Robyn Spurr

Personal Health and Weight Loss Coaching For Women

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How to Create More of What You Want

Sometimes we just don’t know how to get unstuck.

We desperately want to break free from the worry or self-doubt or frustration – but we simply can’t pull ourselves out of the mud.

So we spin and swirl in our painful thoughts and emotions much longer than we need to.

Here’s a simple tool that I use with my own clients to help them create more of what they want in life.

Ready?

All you have to do is answer four simple questions. I highly recommend you write down your answers – pen to paper – old school style!

Why? We want to get those thoughts out of our heads – so we can look at them objectively.

  1. What’s not working? (or – What’s the problem?) 
  1. What am I doing (or not doing) to create this result?
  1. What do I want to create instead?
  1. What exactly do I need to do to make this happen?

So simple – yet so unbelievably effective!

I have copies of the four questions printed out and ready to use anytime stuck-ness strikes. Because no one is safe from stuck-ness.

XO ~Robyn

Weight Loss Coaching is not another fad diet or get thin quick scheme. It’s a pathway to sanity around food, a healthier you – and a more delicious life. No calorie counting required.

I work with determined + smart + courageous women who are ready to get off the diet rollercoaster – for good.

To learn more about private Weight Loss Coaching, click here to schedule a free Discovery Session or email me directly at robyn@chickadeeweightloss.com.

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Awesome-ize Your Life With Opposite Action

Repeat after me…

The brain is an inconsistent advisor.

Go to the gym, you’ll feel amazing afterwards.

But I’m sooo tired – and look, the new season of Empire is available.

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That cake totally isn’t worth it + I don’t even like red velvet.

Come on, it’s a celebration. EVERYONE is eating cake.

***

It’s almost 11:00, better get to bed soon.

Just one. more. episode.

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That’s why it’s up to you to decide whether to act on a piece of advice – or not.

If you want to achieve your goals, you’re going to have to become a pro at saying “no” to the committee in your head.

To help change our unproductive patterns of behavior, we can apply a behavioral change tool called opposite action.

Here’s how you do it…

If you’re struggling with a negative emotion, one that you can’t seem to shake – stop trying to “fight” or “resist” the feeling – and change your actions instead.

In other words, do the opposite of your urges in the moment you’re feeling the unpleasant emotion.

I know, it seems so simple, almost too simple – but stay with me…

Know that this technique won’t work if the emotion is justified – like when a beloved pet passes away. You’re going to feel sad no matter what you do, right?

But let’s say you’re feeling shame around your body. Maybe you just want to bury yourself under a blanket fort + binge watch Netflix + eat a pint of coffee caramel fudge ice cream.

You know this isn’t healthy. And you know it’s just going to lead to feeling even more shame. But it’s your go-to habit when feeling body shame.

What opposite action suggests is that you TAKE ACTION as a way to transform the emotion.

Maybe you call a friend – or go outside and breathe in the fresh air – or dance around the living room while belting out Adele or Taylor Swift or Queen Bey.

I can’t begin to tell you how often I use this tool in my own life – and how much of a difference it makes.

When we take actions that are aligned with our goals and values – slowly but surely, we start to feel better. And who doesn’t want to feel better?

XO ~Robyn

Weight Loss Coaching is not another fad diet or get thin quick scheme. It’s a pathway to sanity around food, a healthier you – and a more delicious life. No calorie counting required.

I work with determined + smart + courageous women who are ready to get off the diet rollercoaster – for good.

To learn more about private Weight Loss Coaching, click here to schedule a free Discovery Session or email me directly at robyn@chickadeeweightloss.com.

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Change Your Facebook Feed, Love Your Body

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In her best selling book, The Magic Art of Tidying Up, author Marie Kondo writes…

The best way to choose what to keep and what to throw away is to take each item in one’s hand and ask: “Does this spark joy?” If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it.

Consider the amount of time you spend on social media (or watching TV).

Are you “consuming” images + posts + shows + articles that spark joy and make you feel good about yourself and the world?

A few months ago, I set out on an adventure – to create a Facebook feed that made me feel great about myself. And I succeeded.

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When we’re bombarded with size 4 bodies and photo-shopped images all day, every day – our brains recognize these images as “normal” and anything else as – not normal.

That said – less than 5% of the population fits in this “ideal body” category. So these bodies are not the norm – in fact, they’re quite rare. But seeing them over and over and over – messes with our heads.

  • I don’t look like that.
  • I’m not pretty.
  • I’m not acceptable.
  • I should skip lunch today.

In her brilliant book, Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls, Jes Baker references a 2012 study on body image…

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“The 2012 study noted that there seemed to be a discrepancy on what type of body Western culture prefers as compared to other parts of the word, a discrepancy that wasn’t necessarily attributed to, ”biological attraction.”

Could it POSSIBLY be because we’re force-fed one example of the perfect woman? Well, YEAH. So what happens when we change the body that is shown repeatedly? NPR reported on the study:

Changing negative attitudes about body size might be as simple as changing what you see. When women in England were shown photos of plus-sized women in neutral gray leotards, they became more tolerant…

“Showing them thin bodies makes them like thin bodies more, and showing them fat bodies makes them like fat bodies more,” says Lynda Boothroyd, a psychology researcher at Durham University in England, who led the study.

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Bottom line – we can diversify our media + retrain our minds + feel better about our bodies as a result.

The more “real” bodies we see, the more accepting we become. Total no brainer!

As you scroll through your Facebook (or Tumblr or Instagram) feed, ask – does this spark joy? If not, get rid of it – and replace with something that makes you feel good.

Because it’s SO MUCH easier to embrace a healthier lifestyle when you feel good about yourself. 

Don’t know where to start? I’ve got you covered…

And of course…

Also – there’s an easy “trick” to make sure the pages you really want to see show up first on your Facebook feed.

  1. Hover over the “liked” button…

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  1. Click on, “posts in news feed,” and select, “see first.” 

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Voila!

XO ~Robyn

PS: Yes, I’m a Health Coach, but first and foremost my mission is to help women of ALL shapes and sizes learn to love and accept their bodies. As an eating disorder survivor and someone who used to hate her body (even when it was very thin), I cannot emphasize the importance of spreading messages of body acceptance and body positivity enough.

You can help create change by liking + sharing + posting body positive images and articles. So much more to come on this topic. Stay tuned!

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I’m currently accepting new clients! Weight Loss Coaching is not another fad diet or get thin quick scheme. It’s a pathway to sanity around food, a healthier you – and a more delicious life. No calorie counting required.

I work with determined + smart + courageous women who are ready to get off the diet rollercoaster – for good.

To learn more about private Weight Loss Coaching, click here to schedule a free Discovery Session or email me directly at robyn@chickadeeweightloss.com.

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10 Things…

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Body shaming + deprivation diets + punishing cardio workouts NEVER result in long-term success.

I promise you.

In my coaching practice, women come to me from all over the map and they always have at least one thing in common – a deep desire to get out of suffering.

This desire comes from a place of love.

I know that our past behaviors don’t always feel like love. But so many of us keep trying because we love ourselves enough to want to end the suffering. We believe – deep down – that there’s a pathway to health that isn’t quite so cruel and punishing.

But those slick weight loss ads and boot camp before and after photos keep sucking us back into a vicious cycle of repeating the same old…

…punish + give up + feel shame + start over.

Healing does not take place when you’re being mean.

One of the exercises I do with my coaching clients is to have them come up with a list of at least 10 things they like about themselves. 

And for most of my clients, this is hard to do – like hard x 5000.

When I tried this exercise myself for the first time, I got stuck at #6. And my brain went straight to…

…seriously Robyn, you can’t come up with 10 things you like about yourself. You’re a horrible person. A failure. A loser.

That inner critic showed up super fast.

I kept going and eventually came up with 10. But I had to dig deep.

What we like about ourselves is usually buried under piles + piles of stuff we don’t like.

Now here’s what was SO VERY fascinating about this exercise – not a single item on my list had to do with the appearance of my body.

Nada.

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Go and create your own list. And when the committee in your head starts telling you that you’re not good enough or thin enough or you could use a little botox – read your list.

Because you are so much more than a number on a scale. 

Here’s my list. I’d love love LOVE to see yours Chickadee. Email it to me or post it on Facebook.

  1. I’m sensitive to other people’s feelings
  2. I’m resilient
  3. I’m a good cook
  4. I love to travel + experience new things
  5. I’m optimistic
  6. I’m curious about the world + love learning
  7. I’m quick to forgive
  8. I have a deep appreciation for nature
  9. I never give up on people – ever
  10. I’ve finally learned to embrace my imperfections

XO ~Robyn

I’m currently accepting new clients! Weight Loss Coaching is not another fad diet or get thin quick scheme. It’s a pathway to sanity around food, a healthier you – and a more delicious life. No calorie counting required.

I work with determined + smart + courageous women who are ready to get off the diet rollercoaster – for good.

To learn more about private Weight Loss Coaching, click here to schedule a free Discovery Session or email me directly at robyn@chickadeeweightloss.com.