Real Talk on HATING your body
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In the hardest times I destroyed my body for a peace of mind I never got. When I think about it, I used to under-eat, over-exercise, under-nourish, and over-restrict. I punished my body, I hated my body, and I destroyed my body. But for what? Why did I do all of that? To still feel dissatisfied? To still hate my body? To still wish it were different? Because let’s be real, that’s how we still feel, no matter the progress we’ve made. We never have any peace of mind.
So how do we find the peace of mind we’re searching for? That’s exactly what I dive into in this 5-minute bonus episode of Embrace Your Real!
If you love this episode, I know you will also love…
Episode 32: 9 Things You Need to Know About Getting Abs or a Flatter Stomach
P.S. Be sure to follow the podcast on the 'gram, @embraceyourreal, for a daily dose of real talk from me!
TRANSCRIPT:
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. Hello. Welcome back to another bonus episode of the Embrace Your Real podcast. I am so grateful that you are here spending some time with me today. I am about to get you fired up with some real talk. I came across this quote on Instagram that hit me so hard. It said, "In the hardest times I destroyed my body for a peace of mind I never got." And this really got me thinking like we under eat, we over exercise, we under nourish, we over restrict, we punish our bodies, we hate our bodies and we destroy our bodies. But for what? Why do we do all of that? To still feel dissatisfied? To still hate our body? To still wish that it were different? Because let's be real, that's how we most likely still feel no matter the progress that we've made. We never had, or have a peace of mind. Before I continue, I have to share the super sweet review.
Stick with me, it is such a good one. Rosie T20 says, "Love this podcast. Okay. So I've listened to almost all these episodes over the last couple months. And let me tell you, Julie is the real thing. Thank you, Julie, for sharing your story with us, the good, the bad, the ugly. I totally relate to the old obsessive Julie. I used to exercise almost an hour every day, count every little calorie, bring tuna pouches to restaurants. I was the smallest I've ever been, and I maintained that for several years, but I wasn't happy. And my family wasn't either. Some people would even ask me if I was sick. Well, now the scale shows me to be the heaviest that I've ever been, but actually, I'm the happiest. I'm mindful of what I eat. And I still love to exercise daily, but I'm not obsessing like before. Julie's podcasts have helped me not be so concerned with the number and to just be content.
Thank you for the encouragement and motivation you give me. Also the workouts that you share are perfect. I'm so thankful. I started following her and listening to her podcast. She feels like she's my friend. And I can relate to her so much. Her faith is inspiring too and her relationship with her husband is precious. I look forward to checking Instagram daily to get a word of encouragement from her. Thanks, Julie, for making a difference in this world for the good." Oh my goodness. Thank you so much. You hit on so many different points and I am just so grateful that this podcast is impacting your life. If you guys have not left a review yet, if you could scooch over to Apple Podcast, it helps us out so incredibly much. All you've got to do is press pause, scroll all the way down and you can click the rate and review.
Please, please, please send a screenshot of your review so I can personally send you a voice memo back and thank you. All right. So back to the point, I want to repeat that quote again. "In the hardest times, I destroyed my body for a peace of mind I never got." Reflecting on my past relationship with my body this is the conclusion that I have found. If we are searching for peace with our body, we must stop destroying our body. That is the only true way to find real lasting peace. As long as we are destroying it, we will continue to chase a body that just doesn't exist. And we will fall victim to the toxic cycle. We will always think it's not good enough, not strong enough, we're not lean enough, we're not beautiful enough. It will never be enough. So we are continuously led down this cycle that will destroy our body and our mind over and over and over again.
The best way to break this cycle is by truly believing we don't have to have a perfect body. Now, what is a perfect body anyway? Everybody's definition of perfect is different. They want a bigger butt, they want a smaller butt, they want bigger thighs, they want smaller thighs. I mean, think about it, everybody has a definition of perfect that's different. So the perfect body really doesn't even exist. We don't have to have a perfect body to feel confident in our body. We can feel confident in our body, no matter how it looks. And I know that might be extremely hard for you to believe right now, but trust me, that it is possible to be confident and not have six-pack abs. To be confident and not have a thigh gap or toned arms or that perfect looking body, whatever that is to you. Seriously, it is possible.
But the first step is to let go of the idea that you have to look a certain way before you can be confident. And let go of the idea that you need to destroy your body in the process of trying to get there. And I want to be real with you. The most confident people that I know don't have perfect bodies, and more often than not the ones who have a definition of a perfect body and strive for that are driven by their insecurities. Those who are truly confident realize they don't need to obsess over their body being a certain way in order for them to start being confident. Looking back on my personal journey, I missed out on living 95% of my life, just to try to weigh 5% less. I destroyed myself in the process. I destroyed relationships. And most importantly, I destroyed the relationship that I had with myself and I was left feeling the furthest from happy that I've ever felt.
I can't tell you how many holidays, birthday parties, summer cookouts, vacations, girl's night outs, any get together for that matter, where I completely deprived myself. Instead of living in the moment and actually engaging with the people around me, I sat there literally obsessing over not eating the food and not drinking the drink. Let me tell you now that I have realized there is no amount of weight that I could possibly lose that would be better than the memories I have gained and created. So please, please stop missing out on the majority of your life. Only to try to weigh a little bit less or to look a little bit more are toned. I'm telling you from my experience, it is not worth it. The confidence, the happiness and the worth that you are searching for, won't be found at the end of the tunnel. Because to be honest, it will always be an endless tunnel.
Once you think you're almost out, another turn comes and just continues to go and go, and you will not make it out to the other end. And instead, you will be losing yourself more and more, stripping away every single day that you choose that over trying to really authentically love who you are. Let me ask you again. We under eat, we over exercise, we under nourish, we over restrict, we punish our bodies, we hate our bodies and we destroy our bodies, but for what? It is not worth it. It's not leading you to the life you want or the relationship you want to your body. I'm speaking from experience. And I want to save you months, if not years of you going down a path that will literally lead you to a dead end. Instead, move your body, nourish your body and love your body, and then allow it to be whatever it is after you are 100% respecting it.
I am not saying that you can't have goals or dreams, but there is a fine line between you obsessing or you taking the opportunity to honor your body. I don't want you to obsess over your body. I want you to look at it as an opportunity each day to honor your body and ask yourself what that looks like each day, because it will look different. Honoring your body with movement, honoring your body with giving it the nourishment that it needs, honoring your body with rest. Work on loving it unconditionally. And let me repeat that again, unconditionally. And then that is when you will find lasting peace. If you love this episode, I know you will also love episode 32, nine things that you need to know about getting abs or a flatter stomach. So be sure to tune into that episode, I really dive deep into that topic.
And I think that those things are going to give you a lot of insight. If you have someone in your life that you feel like would benefit from this podcast, I just ask that you share it out. You can copy the link, send it to them in a text message. You can tell them in person, "Hey, go listen to this podcast." And tell them an episode that you feel like they would resonate with. You can post it up on your story, tag me, Julie Ledbetter. I love seeing you and connecting with you. And I really try to get back to as many of you as possible. I appreciate you guys so, so much, and I will talk to you guys in the next episode.
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're not already following me on the Gram, be sure to do so, juliealedbetter. 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 Podcast, 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 your worth it.