Inner and Outer Strength
By: Maria Alcoke, web & graphic designer, personal-growth junkie and fitness-enthusiast
What does strong and well-fed mean to you? To me, it represents confidence, feeling good in your skin, and being satisfied. You know that feeling, after a really good workout, or a great meal, or after quality time with loved ones? You just feel filled up Remember the last time you had that feeling?
To me, being “strong” is more than how much you can lift, and being “well fed” is more than just eating to fuel your body. It’s being able to show up fully as your authentic self. It’s having the inner strength to set goals and patiently pursue them. It’s knowing yourself and being rooted in your values. It’s also about what you feed your mind – what kind of social media are you consuming? Are you reading inspiring content or getting sucked in to everyone else’s highlight reel? How can you train your inner AND outer strength and feed your soul this month?
For me – something I’ve learned over the past year is that I no longer value being the smallest version of myself. Weight-loss and ‘shrinking’ has been a common theme in the health and fitness industry geared toward women, especially during the summer months. “Get Your Body Bikini Ready!” “30-Day Summer Shred”… What if we reminded ourselves that ALL bodies are already beach bodies, what if instead of trying to shrink, we focused on personal GROWTH. The changes that happened for me over the last year were more than just physical, I found my “flow” with training and with work and family. I started back with therapy and focused more on my mental health. I became my own best friend. I learned the importance of setting personal and professional boundaries, the importance of rest, and the importance of trusting the process.
I challenge you this month: Can you make a goal to clean up your social media feed? Listen to an empowering podcast or audiobook? To subscribe to an uplifting newsletter? To adopt ONE new habit? Opt to strength train one day a week? What can you take control of when it comes to fueling your mind and your muscles? What about re-discovering your core values?
You’re not always going to love the process, but once you create your own definition of strong and well-fed, it provides personal perspective. It gives you an opportunity to recognize when something is no longer serving you and that it’s time to pivot or when it’s time to focus and stay the course. Being strong and well fed is not a destination – it’s experiencing a full life and everything that comes with it.
Original post (edited: from @maria.alcoke) Inspired by @paragontrainingmethods motto Strong x Well Fed
