This is how you can trust your body…
This is how you can trust your body…
Hey guys!
Have you ever felt like you have lost touch with what your body is trying to tell you in terms of hunger or how it wants to move? Sometimes we get so caught up in workouts plans or diets that we forget to actually LISTEN to what our body wants. For example, sometimes we eat when we aren’t even hungry, or we exercise when our body is telling us to rest. Listening to our body is SO important because it REALLY DOES know best. We need to learn to trust it.
Have you ever heard of intuitively eating? This basically means eating how we used to eat before there were diets. Eating like you did when you were a child. Just carefree. Eating what you wanted and stopping to eat when you were full, knowing you can eat again later.
Here is a really great tip I use that allows me to eat foods I enjoy, while still maintaining a strong physique that I love.
#1. Eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full.
Now this seems simple, doesn’t it? It’s supposed to, but I think most of us (including me) are kinda like this:
We need to re-teach ourselves what it means to feel “hungry”. Know the difference between eating because you’re bored (you’re not really hungry) and eating because you need energy to keep going (you’re actually hungry). Once you get that, if you feel hungry – go eat something! But then…often times you continue to eat and eat and eat without even realizing your body has had enough at that moment. So how do you fix it? Tune in with your body every once and a while during your meal. Listen to it and ask yourself this:
Am I full now? Stop eating and know you can eat again later when you’re hungry.
Is the food you’re eating satisfying you? Are you enjoying the taste of it, or are you eating it because you think it’s “healthy” and you have to? Know that you are allowed to give into what makes you satisfied. Eat foods you enjoy, and you won’t find yourself binging later.
Are you actually hungry, or are you emotionally eating? Sometimes when we’re experiencing negative emotions like boredom, loneliness, or sadness we turn to food. But give yourself a moment to stop and THINK. Are you really hungry and will food solve the problem? Probably not. And if it does, it only satisfies you for a moment. Instead, deal with those negative emotions head on.
Take your time to experience eating. No distractions. Food should be enjoyed. Turn off the TV, computer and put away your cell phone. Give yourself that time to simply enjoy food. That way you are more likely to tune into your BODY (not other distractions) and actually know when you are still hungry or full.
Now let’s talk about exercise. Intuitive exercising is much like intuitive eating. How does your body want to move today? Are you feeling very fatigued and exhausted? Then it’s okay to give yourself a rest day. Sometimes we get in the habit of exercising a lot, but our body tends to stress from all the exhaustion. This can even cause weight gain! Don’t get me wrong, I love endorphins and I LOVE moving my body but you still need to give it rest.
So how do you decide?
#2. Rely on your intuition to guide your exercise routine.
What!? No strict plan? No schedule of what I’m going to do from Monday to Friday!? You’re probably thinking, “Cassey, you’re crazy!”
What I’m saying is that it’s okay and very beneficial to have a plan of what you’re going to do each day (personally this works for me), but there will be days when your body is telling you no…but you’ve got PIIT28 on the schedule! Don’t freak out. Listen to your body. You can always take a rest day now and push the work out to another day. NO. BIG. DEAL.
Also, it doesn’t mean you can’t exercise at all. Maybe going for a walk or stretching will feel really nice.
Oh and on the flip side, if there’s a day you had planned for a rest day, but you have bursts of energy, get into the gym and kill it!
See what I’m saying? Your body fluctuates and wants things on different days. So allow that.
And most importantly…
#3. Move with joy and enlightenment.
Exercise should uplift and enhance your day and your life. It should make you feel good and energized! So if you’re doing a workout that you absolutely hate, is it really worth it? You can reach your goals through many types of exercise. There is no one way. Listen to your body and listen to your mind. Move how you feel like moving today.
Do you think you workout and eat intuitively? Are you listening to your body or are you simply going in a never-ending cycle without thinking about what you really enjoy? Tell me below what kinds of things you’re hung up on. It’s important that we can honestly share how we feel here so that we can help one another get stronger and smarter with our bodies!
41 thoughts on “This is how you can trust your body…”
There are 41 comments posted by our users.
I just wanted to say I’m currently doing one of your workout videos and I Love it! I want to try out your Bikini Body Diet, but I’m not sure where to find it on your website.
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Wow! Thank you for this post, Cassey. I really love it. This is all so true. It is honestly just as simple (not always easy though!) as this. What an eye opener! This is really something I need to start working on – tuning into my body and truly listen to what she is telling me. I honestly think my body has been telling e for weeks and weeks that I need to move more (which makes sense since I don’t move much…) and I have just shut it down and literally been eating tons of painkillers for my muscle pains. Then yesterday afternoon I decided to try yoga instead of reaching for the medicine. OH MY GOD! 40 minutes later I was pain free, relaxed, sweaty and I felt amazing. Like I was on top of the world. And today I signed up for another class after work. Can you believe it?! I just need to move and actually listen to my body! You are SO right, cassey.
Thanks for this post, babe! You are the best.
XXX,
Heidi
https://findingloveandhappinessblog.wordpress.com/
Hi Cassey, my name is Bari. I’ve doing popilates for 4 years now. I was born in a small county in Georgia, moved to Canada when I was six years old, visited my parents’ home country for three years (due to paper issues) and during that time, my mom had to go back and finish her masters without her husband or her children. Then two years later, just my siblings and I made it back in groups of two, years apart, to Canada. When I came back, I struggled with environment change which led to weight gain and I was 9, I didn’t know why it was happening. Alongside that, when I started school again, for 3 years, from grade four to six, I was bullied and ostracized for being a good person. I didn’t tell my mom because I wanted my parents to be proud of me. I got depressed. My mom already alot of stress taking care of her 5 children without her husband who was still stuck back in their country. My oldest sibling moved out and we moved after that. That’s when found your videos. Finally thought things were turning for the better. Then a year later, in the late August before grade 8, my appendix bursted without me knowing. They didn’t find out till early October but they couldn’t operate till the inflammation that my body was using to protect me was gone. So, I spent the first half of grade 8 in and out of the hospital, staying 3 or more days at a time, not eating alot and throwing up at midnight everyday. They finally got to operate it in December but on the 23rd, so I missed Christmas. The surgery was supposed to be a larascopic one (two small incisions and a tube camera used) but after 6 hours they still couldn’t find it. So, they had to ask my mom if they could change it to open surgery (they cut you open) and in 2 hours, they got it out. I stayed for week before going home. What I didn’t know is during this time though in December, my mom had a tumor on her spine and cancer in her bone marrow and was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. They said she had three months left. She didn’t tell me till after. So, from now on my mom had a nurse everyday to make sure she was comfortable as they couldn’t cure it. She didn’t even tell my dad cause she knew he would be sad and rush to get here. She just waited and he came back. My dad was determined to get her past 3 months and did so much research that he never slept during the night and fell asleep in the morning. He told to stop taking the pills they gave her and started using natural methods. With enough prayer she started to get better. The tumor is gone and she started to get her life back. My dad went back home to start a business and bring money back for the family. He also stuggled to come back again. We by help of prayer bought a house instead of renting. In those few years I still struggled with weight. I was starving myself and trying to have only salad with high intensity workouts but didn’t work and I got depressed again. You reminded me about what’s important, being happy and working out your body. I want to give this to my mom because she started chemo again it has been really hard. She loves the way you motivate her to exercise and be her best self. She says even if she can do one exercise, she will be fine for the rest of the day. You make me happy to workout and brighten my mood and that helps my mom to get the strength to get through the day. Thanks a lot Cassey!
This was actually a little eye-opener to me! It’s years since I’ve been hanging around on your site or watching your videos. I’ve tried different programs, some of them worked really well and some didn’t. But I’ve never been told this way how to think about eating. That mindset you describe is so healthy for both mind and body. I will try to use that way of thinking more. And btw, I put away my bowl of mango while reading. Cause I’m really full, but I didn’t notice it while doing everything else, and since fruits are healthy, it’s like an excuse to just eat and eat and eat.. But hey! It will still be there in a couple of hours when I’m hungry again, so what is the big deal? It’s not a contest to get alle the food done, and no one will take the food away if I don’t eat it RIGHT NOW.. Haha 🙂
Also, trying to eat healthy does not mean that you shouldn’t eat until you feel ful. Just be ful on the good stuff 🙂 Thanks a lot for this post, C! 🙂
Oh, I need to add this – usually you get advice how to trick your body or be smarter then your body. This is so opposite of that.. I love it!
I love that you blogged about intuitive eating. I have been doing Your workout videos since I was in college. When you entered that bikini competition and lost all that weight, I was right there with you. Unfortunately I spiraled into a terrible eating disorder. When you made that video about how you would never diet again, I was so inspired and also relieved. For some reason, when we only see what is presented to us it’s easy for us to forget that there could also be something else going on behind-the-scenes. How could I have known that you were exercising four hours a day? Yet I wanted your body so bad, and I was doing really unhealthy things to get there. When I watch your videos now, I noticed that you have become more careful in what you say about body image. And how you also talk about valuing things that are not related to what we look like. I think that is great, but I also think that being quasi-body positive is still damaging to most girls. To be truly body positive, all shapes and all sizes need to be celebrated. There is no 28 day fix, because your body isn’t something that needs to be fixed. I just feel that you are in a position to help so many people, and it’s possible to be a fitness instructor and to also be a health at every size advocate. I love your videos and everything that you’ve done, it would just be nice to be able to do a Pilates video and not be told that it’s going to make my butt look better or my stomach flatter. Society is constantly telling us that were not good enough and to be able to work out without those reaffirmations would be so nice.
I love the body positivity in this post so much! Although we do need self-discipline to maintain a healthy schedule, it’s also important to listen to ourselves and be flexible because what’s right for our bodies is constantly changing.
My problem is not eating as soon as I get hungry and gorging later on. I feel like I’m always on the go, which I am when I’m at work, I physically have to drive all over my county for work. I’m salary, so I don’t necessarily get an allotted lunch hours, and lately, just don’t have the time for it. So I’ll try to take a bunch of finger foods so I can eat and move at the same time, but there’s times I just crave a good meal, and won’t have time for it until I get home, but then I feel like I’m starving and just eat whatever I can get my hands on.
I’m trying to get better with planning for heartier finger foods, but it is difficult. Especially since I’m really trying to stick to the 28 day reset guidelines right now.
Thank-you so much for the wonderful post, Cassey! I love your motivation and your positivity!
I hope you’re having a wonderful day!
Michael
https://www.mileinmyglasses.co.uk
Thank you for this post Cassey. I’ve recently been following a different exercise plan because my friend is a coach with an organization and I wanted to give it a chance. I do like that it incorporates weights, but I have to say I really prefer your attitude and approach to eating and exercise. You promote body positivity and intuitive eating, while this other program is all about portion control and “getting that body you’ve always wanted ” in 3 weeks. Thank you for being a light and promoting habits that are emotionally healthy as well as good for our bodies.
Why im not getting password to callendar? Can anybody tell me what is it this month?
I have a problem about eating to many vegetables. At the end of the day I found all I have eaten was raw fruits and veggies with no dipping, no fats, no salt, no protein, no nothing. I know it’s not healthy but I just crave veggies all the time and nothing else 🙁 I feel fine energy and mental wise but I know my body is not going to be happy in the future. What do you suggest I do?
I am definitely an emotional eater. I eat when I am happy, sad, angry, bored, procrastinating…so basically all the time. I am trying to become more of an intuitive eater so that I don’t overeat since this is my biggest problem.
Emily | http://emilytrinh.com
http://isabelfoxenduke.com/practical-solutions-to-emotional-eating/
Read this! I just had this same feeling and I always turn to Isabel when I know that my thoughts are not serving me
Hey guys, AND CASSEY IF YOU SEE THIS YOU ARE MY IDOL AND I WOULD BE BLESSED BY A RESPONSE, IF PEOPLE COULD BUMP THIS SO SHE SEES ID BE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL
I almost laughed and almost cried when seeing this post: it’s exactly what I’ve been struggling with for the past few months and have been exploring intuitive eating/exercise more and more.
I have been so strict to a meal plan and exercise plan because for 4 years they worked so well. I was motivated, energetic, fit, beautiful, high performing, happy, active, and honestly extremely lean and muscular. I ate 100% clean (100%. For 4 years. High high protein, high fat, low low low carb. Ketosis level. No sugar, processed foods, grains, animal fats, red meat: pretty limited variety), slept well, woke up early to do high intensity interval training for an hour a day 5x/week as well as walks and long walks on rest days, and felt great. As a reference, I do Cassey’s bikini blaster videos sometimes or her ab workouts, but all of her cardio workouts (PIIT included) are WAY too easy for me-I’ve had to comb through the internet to find super hard high cardio HIIT. I didn’t feel like I was denying myself anything, or that I was pushing myself too hard. I felt authentic and satisfied and had amazing physical results.
I am still going through the motions, but now my feelings have changed, and I don’t know why. I dread my workouts, I long for foods I haven’t wanted in years, and I feel exhausted. I went through a period of binging (only on the healthy foods I have in my dorm, but regardless thousands of calories I didn’t want or need: the pul was totally emotional and not biological too, I was never hungry or craving just lonely stressed and depressed). My sleep is suffering, I feel overwhelmed and anxious, and though I am extremely lean and muscular I am growing in my body dissatisfaction: because when I am happy I love my body, and right now I have so many doubts. Authenticity is so important to me, and right now I don’t know if I’m really listening to my body. But, I am terrified that if I change my extremely high intensity workouts and clean meal plan that I will lose muscle tone and become less lean, right when the weather is getting warmer and people are supposed to be getting thinner. I like my body where it is and don’t want it to change because I am too unmotivated to work out.
When I workout, I feel AMAZING. Empowered, strong, refreshed, rejuvenated, energized… it’s really only before that I dread it. But I NEVER used to dread it! I looked forward to it! So why the change after all this time??
I feel like I cant trust my body at all. I have so much of my identity wrapped up in the intensity of my workouts and my six pack abs and sculpted arms (I look like a fitness model- absolute leanest and most muscular you can imagine). I feel (KNOW) that if I eat less clean and work out less intensely that I will gain fat and lose muscle tone. I can eat so much right now because I exercise so intensely, and worry that if I work out less that I will still crave that amount and not be able to adjust so will not be burning off the calories and will then gain weight.
I have been so disciplined for so long and the results have been amazing. I am just meeting new people in college and forming a new identity: I don’t want the first summer I know them for them to see me less fit than I have always been: then they will think that is who I am instead of the super fit person I know I can be! I am so confused as to why this is happening now. I thought this was sustainable, and it HAS been! I don’t know how to get my motivation and energy back, or why it has changed in college! I don’t want to be the wrong end of a before and after picture. How should I move forward?
As a PS I am working w/a dietician and therapist for ED. But I am trying to find more support everywhere I can especially because Cassey has saved me many times before. Any thoughts appreciated. Love my Popsters <3
Hiya! Have you ever read Brain over Binge? A lot of it may not apply to you, but in it the writer explains how she was super fit then gradually started to binge on food, and the reasons why, ie. she’d restricted her diet for so long that eventually her body started craving everything that she hadn’t been allowing herself. she also explains how she eventually overcame binging. Obviously, the book is mostly about how she eventually stopped binging, but it might be helpful to know that other people have felt the way you felt! think it’s available on apple books!
You sound like you’re a lot fitter than most people though! but maybe restricting foods has just taken a toll on your body? Maybe you should start seeing working out as a social gathering (if you don’t do that already) and workout with friends, even if their intensity levels are different for you, it might make you feel more motivated again?
But honestly, I wouldn’t worry about your friends at college thinking you’re someone else. you can be whoever you want to be, and I’m sure they will love you just the same! Also, maybe your fitness has changed because you’ve just started college, and you’re a lot busier than usual with classes, social activities etc? that could be one reason why your energy is lower now.
Good luck! 🙂 x
Have you ever thought that maybe people will like you for things other than how you look? Would gaining a little softness to your body really be the end of the world? I used to be in this boat. Trust me it is not sustainable and I missed out on a lot of fun times because I was worried about my work out or what I would be eating at social events . These are some of the best times in your life, don’t waste them.
Amazing post!!
Yes, yes, and yes! This post resonates very much with my current intentions towards my life. <3 (Says me, who baked a cake today and ate almost half of it on the spot… but hey! It was gluten-free and sugar-free, and tasted really great!) By the way, I'm almost 3/4 way through your Beginners' Calendar, and I feel AWESOME! Thank you so much, Cassey! <3
hii cassey …thanks again for this wonderful n helpful post…the only thing i am hung up with is eating intuitively , i turn to food when m bored or lonely or sad and i m unable to change this for a long time n during pms i binge eat 🙁 and another thing i started piit28 in feb but could not complete it as i felt so tired when i get up in the morning n thought i had to jump again …why did this happened ?? but on the flip side i love doing your calender i love pop pilates even i lost 25kgs with pop pilates …help me here
As for my problem with food, you hit the nail on the head! I do know about healthy food, I know which foods have good or bad fats, how many calories etc… But emotional eating really is a big problem for me. I really got conscious about this about a year ago and couldn’t solve the problem so far. I really do need to try harder. Do you have any book recommodations for this topic?
Thanks for all your inspiration and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ALL OF YOUR WORKOUT VIDS! You’re bubbling with joy and literally spraying motivation on all of us POPsters watching! Cannot thank you enough, dear Cassey!
Love,
Katie
Thank you so much! You have no idea how much I needed this! Just yesterday I was so frustrated at myself because I was physically and emotionally exhausted, and because of that I didn’t feel like working out, I didn’t try my hardest on workouts I did do, and I ate so much sugar even though I’ve been really trying to stop eating sugar!
Love this article Cassie! You are so inspiring to this 40-something out-of-shape business woman and mom – thank you!
I am learning to drink water first when I feel hungry. That has really helped. I also have been tracking my food, so that when I feel hungry, I can look back at what I ate last to give me an idea of what I could be needing.
Exercise is a new one for me – I was always very active, so having to actually exercise is new. But, I am finding that I love how I feel (so strong!), and I love the sense of accomplishment.
I have a long way to go (70 lbs!), and am so grateful for your encouragement – it is so helpful!
Cassie, this was such an enlightening, thought provoking post. Thank you so much. I needed to read what you wrote. I laughed so much at the comic at the start of the post. ? I totally get it!!!
I struggle with both that are mentioned here but particularly eating intuitively. I have toddlers so I loved ? Cassie’s example of eating as a child– with contentment and enjoyment knowing you can always eat more later. I definitely struggle knowing when I’m full and then wow I’ve over eaten once again. ☹️
I’ve been trying to do better with satisfying my hunger and then simply leaving it at that, making sure I don’t eat until I’m stuffed/uncomfortable.
I love this, and it’s really helpful to think about those questions when it comes to eating. 🙂 Thank you Cassie! <3
I really need this. Thank you Cassie ?
I get hungry at the weirdest times. I’m never hungry during lunch, but always, conveniently during math. ? people either think I just eat because I’m bored in math, or I don’t eat because I’m trying to get skinny. I keep telling people that that’s not heathy and I just have a really weird internal clock. (I can also never fall asleep in time and wake up at like 2:00 in the morning.) my friends always make fun of me for that too. but at the end of the day, as long as you are happy and healthy, does it really matter WHEN you eat?
hey do you think you can do a video of how you can incorporate exercise into your daily routine? things like walking around when you’re brushing your teeth, standing up more, or lunging instead of walking around the house, etc.. thanks for everything you do by the way! much love xx
This was an awesome post, now I just have to slowly practice this instead of feeling guilty for not doing a scheduled workout even though I am not feeling good at all lol gotta learn to listen to my body definitely.
Workout guilt sucks! Life is too short to keep feeling guilty. What do you do when you feel guilty? I get immense anxiety from it but I do have a video to share and it’s a pep talk about workout guilt. (If you want to see it?)
It does! And I currently don’t have any way to deal with it besides just kinda ignore it until it goes away lol and I’d love to see it! It sounds like it would be helpful 🙂
Sitting in the anxiety sucks though! Would you be open to chatting about it together?
I was really caught up in a binge cycle and sometimes I still have my days!binge eating disorder was one of the worst monsters I’ve ever had to deal with. I can’t begin to explain the same and guilt and disgust, but I’ve written a diary entry:
http://thefitty.com/2016/05/06/my-binge-eating-disorder/
Now I help other girls not feel crazy on diets and eliminate food issues and binging as a diet and mindset coach. 🙂
This was a really good post. Thank you, there are days (not very often) that I feel too tired or sick and I force myself to workout because I have the workout calendar and I feel it’s bad not to workout that day.
You saying to listen to your body and it’s ok to rest from time to time is something I will now take to heart and really start listening to my body.
Such a good post, Cassey. I used to run a lot and completed a couple of half marathons over a two-year stretch. After a while though, I realized that so many miles a week left me overly tired and sore and so dang hungry that I struggled to avoid bingeing. Silly as it sounds, it took a lot of courage to decide that I wasn’t going to train for anything longer than a 5K anymore simply because my body and mind craved short, intense bursts but didn’t respond well to long races and training runs. Some bodies do, but my body thrives on shorter runs, PIIT28, the occasional barre DVD, and of course POP Pilates. 🙂 So yeah! A huge second to this post especially on the exercise front. Doing workouts that I enjoy and that make my body feel better, not worse, has been such a game changer for me.
Omg Do you have a written post about your training and or binging? I’d love to read it!
As a matter of fact I do. 🙂 http://girlwiththegreenapple.com/food-addiction/ I haven’t touched my blog much since I had baby #3 in September but my past posts touch a lot on what did and didn’t work as I overcame binge eating. So this particular post is in the middle of the suuuuper long version of my story, but it is where I talk most about my shift to shorter runs and workouts. I’m going to have to check out your site too! Binge eating sucks and I think it’s so cool that you’re helping others beat it.
I’ve GOT to check that out!
I’ve been meaning to write a post on food addiction and the stigma against it and also my own experiences, but I’ve been pressed for time. So far I’ve only have this one detailed story of my BED.
http://thefitty.com/2016/05/06/my-binge-eating-disorder/
So great! I definitely struggle more with intuitive eating than with intuitive exercising. I stick the the workout calendar each month working out 6 days a week, but if I’m feeling especially weak or tired one day, I’ll swap out the workout in favour of stretching. My favourite video to do this with is your “Wake Up With Me” workout.