One of my online clients messaged me last week about an “Intuitive Eating” book she was reading that was recommended by her therapist.
As her online fitness and mindset coach, she wanted to know what I thought. (Since she hadn’t gone through my Mindset Course yet)
I didn’t even ask the specific title. I didn’t have to.
Because she quickly followed it up by…
“I don’t get it. I’m reading this book, yet I binged all weekend.”
Intuitive eating - in case you haven’t already guessed - is a practice of honing in on your natural hunger cues so that you honor what your body truly needs (or doesn’t need).
In other words, it’s an eating practice using your intuition.
Sounds delightful, right?
& here’s the rub….
A major issue with the women I’ve worked with is that they struggle with trusting themselves around food and cannot discern between what their bodies need, vs what their mind says vs what society is telling them is “right” vs being driven by the constant fear of gaining weight.
Therefore, intuitive eating is nearly impossible when you are looking to use it as a tactic straight on.
Intuitive eating (also referred to as mindful eating in some circles) … when approached as the direct, ultimate answer to forming healthy food habits, can trigger your brain to start thinking “rut-roh! She’s gonna stop eating our favorite foods because deep down, I know they’re bad!”
That’s why as far as your logic and emotions are concerned, this approach to eating can feel just like any other diet.
There seem to be rules with intuitive eating and following rules can make your inner rebel rear her ugly head.
That has been my experience and the experience of my mindset clients as to why there is a struggle with this approach. It works for a very small percentage of people.
The truth is your food issues are not going to be solved with food tactics and strategies.
I will say that again because it makes my heart heavy that most women reading this post will not even be able to perceive and acknowledge that statement.
Your food issues are not going to be solved with food tactics and strategies.
That is why I have a completely different framework in how I work with my clients to overcome food issues and weight struggles through my proven Mindset Course system.
In fact, we don’t even deal with food behaviors until we are half-way through the 12 weeks together.
We talk about the other fun stuff like creating a vision for your life, pin-pointing the self-limiting beliefs and stories that have kept you from trusting your intuition and have kept you in the struggle with your body, with food and with your weight all these years.
That discovery process in itself can release the hold that food has over you. It’s incredibly eye-opening and liberating. It’s what sets your inner rebel free.
There are other ways to satisfy your inner rebel. In fact, here’s one way we do it at RealFit:
Kickboxing.?
Kickboxing helps to channel your energy and aggression in a way that gives you the greatest bang for your buck. Not only does no one *actually* get hurt, but your body reaps the benefits of constantly refining classic cardio kickboxing moves that leave no muscle left behind. There is something so exhilarating and rewarding about carving out “me time” and switching on beast-mode!
Not only is “Look Like a Beauty Kicks Like a Beast” a badass tank, (get yours here) it’s also the inspiration for a no jump, beast-mode workout that helps you refine the 5 major moves that put “kick” into Kickboxing.
In episode 7, you see Amanda & I grab our weighted gloves (1 pound each) so we are ready after the warm up to help balance out the lower body strength & endurance challenge. You can use a pair of 2’s or 3’s if you have light hand weights at home. I DO NOT recommend going heavier than 5 pounds. Your joints will suffer with that kind of power behind this many repetitions.
I also throw in a set of push ups between each round just for good measure.
Round 1: Lunges + Front kicks
> set 1: Push Ups
Round 2: Curtsy squats + Side kicks
> set 2: Push Ups
Round 3: Wide Squats & Roundhouse kicks
> set 3: Push Ups
Round 4: Knee Strike + Crescent kicks + Back Kicks
> set 4: Push Ups
If you are a Beastie Boy fan, you will want to get in on this beast-mode kickboxing workout (along with 100’s of other workouts that let your inner rebel express herself!)
