Looking beyond their beauty

I was sitting at the gym doing sit ups, a girl walks in: young, lean and beautiful. 

I notice everything about her in a moment of insecurity, that I feel I am not.

Yes, I admit it, I was insecure for that moment and so I did what most would have usuaally done when they feel insecurity:  I envyed and I judged her.

The gremlins start whispering in my ear. They are hoping I will indulge in this thought, which will take me to a place of self-pity, ego and where there is no joy!

I catch myself, Wait! I think for a moment STOP! 

Why am I comparing myself to this young woman who is here working just as hard as I am to feel good about herself???

Why do I feel envy and why am I judging her, I know nothing about her, her struggles or her journey.

My energy shifts to a better place as I silence the gremlins; I start to feel gratitude towards her for being there and sweating just as much as I am.

Then for a minute I start to reminisce, I go back to being 25, to a time when someone envied and judged me for being “fit”.  

They must have assumed that it came easy for me or that I was born lucky.  

The fact was that I worked really really hard and ate a certain way to be and feel the way I looked. 

It made me sad and angry to know that I was being judged by someone who knew so little about me and my journey.

I took a deep breather, came back and gathered my thoughts.

As she sat next me, I just smiled at her lovingly, no longer feeling the way I did when she walked into the room. I felt peace and felt good about being me.

Then I asked myself, why is it that we as women don’t unite and protect each other?

Why is it that sometimes we can’t see beyond what is in front of us and we feel the need to judge, envy or sometimes hate another woman to feel better about our own insecurities?

I ask you, Let’s start a change for the better in each one of us!

Today I challenge you that this week for just 3 days you stop the judgements and the envy when you see a woman that makes you feel totally inadequate.

Instead of mumbling under your breathe of how easy she has it or how perfect she is, send her gratitude and joy for journey she is on.

Maybe even go as far as giving her a compliment on something that you find insecure about yourself?

Because chances are, she is just as insecure about who she is, as you are and you never know when you can change someone's day for the better!

Until next time, 

Sending you love, joy and gratitude!

Self-forgiveness on the elliptical!

Have you ever known you weren’t meant to be average, but never had that AHA moment

Mine finally came at 40!

I was on the elliptical trying to figure out who it was that I wanted to inspire as a health and lifestyle coach.  For some reason great ideas came to me when I was moving.

I so badly wanted to find my niche, my tribe, the people I was meant to help change, but what and who was it?

Suddenly this one thought filled my mind entirely.

A thought that hit me like a brick that came out of nowhere 

(or maybe it was the perfect timing).

This thought wasn’t about my niche or my tribe but about me, and my past!

It was right then and there that the realization of me never before  forgiving myself for being Bulimic and depressed for so many years, consumed my head!

I realized that the shame and guilt of what I had done was still with me and unknowingly affected me every day. 

It now made sense why I felt stuck in so many ways.

But why now? Why had it taken this long?

You can imagine what happened next:  I broke down into tears (still on the elliptical) and cried until I could cry no more.

After my heart had its say,  I went outside for a breath of fresh air.

I sat down and thanked my body for so many years of protecting the pain I had held onto since my mother’s death at 16, my divorce at 23 and the dread of turning 36 (my mom’s age when she passed away and the age that my grandmother passed away too)

I held my body tight, and showed gratitude to it for taking me this far and truly forgave myself and the damage I had done to my body for so many years.

I held my shame, my guilt, my eating disorder and my depression in my hands like a circle of energy.

I showed it my love and thanked it for all it had done, for serving its purpose, one that I no longer needed and then I let it go and watched it disappear into the sky.

 For the first time in my life I felt free. I felt a huge weight lifted, one I didn’t know I had carried with me for so many years.

And through all of this. it was now crystal clear who my tribe would be and who I was meant to help and inspire.

It would be other women like me, who struggle day in and day out with eating disorders and emotional eating  or maybe I should say who struggle with needing to find the way to self-love and self- forgiveness.

Because when I looked back through to all of those years and really thought about it, it was never really about the food.

So next time you catch yourself going to food for comfort, ask yourself without judgements or guilt: What is it that I am really needing in this moment, and what can I do to fill the void that food can never fulfill? Maybe it's forgiveness or love!

Until next time!

My love, courage and strength to you, 

See what I am up to at: www.nancyalbright.com

The Strength and Confidence of a Bolivian Woman

I have been here a month and there is so much to share but
today I would like to tell you about the Bolivian women. This subject is close to my heart especially since it’s my passion to help and inspire mothers and women across the world to love who they and the body they are in completely.

The women here are confident, beautiful and strong! You see it in the way they talk, move and dress. They all wear beautiful outfits with a variety of bright ornate colors.

They carry a purse to match their outfit, a piece or two of jewelry and sexy sassy heels that complement their figure (or maybe I should call them stilettos). When you pass them on the street they smell of fragrant flowers & perfume and you can feel and see the pride, joy and confidence they feel about their body as they are walking down the street. Imagine feeling that way?

I have noticed that these women, mothers and young girls are untouched by the media so far. In this town there are no billboards or ads to tell them how to look, dress, feel or be and they shine with happiness that exudes in knowing that they are truly beautiful and comfortable in their own skin.

I must also mention the indigenous women who cannot be bothered with the latest fashion or trend. They have their own unique style and are also comfortable in their own body and are especially strong mentally and physically. Here in the market you see mainly indigenous women running their businesses while carrying their children on their back from here to there with boxes or heavy bags in each hand walking to where they need to go. It’s so amazing to see.

Of course I have to mention the mamas who always give so much of themselves. Here breastfeeding is highly encouraged in order to provide children with the most nutrition and it is done openly with such pride. When you notice a mother breastfeeding, you can see her face beaming with confidence in knowing that she is providing the best she can for her child.

So that is a little bit of the life I am living at the moment, I am surrounded by confident, strong, beautiful women who love who they are for what they are. They come in all shapes and sizes and each one of them seem to appreciate their body for what it is. 

Can I also tell you that it is totally contagious! Yes, walking among these women every single day I find myself feeling sexy and even more confident.  I even bought a pair of sexy jeans and boots
that compliment my voluptuous figure. Here my head is held high and I thank the good Lord for a strong butt and legs that carry me up hills and help me walk for hours (because here everyone walks everywhere). For my arms that hold and carry fresh groceries for blocks so that I can eat. And for strong lungs that help breathe life into my body as well as a heart full of compassion for all the people that I see daily suffering on the street.

So to all beautiful mothers, women and young girls who think that the media should dictate what you should wear, think about your body or how you should feel. I encourage you to surround yourself with other women who feel confident in their own skin. I challenge you to embrace the body you have and decide right now how you want to feel about body regardless of how much weight you think you should loose or gain to feel better about yourself.

Ask yourself:
 Do I want to feel confidant, sexy and strong as I walk down the street, sit at the café or go into work? How have my legs hips, thighs served me and can I imagine my life without them?

 or
do I want to feel ashamed and insecure of the incredible body and beating heart that has maintained
me through my whole life?

And when you nourish your body, eat to feel strong, focused, energized, sexy and confident.

Ask yourself every time you sit down for a meal or rush to have breakfast:

Is what I am eating serving this completely incredible body of mine? Is it helping me to feel strong more energetic and focused?

And if you think there is no possible way that you can ever feel this way about your body, that it’s just too hard not to be hard on body or yourself, do as the saying goes in my own words:

Act as if you are confident and soon you will start believing it!

Until next time! Much love and strength, you amazing, strong , beautiful woman!

xo, Nancy