just so grateful that you are here. I'm so thankful that you tune in to this podcast. [00:18:51][103.6]
[00:18:52] Let me quickly recap those things that I just talked about. Number five Your hair will not grow because your hormones are not healthy. Number six, make up will not hide your insecurities. Number seven, finding satisfaction in boys liking and lusting after you will not fulfill you. It never will. Number eight If you just open up about your disordered relationship with food and your body, you would have so much freedom. And lastly number nine You are incredibly beautiful and powerful just the way you are. You hold purpose, you hold value in this world. And I want you to know that. And I want you to know that you have a sister here in Colorado rooting for you. I love you so much. I would love to know things that you wish you would have learned on this journey towards feeling your best in your health and fitness and just overall walking in purpose. So be sure to screenshot this. You can share it in your stories and tag me. I'd love to know if you have a sister or a friend or coworker or someone in your life that you feel like would really benefit from this specific episode or just this podcast in general, I just ask that you share it out with them. Also, I will link part one in the show notes that you can easily go Listen to that. Now. Again, thank you so much for being with me on this journey. Sister, I love you so dang much. I mean it and I'll talk to you in the next one. [00:20:07][75.5]
[00:20:17] 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 about 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 and 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 the real because you're worth it. [00:21:06]