The physical is a reflection

The physical body is a reflection of who we are, or what makes us up as people. It reflects our habits, our attitudes, our beliefs, our insecurities, all that stuff on the inside. Getting fit, getting lean, losing weight isn't just about nutrition and training, but of course thats part of it. It's about something deeper. The things that are under the surface and no one can see.

Getting fit and healthy, getting the body we want, the body we dream about, is more than about controlling our impulses, saying no to the pizza or the beer or the burger. It's about shining a spotlight on ourselves. Looking at the patterns of behaviour which are holding us back, which may have no relationship to food. It's about shining a spotlight on the shadow self, the dark corners of our minds. The things that go on which we keep hidden from others and maybe even ourselves and we don't want to admit. The things that are in our deepest darkest recesses. Our fears, our insecurities, everything thats lurking inside.

When we shine a spotlight on those things. When we start to deal with much of that, the strength we gather, the strength we build can be used to control our senses. The strength we gather from regulating our senses, we can use to fight those inner battles and demons.

When discussing goal setting with my coach the other day, he asked me why I was reluctant to set specific, tangible goals. I was setting more vague, broader goals with a general idea of when I want to complete them. I don't think there's anything wrong with setting goals which are more general. They can give us a sense of direction. They don't have to be super specific because long term goals can be quite difficult to get our head around my coach explained. The example he used was that of a teenager wanting to be fit and healthy at 70. A teenager might want to get fit and be healthy for life but can't really fathom being 70. With short to medium terms goals, they are much more tangible. I was quite reluctant to set specific short term and mid-term goals. He asked if it could be that I don't trust myself. On reflection, there's a fear of not achieving goals but also a lack of trust in myself.

I think that stands to reason. Why would I trust myself, or why would anyone really trust themselves when they're consistently letting ourselves down? We have the things that we want to achieve, and when I say want to achieve I mean really want to achieve. The things we aspire to, the people we want to be, the people we need to be in order to have the things that we want...but how often do we see those things through? How consistent are we in the pursuit of those things? How often do we let those fall by the wayside? How often do we go for the safe secure option instead if the things we really, really want? When we don't go for the things we want, when we half-ass it, when we inconsistent and allow ourselves to be consistently inconsistent, then we're not true to ourselves. So why would we ever trust ourselves?

Trusting ourselves requires us to be true to what we want and who we truly want to become. It's about being true. When we can become true to ourselves, when can trust ourselves, we become more self-assured. We're sure of ourselves. We have to build trust in ourselves. The lack of trust shows itself in our bodies, in our lives. The physical reflects it. When we give in to the pizza and the beers and the other things, then we're not being true to what we really want. And that's OK. We're human after all. We make mistakes. However, we need to get back on track, take steps to help us understand why we made those mistakes, deal with the underlying issues and be true to what we want. In order to trust, we need to go for what we want, become who we aspire to be and need to be, and be consistent in our pursuit of those things. We need to face the shadows, the fears, the demons, the bad habits, the behavioural patterns, shine a light on them and deal with them consistently. So then it can be reflected in the physical.