This weekend Matt and I celebrated 17 years together.
We enjoyed a traditional Portuguese meal in the mountains and found ourselves reflecting on how much we’ve changed.
Both individually and as a couple.
We actually exercise less than ever, feel more confident about our nutrition and take fewer supplements than ever.
Most importantly, we stress less about the finer details of health (okay, that one was more me than Matt! 😂).
Over the years, we’ve learned to trust our bodies more and adapt things as we age.
We’re not in denial about aging nor using it as an excuse to stop caring.
We accept it, prioritise how we feel and healthy function within our body over anything else.
Maintaining some degree of flexibility over the years has really been the key to staying on track.
It means we can work through injuries, illness, work deadlines, life’s curveballs and not be derailed.
Like many of you, we’ve felt the pressure to look a certain way, maintain admirable fitness levels and know everything within our industry.
But the more we focused on this, the more we lost enjoyment in what we did and struggled with low moods and lack of self-esteem..
True health isn’t a size, six-pack, or any strength and fitness achievement.
It’s you living a life you enjoy, looking after your body and not overly focusing on being someone else.
Don’t let your ego hijack your desire to improve and redirect it towards perfectionism, body image ideals, reversing aging or exhausting exercise routines.
Health should be intuitive – something your mind and body are fully on board with, not forced into.
Steering your journey more towards self-compassion and authenticity can be tougher than any health goal you tried before, but the rewards last a lifetime.
And that’s worth it.
