Robyn Spurr

Personal Health and Weight Loss Coaching For Women

Awareness

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Disrupt Your Inner Critic

No one likes a bully.

Nevertheless, almost every woman has one thing in common. They are a bully to themselves.

Most of us aren’t even aware of our behavior. The cruel thoughts just stream through our minds…

  • You’re disgusting.
  • No one would ever find your body attractive.
  • You’d look better wearing a garbage bag.
  • Don’t even think about trying those on.

I recently stumbled upon this video. Two best friends wrote down the things they dislike about their own bodies – then proceeded to say these comments out loud, directed at one another.

Why do we say things to ourselves that we wouldn’t ever say to (or think about) our best friends or children or sisters?

When I work with my clients, we focus on one habit for two weeks. I invite you to do the same.

For the next two weeks, begin to notice the way you talk to yourself. When you’re standing in front of the mirror or in the shower or getting dressed – are you being kind or cruel?

Just notice.

And as you notice your thoughts, if anything hurtful or negative comes up, simply say to yourself, “I choose peace.”

This practice won’t instantly erase years of negative thought patterns, but it will begin to help you unwind this destructive behavior.

The first step toward silencing the bully is to become mindful of your self-talk.

You can start today.

Commit for two weeks.

Disrupt the bully in your head.

Choose peace.

*This is the first in a series of posts around making peace with your body. More to come.

XO ~Robyn

I work with women who want to learn how to create real + lasting health changes. We’ll use a sustainable, practice-based approach to build healthy habits into your life, one day at a time for an entire year.

As your coach, I’ll provide accountability + direction + support every step of the way. I’ll help you stay consistent, no matter what life throws at you.

If this approach resonates with you, CLICK HERE for details on how to work together.

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The “Chapters” of Habit Transformation

This inspiration poem by Portia Nelson somehow escaped me until very recently.

Human beings make mistakes. That’s a given.

It’s important to understand the process of learning. To analyze our mistakes, to learn from them – and to not repeat them.

Sometimes we are just not paying attention – or are living our lives on autopilot. The beauty is – it can be changed.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

by Portia Nelson

Chapter 1
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost. I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter 2
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend that I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in this same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter 3
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in. It’s a habit. But my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

Chapter 4
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter 5
I walk down another street.

XO ~Robyn

I work with women who want to learn how to create real + lasting health changes. We’ll use a sustainable, practice-based approach to build healthy habits into your life, one day at a time for an entire year.

As your coach, I’ll provide accountability + direction + support every step of the way. I’ll help you stay consistent, no matter what life throws at you.

If this approach resonates with you, CLICK HERE for details on how to work with me.

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4 Reasons We Struggle With Overeating (Hint: It’s Not Your Fault)

Guess what? It’s not your fault.

You need to know this.

It’s the very first step on the pathway to healing our relationship with food.

Most people in industrialized countries struggle with overeating.

But why?

Reason #1 – Hyperawareness

We’ve never been so damn aware of how we look. If you’re living in a primitive village somewhere, there’s no Facebook or Vogue magazine or skinny jeans or bikini competitions or CrossFit or selfies or MIRRORS. We’re hyperaware of physical appearances and we’re constantly comparing.

And that’s freaking stressful.

Reason #2 – Processed Food

There is delicious + cheap food available 24/7. Food that overrides our natural hunger signals and makes our biology go haywire. Food that creates a desire for MORE instead of leaving us satisfied.

That’s messed up, right?

Food should satisfy us, but when we eat pizza or ice cream or nachos – we just want to keep going.

Reason #3 – Stress + Support

Women’s lives are stressful with a capital S. If you’re in your 30’s, 40’s or 50’s, you very likely have kids + aging parents + are working or volunteering + have a ridiculous number of responsibilities and stressors and (drum roll) – you probably don’t have a great support system.

The things that normally help buffer all the life stressors are frequently absent in our lives.

More stress + less support = YIKES!

Women in the 21st century are often socially isolated. We don’t usually have our “people” around – our brothers and sisters and aunts and extended family.

We don’t live in close knit communities anymore.

We don’t know our neighbors.

We don’t spend enough time outdoors.

We’re sedentary.

We stare into screens on a desk all day. Then we stare at a screen to “unwind” at night.

So, we turn to Netflix and wine and pizza and cookies – because that’s the easiest, most acceptable way to deal with the stress.

Reason #4 – Expectations

We’ve never had such high expectations of ourselves as women. We feel like we have to be perfect wives + perfect mothers + perfect friends + perfect workers + perfect daughters + have perfect Michelle Obama arms.

Perfect EVERYTHING!

Bottom line. It’s not you.

You NEED to know this.

You are not lazy + stupid + weak.

You are perfectly normal.

You are having a normal reaction to an unnatural way of living in the world.

Instead of signing up for another boot camp or cleanse…

Schedule a lunch date with a friend.

Call your sister.

Read a book, in the sunshine.

Take a walk.

Get off Facebook.

And most importantly, stop being so hard on yourself.

You’re doing the best you can.

XO ~Robyn

I work with courageous + determined women who are ready to say goodbye to yo-yo dieting for good. We’ll use a sustainable, practice-based approach to build healthy habits into your life, one day at a time for an entire year.

The result? You’ll develop healthy habits that become second nature and last a lifetime. You’ll lose the weight (and inches) you haven’t been able to shed – for good.

If this resonates with you, CLICK HERE for details on how to work with me.

 

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When Finishing Last is Best

I’m a fast eater.

Maybe it’s because I’m originally from the GO GO GO New York metro area – or maybe I’m just wired that way (or as Lady Gaga would say – Born That Way).

I eat fast + talk fast + walk fast. The only person I know who eats faster than I do is my husband (also an east coaster). If I look away for a minute, whoosh – his food is GONE!

The single habit I’ve struggled most with on my own health journey has been eating slowly.

But why does eating slowly matter? Why should we care?

Did you know that our biological “satiety mechanism” kicks in about 20 minutes AFTER we start a meal? No matter how much we eat during the first 20 minutes of a meal, we won’t feel satisfied or full until we hit the magical satiety time.

If you tend to eat too much too quickly at meals, often followed by regret and the unbuttoning of pants, this is a habit worth practicing.

Slowing down allows our bodies’ natural satiety mechanisms to kick in and put on the brakes. If you’re someone who has tried intuitive eating and dismissed it as rubbish – it’s possible you were eating too quickly (or consuming too much processed food, which I’ll save for another post).

Remember: You can and will feel full if you just slow down. The body’s natural signals will do the work for you. You don’t have to overthink it.

Here’s why I love teaching the habit of slowing down. When you feel overwhelmed by all the healthier habits you need to work on, you can always come back to this one. It’s the perfect habit to focus on when things go sideways and you need to reboot. Like after a weekend of pizza + wings + beer + cake.

Where to Begin

Start by trying to add 5 minutes to one meal per day. Choose a meal where this habit is easiest to implement. For most of my clients, that’s dinner.

Here are a few of my favorite “slowing down” strategies. Choose one:

  • Savor your food. Really taste what you’re eating.
  • Put your utensils down between bites.
  • Take a breath between each bite. All the way in. All the way out.
  • Try to be the last person at the table to finish.

Remember, all you have to do is be just a little slower than normal. That’s how we improve.

Each week add a little more time – or try a different strategy.

Remember the statistics I shared in my last post?

  • Adopting one new habit at a time results in an 85% chance of success
  • Adopting two new habits at once: a 35% chance of success
  • Adopting three or more new habits at once: less than 10% chance of success

Choose one habit. Practice it for a minimum of two weeks. Then (and only then) add on.

By slowing down, you’ll sidestep the inevitable…

“OMG. I can’t believe I ate so much. How did that happen?”

Slowing down creates space. Space in which you can decide whether to stop eating – or keep going. Sometimes you’ll choose to stop – and other time you’ll keep going. That’s okay.

The point is, by slowing down, you’ll have the option to stop when you’re satisfied. You’ll have a sense of choice – and the ability to take responsibility for your actions.

XO ~Robyn

I work with courageous + determined women who are ready to say goodbye to yo-yo dieting for good. We’ll use a sustainable, practice-based approach to build healthy habits into your life, one day at a time for an entire year.

The result? You’ll develop healthy habits that become second nature and last a lifetime. You’ll lose the weight (and inches) you haven’t been able to shed – for good.

If this resonates with you, CLICK HERE for details on how to work with me.