"Mirror Mirror Off the Wall"

So I ran across an article this morning that SpArKeD my attention in more ways than just one! It tells of a UCLA female student that has sworn off even the smallest glance into the mirror for an ENTIRE YEAR!!! And probably the most intriguing part of the whole situation is that she is scheduled to exchange vows with her significant other 6 months into the process!!! Having only been married for 8 months (December 2010...<3) I still have a very much strong presence, sense, and memory of the days leading up to my marriage with the LoVe of my life and even more so of the exact day in itself. With that said, it is without a shadow of doubt on my part that I know I probably glanced, gazed, pondered, dissected, and stared into EVERY single mirror that came my way on that very day and the days prior...lol :P So why is this girl doing this??? What are her motives and reasonings? And ultimately will it be something she ends up regretting as every bride has shaped, formed, and fashioned almost down to the "T" what she will look like on her most special day???

Well...this leads me to my next thoughts. What is your relationship with the mirror? Is it one of continual disgust, hatred, disagreement, and denial? Or is it rather of appreciation, gratitude, satisfaction, and a sense of pride? Like many of you I am sure...my relationship is one that depends on the day, my already perceived thoughts of myself before even looking into that reflecting device, what I have eaten in the past 24 hours, if I have exercised, how my clothes felt when I first put them on, and a MILLION other factors that truly have NOTHING to do with what that glass "indicator" of self shines back at me. So why do we let this so-called revealer of truth tell us how we should feel about ourselves??? Why is our mood for the day on auto-set as soon as the first glance of the day is taken???

Let's be MORE than this!!! GREATER than this!!! STRONGER than this!!! And inwardly truly evaluate our self-worth and how much we have to offer far beyond the love handle that seems to be sitting right over the top of our pants or the extra bit of skin that appears to nestle over the top of our bra straps in the back! If you are unhappy with yourself before you even take a look in the mirror...then let's make steps to do something about it :) And for the time being only allow yourself minimal time in front of it to put on your make-up and fix your hair. We can often become fixated with an image of ourselves that honestly is not a true reflection of what is really there! It has even been shown in many studies that people who have lost large amounts of weight still struggle seeing their new-found body when gazing into the mirror. The constant reminder of the past, all of the extra baggage, and the feelings of no self-worth still consume a part of that person's brain and thus will not let them get past what they have truly already overcome. So I am CHALLENGING you this week to take a step away from the infamous conveyer of image and rather look much deeper into who YOU are as a person, how you feel in your own clothes, are you making the steps to change those thoughts if they are negative, are you making yourself, your health, and your happiness a priority by penciling in daily exercise and an adequate diet? Ultimately...I want YOU to believe that YOU are worth it!!! Because you are :)

So this week..."Mirror Mirror off the wall...I will no longer let you dictate who I am at all!!!"

May EACH of you see the true BEAUTY that you hold far beyond just the physical...have a WONDERFUL, BLESSED WEEK!!! Here's the article link: http://www.stylelist.com/2011/08/20/kjerstin-gruys-mirrors_n_931699.html?icid=main%7Chp-laptop%7Cdl6%7Csec1_lnk3%7C222542

Coach Allyson

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