Robyn Spurr

Personal Health and Weight Loss Coaching For Women

Self Acceptance

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How to Feel Beautiful (right now)

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How often do you feel beautiful?

Do you feel beautiful right now?

Did you know that you can feel beautiful every moment of every day if you want to – without losing a pound or tucking a tummy or botoxing a single frown line.

No, I haven’t lost my mind. Stay with me here.

We all have rules that we live by – a set of beliefs unique to each of us. Yet most of us don’t even know what our beliefs are.

But the rules are there – just below the surface – creating a bunch of unnecessary pain and suffering for many of us.

The problem is that most of us have our rules set up in a way that makes it impossible to feel good about ourselves. Let me explain.

Here are a few of the beauty rules I “wrote” several years ago – all of the criteria that needed to be fulfilled BEFORE I could feel beautiful. I didn’t actually write them down somewhere – but they were always there – in my head – wreaking havoc and making me feel less than.

Robyn’s Beauty Rules

I can feel beautiful when:

  • I’m having a good hair day
  • My makeup looks nice
  • No grey roots are showing
  • I finally get that chipped tooth fixed
  • My stomach is flat and my abs are showing through
  • There is no cellulite on my legs
  • My husband tells me I’m beautiful
  • I can rock a bikini

Can you see how my rules made it totally IMPOSSIBLE to ever feel beautiful?

Our rules are such a part of who we are, we don’t see them as optional. But here’s the good news – and this truly rocked my world – we can CHANGE THE RULES. They ARE optional. We can tweak them and allow ourselves to feel beautiful right now.

Why does this matter?

When we feel beautiful, we bring our positive mojo into the world with us. And last time I checked, the world was still pretty low on positive mojo.

When we feel beautiful, we’re more likely to inspire, love, practice kindness, be compassionate, and forgive ourselves and others.

Convinced? Good.

Here are the new rules I created.

I can feel beautiful when:

  • My hair is a mess
  • My nails are chipped
  • My belly is bloated
  • I’m wearing my gigantic, comfy pink sweatpants and monkey slippers
  • I’m sweaty after a great workout
  • …ever I want

This simple exercise can be applied to all areas of your life.

What has to be fulfilled before you can feel wealthy, successful, happy, loved, at peace, like a good mother?

Changing the rules doesn’t mean you stop pursuing your goals. It is about feeling good while you go for the things you want in life. And feeling good is going to get you there so much faster.

Now it’s your turn gorgeous (or handsome – for any boys out there).

What has to be fulfilled before you can feel beautiful?

Do you want to keep your rules or toss them out the window?

If you’re interested in learning more about Weight Loss Coaching, sign up for a Discovery Session. Click here for details.

Robyn Spurr is a Certified Health Coach, Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. She helps women reach their healthy, natural weight and stay there without all the diet craziness.

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Why Fat Happiness is the Key to Losing Weight

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There’s a tagline after my signature on every email I send. It says…

You can’t hate yourself healthy. Healthy is a place you get to with love.

So many of us want to lose the weight so we can escape the pain of being in an overweight body. But here’s the truth – it’s what I had to really “get” before I was able to lose the weight for good.

Ready?

You won’t accept your body – no matter how much weight you lose, until you learn how to accept your body right now.

Did that kind of blow your mind? Yeah, me too. Let me explain.

When we think we’ll be happier when we’re thinner, we block ourselves from enjoying life fully right now. We lock ourselves in a prison and the only way out is to become physically smaller.

Can you see how painful that situation is and why it might not be the best way to inspire weight loss?

Try this. Recall a time when you stumbled upon an old photo of yourself and thought – whoa, I looked soooo good back then. But did you think you looked good in that moment? Or were you wishing you were thinner?

You don’t need to be smaller in order to be happier. Now that doesn’t mean you give up on losing weight. But losing weight in order to escape pain doesn’t work. Your problems will follow you – you can’t melt them away on the treadmill.

My mentor, Brooke Castillo summed it up perfectly on her most recent podcast:

“If we can’t learn to appreciate this moment, we won’t appreciate the future moments either.”

Let that really sink in.

Your capacity for joy is the same today as it will be a year from now – or 10 years from now – or 50 pounds less than now.

Happiness doesn’t magically materialize because a number finally appears on the scale. Happiness shows up when we make a decision to accept ourselves and make the most of our lives. Happiness shows up when we stop waiting for that future “better” moment to arrive.

  • When I can retire
  • When I can rock a pair of skinny jeans
  • When this project is over
  • When the kids move out
  • When I find the perfect man

Losing weight from a place of acceptance and joy is SO MUCH EASIER. You don’t have to wait until you have that elusive thigh gap or the perfect job or a house on the beach to feel good.

You can still want all of those things – go out there and rock your goals – but stop telling yourself that you’ll be happier when you have them.

If your happiness is dependent on a big goal, you are cheating yourself out of feeling those emotions during the journey towards reaching your goal.

And once you really understand that – once you start living instead of wishing and grasping and waiting – you’ll finally be able to release the extra weight. Losing weight will no longer feel like a never ending battle.

You’re not hungry for more cookies – but you’re probably hungry for more love, more peace, more inspiration, more contentment. And you can have all of those things – right now – no matter what you weigh.

Robyn Spurr is a Certified Health Coach, Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. She helps women reach their healthy, natural weight and stay there without all the diet craziness.

For more information on Weight Loss Coaching, click here.

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Two Powerful Questions to Help You Rock Your Life

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I’m turning 40 this year and it has me thinking –

I want to rock the second half of my life.

But how?

Where to start?

The psychologist Russ Harris suggests a simple exercise.

Imagine that you’re eighty years old – and then complete the following sentences.

I wish I’d spent more time on…

I wish I’d spent less time on…

There is a latin phrase, memento mori. It means, remember that you will die.

We tend to ignore – and even fear death in American society.

But the more we remain aware of life’s impermanence, the more we will hold it dear – and not squander it away.

Steve Jobs once said,”Remembering that you are going to die is the best way that I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked.”

Asking these questions isn’t a morbid act. Asking these questions allows us to improve our odds of living a rich and fulfilling life.

And who doesn’t want that?

I answered them today for the first time –

but certainly not my last.

I’ve set a calendar reminder to complete this exercise every 6 months.

“Over the hill” doesn’t mean we can’t climb another mountain.

Or that it’s all downhill from here.

Screw that.

I’m just getting warmed up.

Robyn Spurr is a Certified Health Coach, Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. She helps women reach their healthy, natural weight and stay there without all the diet craziness.

For more information on Weight Loss Coaching, click here.

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Loving My Way Out of Debt

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My husband Brett contributes more to our household expenses than I do.

Like way more.

He never complains or insinuates that I ought to make more money.

Ever.

Despite this fact, I elected to feel bad anyway.

“I should contribute more.”

“I don’t make enough money.”

“I’m not enough.”

That last one  – ouch!

My negative thoughts around this circumstance were not only making me miserable, they were contributing to my ever growing debt.

  • Circumstance (fact) – I earn money for my work
  • Thought – I don’t make enough money
  • Feeling(s)– less than, shame, guilt
  • Action – buy stuff to distract from the negative feelings, consider getting a “regular paycheck” job (even thought I LOVE my business), focus attention on what I don’t have
  • Result – debt, contribute even less, feel “less than”, carry around the burden of debt

(To learn more about creating thought models, click here)

I paid off my credit card yesterday – after several years of carrying a balance in the thousands. It only took a few months.

I didn’t make more money than usual or win the lottery.

I changed my mind.

  • Circumstance (fact) – I earn money for my work
  • Thought – I love my work and my life
  • Feeling(s) – satisfied, grateful, fulfilled
  • Action – spend within my means, buy only what’s necessary, pay attention to what I do have, practice gratitude
  • Result – debt free, in love with my life and business, a better coach/trainer/wife

Being in debt felt heavy and burdensome – like carrying around a 40-pound dumbbell all day, every day. Although I hated how the debt made me feel, I continued to create more of it because I believed that I didn’t have enough. I was trapped in my very own negative spin cycle.

I see this with my Weight Loss Coaching clients all the time.

  • Circumstance (fact) – I have a body
  • Thought – I hate the way my body looks
  • Feeling(s) – disgusted, embarrassed, angry
  • Action – eat to distract from the negative feelings
  • Result – gain more weight, hate self and body even more

Self-hate is not an effective motivator.

My husband Brett and I were driving home from New Mexico on Sunday when it occurred to me that I could “contribute” in ways that have nothing to do with money.

I could choose to be someone who is a blast to live with each and every day – a joyful, supportive and grateful partner.

Choosing a positive attitude doesn’t cost a thing.

His response.

That’s the best gift you could give me. All I really want is for you to be happy.

I’m married to one heck of a man.

Robyn Spurr is a Certified Health Coach, Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. She helps women reach their healthy, natural weight and stay there without all the diet craziness.

For more information on Weight Loss Coaching, click here.