Happy Labor Day!! I’ve been soaking up this Monday holiday with a chill morning, workout then brunch. Which is why this post is going up so late compared to most days. It was exactly what I needed for a little change to the normal work week.
So I feel like I need to get a little real for a second. Be a bit more honest than usual. Social media is dragging.me.down. Which is challenging since it’s part of my job. Not only is social media frustrating from a business standpoint, but it’s very frustrating from an emotional standpoint. When I first got into CrossFit and paleo, I fell in love with it because it was a world that revolved around hard work and performance. It didn’t obsess over physique. And it felt like the world was going in that direction. But now whenever I look at social media, I’m bombarded with images of butts and abs and beautiful people. And no matter how confident I am in my own skin, I can’t help but question my own self worth when I see images of others. And that’s incredibly disheartening after all the hard work I’ve put into my own life and growth to get away from those feelings.
For me, realizing that social media affects my mood and thoughts about myself is the first step to solving that issue and moving on from it. I’m mentioning this because if I’m going through it, I know others feel the same way when they spend any sort of time on social media. If you’re feeling this way or questioning your own growth, accomplishments and happiness…just stop. Step away from unneeded negative energy and take the time to remember your own hard work and how far you have come because of it. Never forget that comparison is the thief of joy. And if you can ignore those comparisons and concentrate on your own future, your happiness and your own self worth will be able to grow and flourish. Don’t let anyone steal your joy, especially social media.
Now go crush some workouts and delicious food this week!
Sunday – Rest Day – Went paddle boarding at Quinn’s Pond with Idaho River Sports in Boise
Monday – Rest Day – Went on a short hike in Camel’s Back Park in Boise
Tuesday – 45 minute TRX class at UPcycle in Boise
Wednesday – CrossFit Broadway Class
OH Squats: 14 mins to find a heavy 3 – I got to 120#
Then 2 Rounds For Time Of: (14 min Time Cap)
150 Double Unders
40/30 Cal Assault Bike
40/30 Cal Row
I finished in 11:45 rx
Thursday – Orange Theory Class – see workout here
Friday – Orange Theory Class – see workout here
Saturday – CrossFit Broadway Class
For Time (30 min time cap):
470m run
50 wall ball
35 power snatch (75/55)
470m run
20 burpee box jumps
470m run
35 power snatch (75/55)
470m run
50 wall balls
I finished in 21:19 rx
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Free Travel Workout:
Hero Workout “Loredo”
6 rounds
24 air squats
24 push ups
24 walking lunges
400m run
On Sale Activewear:
Zella Sports Bra (40% off)
Alo Tank (33% off)
lululemon 7/8 Tights (30% off)
Alala Tights (33% off)
Nike RN Running Shoes (25% off)
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What I Ate in a Day:
Started my day off with a Vanilla Bean Sweet Cream Collagen Iced Coffee
For breakfast, I wasn’t super hungry so I had 1/2 cup BrothRx bone broth, some Farmhouse Culture sauerkraut and 2 potatoes i microwaved them smashed in pan cooked in ghee
Handful of Purely Elizabeth pumpkin granola
For lunch, I made a salad with arugula, Primal Kitchen ranch, smoked swordfish, baby peppers and a small plantain cooked in ghee
While I cooked a recipe for the blog, I ate 1 slider + 1 more slider beef patty
Later in the day, I had 1/2 slice of Outrageous gf chocolate zucchini bread (leftover from the previous week)
Handful of Purely Elizabeth pumpkin granola
Handful of Terra sweet plantain chips
For dinner, I made roasted brussels sprouts, 2 sliders from earlier that day (didn’t finish the second one) on 2 sweet potatoes topped with chimichurri mayo
2 pieces of quinoa puffed Hu chocolate
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I was feeling the same way, then Melissa Hartwig posted “unfollow Friday” once. I went through and unfollowed several accounts that were mostly “fitspo”. Changed my life. Thanks for sharing!
Juli, you are beautiful and fit and strong. I’m a 38-year-old broad who has dealt with body issues, eating disorders, orthorexia, you name it, since I was a kid. I know you can’t cut the cord with social media because it’s such an important part of your job, but here are three things I have done that have helped me tremendously.
1. I stopped reading/subscribing to magazines like Women’s Health, Cosmo, Fitness, and the like. I don’t need to constantly be looking at airbrushed models and celebrities and feeling sorry for my regular-girl-working-hard-on-her-own body self. The images are not real, they are not productive, and I have no interest in doing what it would actually take to look like that – ie. starving myself, working out for hours a day, and listening to people telling me I still need lose 10 pounds. Um, no thanks.
2. Whenever I start wishing my tummy wasn’t sticking out, or that I had less cellulite, or that I had clearer skin, I remind myself: you lift weights. You do HIIT. You walk/hike every day. You eat a Paleo-ish (not perfect, but gluten-free and good enough for me) diet. You take care of your family. You’re 38 and you’re a Mom and a wife. You are NOT a professional fitness model. You are NOT a Hollywood starlet. It’s not your job to look perfect. It’s your job to be healthy and happy and do the best YOU can for YOUR body within the framework of YOUR life. Period. Now, just turn that around and apply it to your fabulous 29-year-old self 🙂
3. I signed off Facebook over 7 years ago and haven’t regretted it ONE BIT. My gosh, I was feeling self-pity and jealousy on a daily basis – why didn’t anyone like my post? Why don’t I have that/look like that? Fuuuuuuuuuuck that. I know you hate Facebook too, so I am truly sorry you can’t get off of it due to your job. But just remember: Facebook sucks. People often suck, too. That’s their issue, not yours.
I, for one, have admired you from afar for many years. You are inspiring women like me everywhere. I’m like, DAMN, does that girl ever stop working?!?! I wish I had a quarter of your hustling ability. And your fashion sense. And your abs.
That is all. Peace out.
Great comment Bethany!! I agree, I stopped reading all those magazines and I feel so much better. They are draining! I know that I am doing the best I can for me and that is enough!
i NEVER look at magazines anymore, but it’s almost like instagram has become the new magazine! and i truly wish i could get off Facebook. i never look at my own, but i have to have it for my business. facebook sucks so bad! thanks for taking the time to write me, bethany!
Well said!!!!!
Bethany, you are a rock star and very well spoken. You are inspiring this hard working but faaarrr from perfect mama in Atlanta, GA. Thank you.
JSS, that is so nice of you to say – thank you! That’s why I love this community that Juli has created – women supporting women and encouraging each other. I always feel better about myself when I encourage other people and compliment them on their hard work – I’ll never understand those who feel better about themselves by tearing down others. It just doesn’t make any sense to me! Celebrate your hard work and feel good about every step you take toward becoming a healthier you.
Hey Juli,
I love your site. Who designed it for you? Looking to get into blogging as well!
Kristin
this amazing guy – https://jlouis.com
Juli-I love this so much!! You rock girl! Thanks for keeping it real! And your insta stories always make me laugh! You are an Amazing woman! This totally spoke to me. Had to break up with Facebook because I found it just dragged me down more than building me up. You keep being you! ❤️
thanks for the kind words, denise!!
Juli, you are the best! A true inspiration to many. Those arms are just insane!!! You have worked long and hard and your body looks awesome!!
Stay optimistic. 🙂
awwww thanks for the love!
I agree with Sally on when Melissa from the Whole 30 encouraged an unfollow Friday to any account that made you feel stressed, unhappy, unworthy, etc etc. It is really something to remind myself every now and then, that if these posts are dragging me down or making me question myself then I need to completely unfollow them or just take a break from them for the time being. Sometimes I don’t ever follow them again, sometimes I do depending on who it is or what it is. And I also give myself some time away from social media every day, it might be shorter some days than others but take a break. Do one thing you really enjoy sans any device and just live in that moment. 🙂 You’ll still be on there doing your job, but you’ll be better after having that break. At least that’s helped me.
definitely do that on a regular basis!!
Hi Juli! So i have a question. I’ve been trying out a crossfit gym near me (because man, even though there are a ton, there are very few that like to host 5:30 am classes!).
I’m wondering why you alternate between crossfit and OTF? Is crossfit 5-6 x per week too taxing or unadvisable? I currently go to burn bootcamp which is an up and coming franchise that i love , but there are no barbells so we can only get so heavy when it comes to squats/etc, and i’m really looking for a weight lifting challenge. The crossfit gym i’m trying does offer class packages instead of unlimited, but i’m curious if and when i find a box that i’d love daily, if it is even advisable.
Thank you ahead of time for the input!
you can absolutely do crossfit 5-6x per week! for me, i switch it up because i like going to 2 different gyms (i’ve worked at my cf gym for almost 6 years so it’s nice to go somewhere where i don’t know every single person – plus it’s closer) and i like the different type of workouts. in cf classes, we usually work for total of 25 minutes and otf is a total of 55 min of work. i’m not looking to lift heavy every single day of the week so it’s nice to go to otf classes!
How do you get your brussel sprouts to get that good color? I either undercook or over cook mine!
i overcook them lol i just cook them until they are extra burnt!
I dunno, people are just more than butts and abs. And yeah, all over social media there are these perfect bodies of people who managed to get to a point in their work out and diet, get their make up just right, adjust lighting, and took a photo. Meanwhile, when I’m out and about, I really don’t notice anyone’s bodies. Maybe extremes? Then it doesn’t register anyway. I also remember that with Crossfit, there were a small group of ab obsessed women, but TBH, they didn’t push it too far and it didn’t dominate their lives.
Social media is just a snapshot of a life. Honestly, when I see a lot of people on it flaunting body parts, day in, day out, I feel a little sad for them. Do they have a rich life, or is this just a brief phase of seeing how perfect they can get their body. Or is it an unhealthy obsession with appearance?
It is disheartening to hear that even a role model for health and beauty feels somehow inadequate. You are literally a woman with an amazingly fit and perfect body. You don’t have excess fat. You are nicely toned. You may have flaws we don’t see, but by and large, you are the product of a healthy lifestyle.
We’ve basically objectified women and created this ever changing, unattainable standard. Ask 5 people what the perfect glutes are, you’ll get 5 answers. You can’t ever be “perfect” because perfect is subjective, not objective. My ex used to criticize my “big thighs” and would tell me that men like thin legs. So I was ashamed of my thighs until I went on a date with a guy who more or less was in awe of my amazing thighs. So WTF? Which do I do? Do I lean out my legs or do I ramp up squat day?
In the end, you do what makes you feel best inside. What actually makes me feel best inside is eating healthy food, getting in great workouts, dressing with style, caring for my skin and enjoying life. The shape my body takes is almost irrelevant- the only time it really comes into play is clothes shopping.
Lately my body image hasn’t been on par, so it’s hard for me to really exercise and eat because I don’t know where to start about losing some weight. I know I’m not in a state where losing weight is ideal, but it’s so difficult with mind games in my head. I try not to use social media and other influencers as comparisons, but I’m really just super competitive with myself and I know that I can do better than this–I have already and I don’t know what to do to reach that state. I think that it boils down to how you really feel intuitively and–from a practical standpoint–where you are in your life in terms of health, wellness, energy, and spirit.
Also, on another note, the plantains and roasted Brussels sprouts look AMAZING! I’ve been missing both! I really need to start roasting Brussels sprouts again!