Becoming Who We Choose to Be

Guest Blogger: Angie Redmond

Mental toughness: I tell myself it's not my strong suit, but I overcame addiction in my 20s. Of course that was no easy task, but I did it without ever looking back. I had to make a change. It was that simple. However, my strong will often gets derailed by my internal chatter.

​This morning my mental toughness was challenged to the max. It was lunge day on the FI schedule and before I even left the house I was feeling unsure of myself. I have an ongoing hip/knee issue and am always worried that I will re-injure myself. We were paired up for the challenge and I immediately felt intimidated because I had already told myself I couldn't do it. Then I was paired up with someone who is super fit.

I was self-conscious the whole time, trying to mentally prepare myself to avoid physical injury with each step and emotionally feeling  as though I was letting my partner down because I wasn't "as good." I thought if I were skinnier, this would be easier, opening up a whole new dialogue. It was exhausting in more ways than one.

Now mind you, these are all scenarios I made up in my own head. I talked down to myself for (almost) the entire workout. At one point I even convinced myself that I was going to pass out because I was so hot. Seriously. This is how my brain works. However, I did not quit.

I made it through the workout and smiled as I walked out the door. But on the drive home I burst into tears. Why am I so hard on myself? Why do I feel like the overweight  person that nobody (really) wants to partner with? How do I break the cycle of mentally tearing myself down?

As my coach tells me: "you keep showing up". 

These aren't thought patterns that happened over night. They are repeated conversations in my head, that somewhere along the way I decided to believe. 

I've worked in the health care and wellness industry for almost two decades. I have always stressed to my clients the power of choice. Even though I teach this every day, I'm human, and today I chose to defeat myself.

So my take away from today is to choose a new way of thinking. I have the will power to go after what I want, I know it's there. Of course it takes time to erase those old tracks, I'm living proof of that. I need to remember past struggles that I fought and won, and look at myself now and know that I can still do it. I need to change the conversation I have with myself daily and most importantly, I need to show up. Not just physically, but mentally. 

Angie Redmond

Angie Redmond, BS, NC, CGP, is a Board Certified Holistic Nutritionist through the National Association of Nutritional Professionals. She has 18 years of combined experience in clinical nutrition and mental health. Angie focuses on the importance of whole food nutrition while educating clients on the mind-body connection, helping them to embrace their true authentic self.