GRACE 2 CONQUER - Helping Women Find Freedom through Faith, Fitness, and Truth

64. Body Image, God’s Way vs diet culture mentality & self-sabotage

Have you EVER been on a “diet” or an “exercise program”?!

How many different times have you tried to do something that would alter your physical state of being?

Girl…ME TOO!! More than I can count…even after I first became a trainer in 2013, I still had so many warped ways of thinking plus a bad relationship with food and the thought that I had to run 4 miles, fasted, every morning in the pursuit of “being thinner.” Mind boggling really! Oh yes, at the time I lost weight and was the smallest I’d been (couldn’t even wear the smallest Women’s clothes without swimming in them)…but guess what? I was SO mentally unstable and just emotionally damaged. Over the following years I had this back and forth, two steps forward, one step backwards, way of getting there. Why? Because I’m stubborn and hard-headed and was certain to be approved of or be worthy, I had to look a certain type of way. I would feel guilty if I ate fried foods so I wouldn’t eat much at all. I was trapped and consumed with comparing myself to other girls in the gym.

But I remember really learning to love myself and only seek God’s approval and one day, at the gym, I was finally able to look at other girls and say to myself “God is good…” Girls that wore hardly anything to show off their bodies; girls who wore the baggiest clothes to hide their bodies; girls who wore tight clothes that could care less what their bodies look like. And so I was grateful that we are ALL unique and have good bodies full of life.

Today’s episode is all about body image and breaking free from self-sabotage and comparisonitis that we so often subconsciously fall into. Going into this New Year, we are bombarded by fad diets, fitness programs and challenges, and promises to help us lose all the pounds that we gained over the holidays or over COVID. But it’s going to cost you…listen to the full episode to find out how!

 

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Make sure to check out my Facebook group below:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/220473999028997/

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Check out www.grace2conquer.com  for more programs being listed: decluttering your home, and meal planning ALL on SALE throughout January, to help you find balance and create a schedule that will help free up some of your time.

Happy 2022!! Choosing a THEME vs a New Years’ Resolution Plus How to Go Deep & Build a Strong Foundation

Happy New Year!!!! Are you a resolutioner? I am NOT! I find that resolutions are based on emotion-feeling shame, fear, anger, inspiration, motivation, guilt, etc. Emotions change and so does motivation so you are more likely to quit, skip, give up or just plain FAIL! I explain this a little more and then talk about why I choose an over all theme each year. Last year my theme was to Be Uncomfortable and this year it is to Go Deeper. What does it mean to Go Deeper? Do you want to work more on YOU and not just the exterior, but the inside-your relationships, your walk with God, your business, your mental state…?! I am so excited to unpack this concept with you since I am about to have shoulder surgery on the 3rd and won’t be able to do all the physical challenges I normally do this time of year. I am excited to bring you an enlightening series about body image and the lies that are holding you captive in your life. Stay tuned by SUBSCRIBING and let me know you want more of something by leaving me a comment or a review! And don’t forget to join the discussion on Facebook!! _________________________ https://www.facebook.com/groups/220473999028997/

Walk with me Wednesday ALL About Marriage and Your Relationship with Your Spouse

“How do you and your husband keep your relationship up so we’ll both being in the fitness industry?” THAT is the topic today so I am going to give you some cold hard truth bombs about marriage and YOUR responsibility as a wife and (hopefully) your husband’s best friend. If you are not married, this is still GREAT advice and I challenge you to be growing and becoming the BEST version of yourself!!! Please make sure you drop me a review and subscribe to my podcast and come join me on Facebook in my group of like minded women and moms who are working at being the BEST versions of ourselves. The links talked about in today’s episode are as follows: _______________________________ www.grace2conquer.com https://www.facebook.com/groups/220473999028997/

Walk With Me Wednesday Dec 1st - Answering “How do I not gain weight from Holiday eating?”

On today’s episode, I’m addressing a question I’ve gotten in a few different ways but all boils down to the same answer. Everyone wants the magic pill to how to combat holiday eating and it’s actually a very simple concept. I’m also addressing the question about my own fitness currently…heavy weight lifting, progressive overload, and resistance training and how each suits different purposes. Come walk with me as I talk about these things!!

Tops Hacks for Navigating Holiday Eating & Tips to keep you on track in your nutrition goals

BONUS: How To Handle Overload When You Wear SO Many Hats

Do you ever feel like you just need multiple clones of YOU to get ALLL the things done that you do every day? Do you feel like you are just exhausted from and yet strangely addicted to ALL your daily activities and “extra” things you volunteer for? Or maybe you are like me with ADHD and have SO many AMAZING ideas that you HAVE to pursue and explore (mine is crafts and businesses)?! Well this BONUS episode is for YOU!!! Overload is not the same necessarily as burn out but it can definitely lead to it. Today I am talking about the TWO MAIN AREAS that we have to take a hard and honest look at in our lives if we are feeling OVERLOAD from all the “hats” we wear: mom, wife, worker/business owner, entrepreneur, podcaster, blogger, trainer, coach, meal-preparer, homemaker, Sunday school teacher, nursery worker, babysitter…ALLL of those and more! Ladies, this is an area I STRUGGLED with most of my adult life and it is okay…it took me YEARS and YEARS to figure these things out and it was p-a-i-n-f-u-l to say the least. Listen up and take some notes then pray about what I have to say and do some journaling and then pray some more!!! Don’t forget to come check out my Facebook group where we gather to talk about the things I bring up, motherhood, etc!!

Debunking the MYTH: if You PAY vs get FREE help or Training, Will it Make a Difference?

Have you ever thought that if you pay for something, it will motivate you to follow through? That investment mentality can be a huge problem because…. “How you do one thing is how you do everything.” So whether you can do something on your own or for free, if you won’t put in the work, will you TRULY put in the work if you are paying for something? Many think so…speaking from experience with my clients. Today’s episode is talking about that. It’s a short, straight-to-the-point kind of day with a little tough love! The links talked about in the episodes are as follows: _______________________________ www.grace2conquer.com https://www.facebook.com/groups/220473999028997/ https://www.1stphorm.app/Foote https://www.facebook.com/G2Ccoaching/

Walk With Me Wednesday Where I Talk While I Walk & Answer ALL Your Questions

This episode is just a straight up walk while I talk episode with no intro or extras. The quality is not the same because…I’m walking outside, which is where I go to do most of my deep thinking. So…do you have a question? About fitness, marriage, family, hardships, mom life, nutrition….? Any of it? Send me an email cara@grace2conquer.com or get on my website www.Grace2Conquer.com and I’ll answer that weeks’ questions on my “Walk With Me Wednesday” episode. Today was the FIRST of these so I am just explaining a little about my walking and rambling on. Can’t wait to hear from you!! XoXo ~Cara

the PITFALLS of Immediate Gratification and why Practicing Self Control is So Important

Have you ever made that impulse buy as you walk near checkout? What about standing in the pantry snacking on some chips whiles you decide what you want to snack on? Today’s episode is all about immediate gratification and how it plays such an important role in health and fitness. So many companies sell products that will supposedly take the “work” out of weight loss or a program that guarantees quick and easy results, but are disappointed when they don’t see the results. At the same time, when someone hires a coach or personal trainer, they expect to see the sale start dropping immediately and their clothes getting looser and become discouraged quickly if these things don’t happen right away. I once worked with a company called Xyngular and it promised 8lbs lost in 8 days with their special pack of products and in fact many saw those results (for numerous reasons) but then regained that weight with full force afterwards or after they stopped using their products. ________________________________ Our society has become addicted to immediate gratification in our fast-paced world. But it’s always BEST to do the hard work to get real and lasting benefits in any area of life, whether emotional or physical. I know for myself when I wait to buy something until I have the money, I usually don’t even want that item any more (or not as bad) and can be more realistic if it’s a clothing item about if I’ll truly wear it often enough anyway. And as far as nutrition or fitness, I’ve been a trainer since 2013 and started body building in 2017. It has been a PROCESS to build muscle or to reshape my body composition. It takes years to gain muscle maturity and I enjoy this art of working on my body. I still struggle with an underlying urge to want to “lose weight” but now I can remind myself that the scale is not my judge and I can enjoy life and food without having body dismorphia or any negative food relationship. And you can too…but you have to understand the problems with our thinking when it comes to immediate gratification. ______________________________ If you are looking for more info on how to work with me, or gain support in a community of like-minded women, the links are below: . www.Grace2Conquer.com https://www.facebook.com/groups/220473999028997/ https://linktr.ee/Grace2Conquer

Being PRESENT in this Fast-Paced Culture as a Busy Mom With a Business and SO MUCH MORE

Have you ever found yourself picking up your cell phone to scroll or text while you are at a red light? No? Just me? I doubt that!! ________________________________________ We all have our own vices and this is perhaps the thing I struggle with MOST as a mom, especially as a “mompreneur” (mom + entrepreneur). It’s SO easy to be distracted and not BE PRESENT with others in our lives and just because we’re moms, doesn’t make it any easier! I know my ADHD also plays a huge role for me in that I struggle to focus ESPECIALLY on a rambling play-by-play of every single minute of one of the kids’ day at school. I TRY…SO HARD!!! Am I a bad mom??? As a fitness professional and a life coach, I’m here to tell you that it’s okay if it happens! The first step is recognizing it and then making a plan to change-write it out!! And then DO IT!! Maybe it means putting your phone far away in the car. Or getting an iPod to listen to music at the gym vs your phone. Maybe it will mean deleting a social media app every weekend so you can focus on family. For me, my goal is to be PRESENT with my husband and kids and to BE INTENTIONAL in everything I do, whether it’s working out or cleaning the house. I actually took a sabbatical from my apps on my phone about 6 months ago and it was GLORIOUS!!!! I freaked out a little at first…think withdrawals, because I clearly was more addicted to posting on my stories than I thought. But it allowed me the time to focus on my kids and enjoy them so much more. PLUS…my house was more clean and organized and our meals were better planned. It is something that I am better about now, although being in fitness and having several businesses including running a podcast is REALLY hard to do without some level of distraction. I appreciate the accountability I get with my team in my Facebook group (which you can join in the link below) and from my husband…he’s always checking me when he sees me pick up my phone after dinner when it’s our designated “family time.” ________________________________________ Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/220473999028997/