For so many people, weight gain is something they struggle with their entire lives.
But what if you were the opposite? What if you spent your whole life fit – and chose to gain weight on your journey to becoming more resilient?
This is the real-life story of Physical Trainer and NY Times bestselling author, Drew Manning. Drew decided to put himself in the shoes of his clients, in quite a literal way by intentionally gaining weight, only to lose it and prove out his ability and methods as a physical trainer. His experiment actually went viral to the point that it became a hit tv show called Fit to Fat to Fit.
Unexpected Lessons
Of course, he learned about the journey his clients were taking with each step towards a healthier life – but what Drew really learned ran much deeper than that.
“It was one of the hardest and the most humbling things I’ve ever been through. I learned many valuable experiences during that first experiment. Luckily, I did get back to fit, with a whole new perspective and understanding of the mental and emotional side of transformation. Before, I was this judgmental trainer who couldn’t understand why people couldn’t do the work. Seeing the emotional side of transformation for the first time, I could now empathize with my clients and understand the connection to food, emotional eating, and food addiction that I could have never probably experienced had I not gone through that.” -Drew Manning
We Are More Than Our Bodies
Some of what Drew is touching on as he shares these lessons from his journey has everything to do with how out of touch we are with one simple truth: the inside impacts the outside in every way. We have more to offer than our bodies, but oftentimes, when our bodies are not physically capable, we cannot live up to our full potential. On the flip side of that, we could be physically fit, but if our mental health is poor, again we will have limited capacity. It’s important to understand how one is always affecting the other.
Resilience in 2021
Our society is a society of convenience. We want the path of least resistance. We want the easy way out. We want to avoid the hurdles. So we miss out on the lessons and the resilience too. We cannot skip the grueling parts of life. In fact – let’s seek them out. Let’s take on the challenges and celebrate the victory each time we grow in our self-discovery. Everything might happen for a reason, but until you start to think about what that reason could be – you’ll miss out.
“Resilience for me is knowing that all of this stuff in my life has happened to me for a reason. Life happens for me instead of to me. That’s the difference between a victim mindset and a resilience mindset.” -Drew Manning
3 Reasons to Tackle Resilience in 2021
- Mind. We’ve had plenty of opportunities to lean into challenges. If we use this upheaval and all of this change to move forward and grow – 2021 will certainly bring more resilience to your mind.
- Body. Whether we are talking about diet or exercise – the more we focus on making 2021 the year of intentionality – the more resilience we will experience physically.
- Emotions. Meditation, daily rituals, and finding new ways to stay connected will force us into a place where we are more emotionally stable and resilient.
Our society of convenience, along with diet culture and a poor standard American diet (SAD) – are all elements that have hurt our wellbeing on so many levels. As we prepare to kick off a new year, let this be the year we challenge ourselves. Let this be the year we push for the life we want. Let this be the year we choose to love our life – no matter what – and create space for our life to love us back.
Jump Right In
I want to leave you with real opportunities to challenge yourself and make 2021 the year where we walk our walk, and the walk is intentional, and the walk is overflowing with growth and lessons and different ways we can push ourselves in the ways and places we need to pivot. In August of 2020, Drew embarked on a second incredible Fit 2 Fat 2 Fit challenge and he wants you to go along for the ride. The Back2Fit program invites people to join Drew as he attempts to lose the 60-lbs he gained on purpose. Equipped with meal plans, grocery lists, mental and emotional prompts, and serious lasting lifestyle changes, there’s never been a better time to take back your life.
[DON’T FORGET] Even if your challenge isn’t as extreme as Drew’s… how will you challenge yourself this week? How will you step into your life to build up resilience? How will you challenge yourself to love your life even more in 2021? We have a way forward…
You can enjoy the entire inspiring conversation between Drew and I here.
Don’t forget to let me know how it’s going so I can support you in your journey to resilience
