What is your purpose?

"Why do you do what you do?"  she asked...

I took a deep breath...my eyes started to leak...

"Because I don't want other women to waste the time, energy, and their self respect, self-esteem and self confidence that I did" I say.  Over 40 years of dieting, depression, anxiety, addiction, and continued criticism of self...

This video is to remind me of why I do what I do.

I’m Divorcing Exercise!

Yes, you read that right!  I have decided it is time, after 35 years to divorce Exercise….divorcing the traditional old thoughts, the new trendy thoughts, and everything in between.

I have decided instead to just MOVE.  To move my body because it feels good, period, end of statement.

I decided to let go of the damaging words and voices that I continue to hear in my head over and over again.  I have heard them year after year…decade after decade.  The I should’s, the I need to’s, the I have to’s.

Thus, the decision to divorce myself from the meaning of exercise and begin a new, exciting relationship with movement, joy and play. 

It was time to divorce myself from the old meanings that come up when we mention the word exercise.  Things like:

• ·       Burning Calories
• ·       No pain, no gain
• ·       More is better
• ·       Feel the burn
• ·       Push harder and dig deeper

And begin to engage in brand-new meanings like:

• ·       Feeling good
• ·       Getting stronger
• ·       Moving better
• ·       Having fun
• ·       Living life

Don’t get me wrong, I understand and support and want to share the numerous benefits that moving our bodies brings us.  That is why I decided to create Shaping Perspectives: A Woman’s Way to Joy. 

We are able to share with you multitudes of activities and movement opportunities and ideas, and give You, our client a chance to think outside the box and experience plenty of different ways to move your body including many ways that you may not have thought of before.

Our clients emerge from their work with us with a different outlook on what it means to move their bodies and they walk away with all kinds of different activities that they are excited about continuing when they get home.

-We make moving your bodies about joy, fun and sustainability.

-We make moving your bodies about function, mobility, strength and confidence

-We create ways to move that help you to live the life you want to live.

Whether your goal is to be able to play a game of kickball with your daughter, hoist your suitcase into the overhead bin, walk the streets of Paris, or to get on the floor to play with your grandchildren, our movement program will get you well on your way.

Summer time is a great time to try new things and to experience new environments.  You can take hikes to trails, mountains, beaches, parks and waterfalls.  You can experiment with kayaking, swimming and paddle boarding.  You can ride a bike into town, play volleyball, foot golf, pickleball or horseshoes, enjoy throwback moments in time by playing hopscotch or hula hooping or take the family to a zoo or museum for time together.

So, what do you say?  Are you ready for a divorce?  A divorce from the should’s and the have tos or the drudgery or boredom of traditional exercise? 

Come find pure joy in moving your body, and as a side benefit notice how good your body it feels both during and after.

Check out our Facebook Page here, or Contact us at ShapingPerspectives: A Woman’s Way to Joy.

Changing Perspective, A Road to Joy

Have you ever had a good mood and a good day destroyed by stepping on a scale? Do you get frustrated, disgusted, disappointed and depressed by what it says?

Are you unhappy with your body? How does it feel when you catch a glimpse of yourself as you walk by a store window, see yourself in a mirror or spend an afternoon of clothes or bathing suit shopping?

Have you gained more weight than you would have liked to through stress, pregnancy, menopause, age, injury, or other life-changing event such as divorce, loss of spouse, disease, job loss, etc.

Do you spend your days beating yourself by listening to your inner mean voice (mini-me) scolding you over your weight, poor food choices, lack of motivation, failure to achieve your weight loss or fitness goals?

You are not alone…In fact

·      75% women are unhappy with the way they look,

·       Over 67% of women ages 15-64 withdraw from life-engaging activities,

·      95% of individuals will fail at achieving their weight loss goals.

I too suffered from hating my body and the way it looked, obsessed over the number on the scale, food choices, diets and compulsive exercise.  My story includes being diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa and Exercise Bulimia.

My first diet was at age 10, I have spent the last 40 years gaining and losing 100’s of pounds. I have done it all including binging, cleanses and fasting. My time, energy and mind has been consumed with the number on the scale, fat grams, calories, what I should and shouldn’t eat, pinching my belly, criticizing my thighs and beating myself up with my inner mean girl “mini-me” because I didn’t look the way I thought I should.

After a lifetime of striving to achieve the perfect body and thin ideal, being frustrated with never being able to sustain any results, punishing my body with exercise until it was broken and needing surgery.  I was DONE.

I decided a few years ago to change my perspective and give up dieting and compulsive exercise  for good.  In addition I went back to school and earned a graduate certificate in Eating Disorders and became a certified Intuitive Eating coach.

Because of this I finally learned to accept, appreciate and respect the body that I was given, I fired the big bully (mini-me) in my head that has been beating me up over the last 40+ years, and began a peaceful, loving relationship with joyful movement, eating foods intentionally and my thighs.  It has changed my life.

In fact I created Shaping Perspectives: A Woman’s Way to Joy to support, guide, educate, encourage and empower other women to find peace, joy, and happiness. 

Women who implement the Shaping Perspectives approach to living, feel more grounded, experience higher energy and live more authentically. They develop a higher connection, awareness and acceptance of body, mind and spirit.

If you are looking to change your perspective and transform your life, I am extending to you

A Special Invitation to join me at in Hebron NH on June 8-11 for a FIND JOY! A Women’s Wellness Weekend Retreat.

Enroll Here

During this transformative weekend, YOU and other like-minded women will learn

a plethora of new tools and strategies to reduce stress and improve self care enabling you to move successfully through the next chapter(s) of your life.

·      You will experience an array of fun and functional movement and play activities

·      You will learn how to transform your “mini-me” (negative self-talk) to more empowering and “maxi-me” (positive self talk)

·      You will learn how to tap into your physiological signs of hunger, and fullness and how to Intentionally and Intuitively eat

·      You will experience a changing perspective on what your body can do for you enabling you to develop the appreciation, acceptance and respect your body deserves.

·      Learn how to support and connect to your authentic self and your best friend (YOU).

DON’T MISS OUT ON YOUR BEST LIFE by adopting the Shaping Perspectives approach to living joyfully. Feel more grounded, experience higher energy, live more authentically and develop a higher connection, awareness and acceptance of body, mind and spirit.

Please join me at the Coppertoppe Inn June 8-11 in Hebron NH.

Go here to enrolltoday

I wish I knew now, what I knew then.

Sometimes life takes you by surprise.  Suddenly you find yourself somewhere you don’t really want to be, or maybe somewhere you never EVER could have imagined.

Have you ever realized the decisions you made in the past have brought you right her, right now, to this place in your life?

After years of beating myself up, worrying about food, exercise, my body and the number on the scale, I realize it was all for good reason.  It has changed me, an actually has freed me from the chains of my own self-hatred.

Do you ever think to yourself: If I only knew then, what I know now

Have you ever thought about composing a letter to your younger self?  Can you think about how you would share some of the wisdom and experiences from your past? 

This letter can help you realize how much you have grown, how some of the hardest times you have gone through may have contributed in a positive way to your life right now.  Maybe you are stronger, more resilient or wiser.   Maybe you realize you are so much more than the size of your body or a number on the scale.

Kinda like this...

Dear Annie,

This life will get complicated.  It will be hard, frustrating, and confusing at times.  It will be filled with periods of pain and periods of joy.  There may be times when you will want to crawl under the covers and stay in bed, and other times you will find yourself jumping up and down on your bed with pure joy. 

There will be disappointment and failure, accompanied by feelings of sadness, anger, shame or guilt.  During these times, remember this:

·       These moments DO NOT DEFINE YOU

·       These feelings are real, validate them, and know they will pass

·       These are the times when you will learn and grow, gain strength, knowledge, compassion, understanding and resilience

·       These experiences may come again, and you will be better prepared

·       You may look back at these times and nod your head in understanding

·       THIS PERIOD WILL NOT LAST FOREVER

There will also be victories and successes that will be accompanied by feelings of happiness, confidence, warmth or exhilaration.  

During these times remember this:    Make time to CELEBRATE THESE MOMENTS.   

         All too often women move right onto the next big thing, without taking time to celebrate the success

·       Cherish them, write them down, capture them so that you can share the feelings and experiences with others (friends, family, grandchildren)

·       Think about the hard work and determination that gets overlooked in the accomplishment of a success.  Realize that it didn’t “just happen”.  That you made it happen through hard work, dedication and discipline.

·       Know that this will not last forever either, our lives naturally have an ebb and flow to them

The moments and experiences in your life become part of your story, it makes you who you are.  Your own unique, special, one of a kind YOU.

There are a few other tidbits I would like to share with you

·       You can agree to disagree with others
·       Communication is an important skill to continue to work on
·       Stay true to your own values and beliefs
·       Trust your gut
·       Bodies all come in different sizes and shapes
·       Size does not dictate health
·       Food is not the enemy
·       Everyone you meet has a story
·       Surround yourself with people you respect, like to be around and who give you energy
·       Dare to be different-what other people think of you is their business
·       Your career, family, successes, failures or body size do not define who you are
·       Your imperfections make you perfect
·       Develop an internal voice that is kind and compassionate
·       Treat yourself like your own best friend.

Live this life for today, don’t put off doing anything because of your size, weight or thoughts about what other people will think

With much appreciation and love,

Annie

Your turn, write your own letter.  What do you want to tell yourself?  Would you like guidance to find freedom in your body, freedom with food, freedom from you inner critic?  I have been there, I would love to support you in your journey, schedule an EMBRACE YOU breakthrough session today!