We are so excited to kick off a series of featured blogs this summer written by some of the amazing folks we've worked with to create custom tangibles affirmations together, for their community!
Today's blog comes from Simi Botic, founder of UNMEASURED.
As an intuitive eating counselor, health coach, and the founder of UNMEASURED (a virtual barre membership that celebrates our bodies), I have the joy of supporting my community to heal their relationships with food, movement, and their bodies. Affirmations can be such a powerful part of the work we do together!
Imagine a joy-filled + healthy relationship with movement—one that enhances your body image and self-esteem, decreases stress and anxiety, and improves your overall health. What would it look like to have a deeper mind-body connection? How would it feel to truly love and accept your body, instead of trying to 'fix' it?
Diet culture can hijack movement and make it all about controlling or manipulating our bodies, but it doesn't have to be about that. It can be about SO much more. Movement is one of many great ways we can practice taking care of ourselves, especially if it’s done in a non-obsessive, flexible, judgment-free way.
Because our thoughts impact our feelings and our feelings inform our behaviors, a healthy relationship with movement starts with a healthy mindset.
That’s right: our mindset is where it all starts. Which is why I’d love to share one of my favorite mindset shifts for affirming a joyful, intuitive relationship with movement.
Have you ever felt like your relationship with movement has defined you?
You feel trapped in obsessive exercise routines because you are known as the “fit one,” the “healthy one,” or “the marathon runner.” Or, you feel nervous to try anything at all because you’ve been labeled the “one who hates exercise” or “the un-athletic one.”
Because of these narratives, you might worry people will think you’ve “let yourself go” if you break free from rigid exercise rules. Or, you wonder if they’ll ask “who does she think she is?!” if you give something new a try.
You are not alone.
I’ve told myself all of those above stories (and more) at different times in my life and know what it’s like to feel bound and defined by these identities. And, I’ve heard hundreds of clients share similar thoughts and feelings with me over the years.
Creating a joy-filled and intuitive relationship with movement -- one full of flexibility, that honors rest, that’s free of guilt + shame -- is truly awesome.
But, it can only happen once you’re able to separate out your relationship with movement from who you are. Which is why this is one of my all time favorite movement affirmations:
“How I move is NOT who I am.”
This affirms your inherent worth and enoughness, wholly separate from movement. It allows you to discover: Your strengths, what makes you unique, what you love, and who you truly are deep down inside!
Yes, movement is one of the many ways you can care for that person.
But no, it doesn’t define you.
How you move is not who you are!
About Simi
Simi Botic is a certified holistic health coach, Intuitive Eating counselor, doula in training, and the author of Letting Go Of Leo: How I Broke Up With Perfection a memoir about overcoming her decades long struggle with feeling like she wasn't enough. She's also a barre instructor and the founder of UNMEASURED, a virtual monthly barre membership that celebrates your body through joyful, intuitive movement. Through her work, she helps women all over the world ditch perfection and heal their relationships with food and body image so they can begin to embrace their beautifully imperfect lives. Visit her at simibotic.com anytime.
For more intuitive movement encouragement, come follow along on IG @movementunmeasured or sign up for your free 7-day Movement Mindset Series here.