When Being Good Is Bad

By Darla Breckenridge on April 29, 2013

il_fullxfull.89954292So you want to make a change happen.  You want to add more healthy foods or more exercise to your life.  And always is the struggle of having to do it right, having to be perfect, wanting to be GOOD. For most of us there is no such thing as being  good enough or perfect enough.

But consider this for a moment – trying to be good all the time can actually be bad for you. “Being good” can trigger the diet mentality, even if you have embraced the non-diet model.  So for many, being good means restricting. And it is not just actually restricting food, but it is also restricting thinking that can lead to “being bad” and an increase in self bullying.

In an article for CNN, Brene Brown says:

Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving to be our best. Perfectionism is not about healthy achievement and growth; it’s a shield. Perfectionism is a 20-ton shield that we lug around thinking it will protect us when, in fact, it’s the thing that’s really preventing us from being seen and taking flight.

Living in a society that floods us with unattainable expectations around every topic imaginable, from how much we should weigh to how many times a week we should be having sex, putting down the perfection shield is scary. Finding the courage, compassion and connection to move from “What will people think?” to “I am enough,” is not easy. But however afraid we are of change, the question that we must ultimately answer is this:

What’s the greater risk? Letting go of what people think — or letting go of how I feel, what I believe, and who I am?

What would it be like for you, just for this week,when you hear those words, “I’m bad, I’m have to be good, I have to be better…” to say to yourself : “As an experiment I will notice, observe, gather data move out of judging myself… just in this moment.”

Artwork by Gigi Marie on Etsy

Fitness Friday: Your Outdoor Gym

By Lisa Christie on April 26, 2013

As I was hustling to get out of work yesterday to run an errand, I stepped out into the beautiful  60 degree night and almost ran smack into our fitness specialist, Masha, who was doing “repeater knees” on a step. She had her earbuds in and was working up a sweat, so I decided to leave her alone and not […] read more »

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Why I Choose A Word Of The Year

By Guest Blogger on April 25, 2013

Today’s post is by Karen C.L. Anderson. “Intention, even in the form of a single word, is unfathomably powerful. Resolutions are fine, but they are often motivated by ‘shoulds.’ A word, however, contains energy, images and meaning. These are things our hearts and souls get excited about. And this is how transformation begins. Rarely does deep transformation happen because of […] read more »

How to De-stress More Healthfully

By Robyn Priebe on April 24, 2013

Do you know how to de-stress? I’d imagine many of us have “tools” we use when we are stressed, but they are nothing that we’ve consciously identified as stress reducers, but they work none-the-less (at least in the short-term).  The problem is that our stress reducers might not always have the healthiest outcome.  Here are some examples of things we […] read more »

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Feeling Low? Try A Helper’s High

By Darla Breckenridge on April 22, 2013

If you find that you’re dwelling too much on your weight and feeling low, one way to take the focus off your feelings is to do something — really almost anything –  for someone else.  This act of giving can be through an organization or just doing a good deed for your neighbor, such as  picking up the newspaper and […] read more »

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Is Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign Sketchy?

By Cindy on April 19, 2013

There’s a lot of buzz on the internet over the new Dove ad, “Real Beauty Sketches.” If you haven’t seen it, take a look. Many are questioning whether the commercial in its attempt to address real women’s issues around self-esteem and body image is actually depicting the average woman at all. Some are asking us to look a little closer […] read more »

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Are You Ready to Try Something Different?

By Lisa Christie on April 17, 2013

Today’s blog post is a shameless plug, so please forgive us for this one post. But we find it necessary to take a step back, for our new blog subscribers and old, to remind them how our blog A Weight Lifted is here for them. This year marks the eighth year of A Weight Lifted, one of the first blogs dedicated […] read more »

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Taking a Walk with Intention

By Darla Breckenridge on April 15, 2013

Now that it’s FINALLY warming up, taking a walk everyday may be more realistic for some of us. Walking soothes your mind; connects you with your body; and helps you manage anxiety, cope with the blues, and improve your happiness. Here are a few ideas about how to conceptualize taking a walk without having it be a “should.“ Taking a Walk […] read more »

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An Introduction to Self-Bullying

By Jacki Monaco on April 11, 2013

For the longest time I thought that most people treated themselves the way that I used to, and unfortunately sometimes still do treat myself. I was confused between “being hard on myself” in order to better the concept of “me” and bullying myself. When I think of the word “bully” I think of a playground, middle school, wedgies, practical jokes, […] read more »

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