There are also times in many of our lives, including mine, when our relationship woes are not so funny and really test our belief in ourselves. Fact is, for some women, it’s not easy to see how much potential we have and how great we actually are, so we ignore intuition and stay in relationships that are clearly wrong for us because we think we don’t deserve better or fear that “better” will never come.
You may be saying to yourself, this is all true, but how does it relate to fitness and health? For one thing, there is no separation between mind and body. Negative emotions about the self do affect your health. An unhealthy mindset creates unhealthy habits. Dr. Joel Furhman writes in his book Eat for Health: “When you have a legitimate reason to believe in yourself, you will care for yourself better and be more inclined to eat right.”
Think about it like this: Have you ever noticed that after a breakup, you feel more motivated to take care of yourself and look better than ever before? Making your ex regret losing you is only one aspect of this phenomenon. If you go deeper, you will notice a greater sense of belief in yourself. And now that you’re not in an unhealthy relationship, you have the clarity and space to see that and make wiser choices. It has been proven that healthy relationships contribute to long lasting health. Studies have shown that the healthiest people in the world, those who have lived to be 100 years old and beyond, don’t all have the same healthy regimes. But one commonality—besides unbelievable genetics—holds true. They all maintain an active social life surrounded by people who appreciate and value them.
In my teens and early twenties, I abused my body with fad diets and pills. I see a direct relationship between this and the types of men I dated at the time. The way I treated my body and the men I chose to invite into my life reflected my lack of self confidence and my inability to see that I deserved better. It is so important to look at health as a puzzle with many pieces. It is never just about eating right and working out. My greatest goal for you—and my deepest desire—as your friend and leader in health, is to help you create a better and healthier relationship with yourself so that all the choices you make in life lead you to a happier, more self confident and vibrant you. Here are a few fitness/diet tips that I practiced myself to help me get more connected to my body which, in turn, increased my self confidence and love for myself. Oh and the guys I date now aren’t that bad either.