Ever since a dance studio director told Amanda LaCount that she could not participate due to her body size, she has been on a mission to break the stereotype and promote body positivity and the belief that any body can be a dancer's body. So if you are feeling like you are ready to get back out there and start moving your body but are nervous about what other people might think, this is the episode for you.
If You Want To Break The Stereotype You Should:
Doing What You Love with Amanda LaCount
Rihanna follows her on Instagram; she has danced with Lady Gaga in her Stupid Love music video and danced with Lizzo at Coachella. She has also danced with Meghan Trainor and Katy Perry, was the first plus-sized Disney mermaid, and has partnered with international brands to bring body inclusivity to the forefront. Amanda LaCount is making huge waves in the world of entertainment and is working day by day to #breakthestereotype.
Don't Let The ‘Haters’ Get You Down
Amanda has been dancing since she was 2 years old, but it hasn't come without her fair share of setbacks. ‘Haters’ have often made Amanda feel like she didn't belong in a world where your appearance means way more than it should. But Amanda never let that stop her and has developed her own way to move past the mean comments and embrace what she truly loves to do.
Amanda believes that your body should not play a role in what job you get or how qualified people assume you are, and she wants to inspire people to do what they love regardless of any stereotypes you may or may not fit into.
#breakthestereotype
The hashtag #breakthestereotype is Amanda’s way to make change actionable. What started as something just for her has turned into a global movement on social media. Amanda wants other people to know that you don't have to be perfect, skinny, or tall to ‘make it’ in your chosen field. All it takes is hard work, dedication, and the right attitude.
Working to promote inclusivity and body positivity in the dance world and entertainment space, Amanda, and her famous friends, are working to break the stereotype piece by piece.
Are you ready to #breakthestereotype and get out there and start moving your body in a way that is fun and enjoyable for you? Share what you loved most about Amanda’s story with me in the comments section of the episode page.
“There is no point in feeling bad for yourself, that's only going to hurt you at the end of the day.” (11:26)
“I just don’t want my body to be part of the discussion, I want my dancing to speak for itself.” (15:19)
“I came up with ‘breaking the stereotype’ because that's what I do, and that's what I am doing still.” (19:44)
“What I want to see is more fat people, or fat films, or fat movies, that are positive and show the beautiful parts of being a plus-size person and show how strong we are and how beautiful we are.” (26:12)
“Stop caring so much about what other people think or have to say. At the end of the day, if it makes you happy, that's all that matters.” (34:12)
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LTYB 311: Reclaiming Your Spark By Honoring Your Swagger with Anniedi Essien
LTYB 313: How To Stop a Bad Body Image Day In Its Tracks with Brianna Campos
Have you ever considered how much more we as women could get done if we chose to lift each other up instead of getting caught up in comparison traps, jealousy, and the feeling of ‘not enoughness’? It has been famously said that comparison is the thief of joy, but becoming aware of how you compare yourself to yourself and to other women online and in real life can be a hard nut to crack.
If You Want To Become A Strong Woman Who Lifts Up Other Strong Women, You Should:
Molly Galbraith has been a coach in the fitness industry for over 17 years. It became clear to her early on how underserved women were in health and fitness, which is why she co-founded Girls Gone Strong almost ten years ago. Her new book, Strong Women Lift Each Other Up, helps women overcome their own personal struggles with comparison, jealousy, body image, and competition to feel strong, confident, and empowered in their body while supporting other women to feel the same.
Molly believes that when you know better, you do better. This is why she has dedicated herself and her new book to help women improve all areas of their lives. Everything from teaching coaches what they need to know in order to better serve women to helping women get out of the comparison trap by noticing, naming, and normalizing their emotions act as foundational tools necessary to help lift women up in everyday life. By getting radically clear on your values and getting curious about how we can support other women, revolutionary change is possible.
In a world where women's voices are often drowned out, and it's challenging to be heard, amplifying other women's voices can go a long way. The ripple effect that can be created through women empowering women isn't always obvious, but it can play a huge role in bringing the values we want to see into the world.
You don't need a lot of resources, money, or a big network to lift up other women in your life. All it takes are small, simple steps that can help you feel stronger and help strengthen the women around you. Lifting up all women is a group effort, but the ramifications can change the world as we know it.
Are you ready to get away from your comparison traps and scarcity mindset and embrace the beautiful possibilities that come from being a strong woman who lifts up other strong women? Share one way you are working to actively lift up other women in the comments section of the episode page.
“We believe that when women feel strong, confident and empowered in our lives and bodies, that we can change the world.” (4:30)
“Coaches and trainers, we are on the front lines of such important conversations with our clients. And I truly believe that we have the power to impact women's lives positively more than almost anyone else in their life.” (15:17)
“I envisioned a world that I wanted to see for women and saw that it wasn't our reality. I wanted to see a world where all women and girls get the support and opportunities they need to thrive and succeed. Where women believe that we are enough just as we are and that we are actually happy to see other women succeed because we know there is enough success to go around. And I wanted to see a world where there was an equitable presentation of all women in important places where decisions are made, and that is not our current reality.” (22:00)
“Taking the time to identify my values has just been life-changing. It has allowed me to feel so steadfast in the decisions that I make.” (31:03)
“We have the opportunity to massively lift people up and create huge ripple effects through very small actions, and I want people to know and feel empowered by those possibilities.” (38:42)
Strong Women Lift Eachother Up by Molly Galbraith
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LTYB 147: The Importance Of Feeling At Home In Your Body with Molly Galbraith
Have you found yourself falling into fitness comparisons not only with the people around you or that you know but in comparison with yourself and what you used to be able to do? If you are struggling with this concept or keep challenging the idea of coming back to exercise because you worry you won't be at the place you left off, this episode is for you.
If You Want To Stop Falling Into Fitness Comparisons, You Should:
Craig Zielinski is a USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach, a repeated LTYB guest, and my loving husband. Throughout the course of the pandemic, Craig came face to face with his ‘all or nothing' mentality and found a way to get over his ‘Comparison-itis’. Today he is here to share his story about how to get over your fear of judgment from others or yourself and start enjoying moving your body again.
For many people, their fitness identity in the past was tied to the exercise routines we used to do that are more often than not based on equipment that we simply don't have access to during the Covid-19 pandemic. Although Craig originally got caught up in the ‘all or nothing’ funk, he realized that a lot of his reasoning was unreasonable and started to choose exercises that were based more on having a good time and making the best of what we had, rather than training super hard. Instead of engaging in movements that were comparison-based, Craig learned to focus on building his ‘skill tree’.
The way that diet and fitness culture convince us that we have to specialize in one certain thing, even if it makes us miserable, is simply not true. When you are able to get back to the basics as Craig did, you can develop multiple skills and focus on the process than the all-illusive outcome.
You never know where any exercise will lead or take you, so the point is to be open to trying new things during this time of uncertainty and continually check on what feels right for you. Looking for fun, developing new skills, and being flexible about what fitness is can help you enjoy different areas of your life and get back into the movement mentality without all that added pressure.
What activity are you excited to get back into the routine of? How are you going to find healthy ways to limit your comparison-itis mentality? Share your thoughts with us in the comments on the episode page.
“I, for the longest time, could not get my head around what on Earth to do with myself [with Covid restrictions], so the answer was, in classic ‘all or nothing style’, was to do nothing.” (9:53)
“The problem created by returning to training and doing the same thing and being all dejected about how I have lost strength or capacity is by doing training that is adjacent to the training that I did, and as also something that is fun and I enjoyed while I would do it. And the cool part is that because it is adjacent to the training that I used to do, I have got developed skills so I won't feel like a complete novice and just give up.” (21:25)
“It is really basic, and it is a lot of fun. And it also, when you think about it really, it is more a skill tree.” (30:28)
“We are told that we have to specialize in everything, and we end up plowing the same furrow, and that is just not very interesting. And there is also no point in doing that, it's not very fulfilling, at least for me. Being a specialist in one thing is my worst nightmare, but that was kind of what I did in the gym if you think about it.” (31:52)
“The importance of developing what you can do as a project, is much greater than whatever the conclusion of the project is, right? (36:56)
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The McGill Big 3 for Core Stability
Breathe: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
The 5 Main Movement Patterns of Functional Movement Reel
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LTYB 165: How To Adapt Strength Training To Your Menstrual Cycle with Craig Zielinski
LTYB 327: Getting Back to Exercise Without Feeling Wrecked
LTYB 331: Strength Training & Your Relationship with Exercise
Have you been spending a few workouts a week lifting weights and trying to eat healthily but are still not seeing the results you are hoping for? There are three main common reasons that I hear over and over again in the community that is keeping you from seeing the results you want from your strength training efforts. The good news? They are easy to fix once you have empowered yourself with the knowledge and mindset shifts to do so!
Key Takeaways
If You Want To See The Results You Are Looking For From Strength Training You Should:
Eating Less and Moving More Is Not the Answer
A lot of us have a negative association with the word ‘calories’ because of diet culture. We have been told to put an emphasis on ‘eating less and moving more’, but that is not the magic cure. Your body needs fuel to move, and when you restrict that fuel, it can kill your energy and open you up to chronic energy.
All three of these topics, under-fueling, not managing your stress to recovery ratio, and not looking for ways to improve your movement patterns and tissue outside of the gym, have a huge impact on the results you see inside of the gym.
Results Need an Active Listener
Listening to your body is all about tuning into the signals that your body is sending you instead of ignoring them. If you are under a lot of stress, are not eating healthy foods or enough foods, or not prioritizing your sleep, it will all show up when you start to lift those weights.
While every exercise has its own risks, you can see the results you are looking for when it comes to strength training, but only if you are giving your body what it needs to succeed. Listening to your body, fueling it the right way, managing your stress to recovery ratio, and improving your movement patterns are the ways to help you achieve the results you are looking for in a healthy and safe way.
Which one of these common mistakes rang the most true for you? Share your thoughts with me in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“If you are making this mistake, nobody is here to blame you. This isn't something to feel bad about, this isn't something to feel shameful for, it's a piece of information to take and tuck into your back pocket and be more mindful and aware of what you are doing in your daily life.” (4:38)
“There is oftentimes a lot of negative self-talk or feeling like you are broken, or wrong, or bad, for your body physiologically responding in the way that it does. And a lot of that can be staved off by eating enough food and eating more consistently and introducing what I would call more of a relative balance of macronutrients.” (15:45)
“What is to be aware of is, if you are not getting the results from your strength training that you want, is to take a look at how much other, especially higher intensity movements or exercise, relative to all of the other stress that is going on in your life.” (20:05)
“If you are dealing with injuries or you are dealing with the effects of ‘life-ing’ and moving through life with these movement patterns, it is really important that you become aware of that and you work on them, and you start to become more tuned in to the signals your body is sending you.” (31:08)
“If you are a woman who wants to get stronger and is lifting weights, you want your energy to increase, and you want to see performance in the gym, I am going to be here to help you do that.” (33:21)
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LTYB 331: Strength Training & Your Relationship with Exercise