Miss B came to the studio with the idea in mind of shooting a fitness style shoot, and I was all for it! I really do love fitness in my personal life, and this woman is incredible, she's won trophies at body building competitions, she's placed first overall in the 20's age category (and a women never reveals her age, but let me just say she her daughter is in her 20s, if that gives you an idea of her age), and she's done it all with her family by her side, her daughter and husband competing along with her. That's pretty darn cool!
I have known Miss B since before her fitness journey really began, and truthfully, she's always been this gorgeous, she has just been working on her fitness more than ever before. Seeing the transformation in not only her body, but also her spirit has been pretty amazing, and the confidence she's gotten from walking on stage was tangible during our session. I have photographed her once before, when she was going through a transitional time in her life between careers, and I really could see the difference in her life between now and then. She went from being a somewhat shy and unsure of herself woman, to the fierce and independent woman she is today! I am so proud of her, and she looks damn fabulous, don't you think?
I know for myself, fitness has always interested me, but it's also always been a struggle. Especially with this time of year and fitness slogans like "New Year, New You" pretty much everywhere, it can be a daunting thing to think about. As a photographer, my job is to bring out the best in you, no matter your age, shape, size, background, history, or any other contributing factor. Sometimes I feel like I have to walk a tight line between advocating for fitness, and saying love yourself for who you are in this moment, and I think the misconception is that in the fitness industry it's either one or the other, but that's not the case, especially for me.
One thing you'll hear over and over again in fitness is the saying "Progress, not perfection" and I think that really sums up the ideal relationship between person and fitness. I think it's a respectable goal to want to maintain a healthier lifestyle, whatever that means for you, whether it's eating more fruit and veggies in your day to day life, or cutting back on the number of cookies you consume in one sitting (haha, can you tell I'm speaking from experience here), or it's taking time every day to go for a 10 minute walk around your block, or it's addressing your mental health and seeing a counsellor for things that are affecting you. Whatever your goals are, I think you can have them without being neurotic or considered over the top, or really letting them consume you. Health and fitness goals are not an exclusive set of goals, only for the already fit and healthy, I think they really are for every one, and you can fine tune them to whatever you think would make an impact in your life.
Sometimes I am hesitant to post about health and fitness goals, especially my own personal ones, because I think others will think it does not coincide with my "Love Every Body" message that I truly believe, but this year my new years goals are pretty simple, and I do feel I want to share them with you guys:
1. Keep commitments to myself.
Working for myself, and absolutely loving boudoir and the life changing experience that it is, I often find myself bending over backwards for others (which I'm totally okay with, I am here to serve!) but sometimes that leaves my own goals, needs and wants in the dust. In the past I have been willing to push back everything in my own life, just so I can get as much possible done, but this year will be about finding the balance between giving to others, and giving to myself. It's a tough one, but it's the most important!
2. Maintain a "Healthy Lifestyle"
I met with this incredible Personal Trainer, absolutely by random at a coffee shop a few weeks ago, and it's funny how sometimes things change your life, I feel like this meeting was one of those times! She ended up coming over to my house and we chatted about mine and Kelli's health and lifestyle goals, and she gave me some incredible food for thought. She helped me to realize that I need to set short term goals, in order to reach my overall goal of a healthy lifestyle.
This past November I reached a critical moment when I went through a huge loss, and realized that in order to cope with this loss, I went straight to my fridge. Food has always been a comfort to me, and it's also been a coping mechanism. When I say I need to monitor the amount of cookies I eat in one sitting, I really should say the number of boxes I'm willing to eat. Something about those cookies that makes it all better. It was in that moment, staring into the abyss of the fridge, that I realized the path I am on now is not the path I want to stay on. That I was steering a very clear course and if I stayed on it, it would be a very long way back to health. What an amazing moment.
In that moment, instead of eating, I closed my fridge door and I talked about how I felt. It was then that everything changed. I was no longer hungry, I felt satisfied that I had said what I needed to say, and it was no longer my problem. I had truly dealt with an issue, for maybe the first time in my life. It was so freeing!! After that moment I realized that I want to have a healthy lifestyle. I want to say how I feel and not eat my feelings away. I want to run, jump and play as much as my little heart desires. Something needed to change.
Enter the Personal Trainer (Erin Ko, check her out here: http://healthystartfitness.ca) and things are starting to fall into place. I realize to reach my goals, short term ones need to be set! Small goals are the building blocks to large goals, and here I am with my small goals: eating healthy every day, doing something active every day, finding something I absolutely love (for me it's hiking) and doing that as much as possible (damn you -40 weather lol!), and following a fitness program that I enjoy (have you tried BBG - Bikini Body Guide, it's my favourite), and being apart of a supportive community. I'm also going to try out Erin's bootcamp shortly, and I'm really excited about that!
Health and fitness goals don't need to be things to be ashamed of, and they certainly don't mean that just because I want to live a certain way, that it's for everyone, or that everyone should take the same path to their own goals, but I do think talking about our own goals, and supporting each other as a community of women is important. I think boudoir is one of the stepping stones to confidence (as I've said in many other posts), and it really is for women of every shape and size, to love yourself in this moment, because you only have this life to do it, and what an incredible gift you can give to yourself. The gift of self-love, of self-confidence, and of self-respect to say, "I am worth it. I do love myself. I can do this. I will do it." I really believe a boudoir session is another step in the health journey we are all on, to realize who and what we are is something to be celebrated, not be ashamed of. And Miss B's images are the incredible backdrop that was needed for this post, to love yourself no matter your circumstance, your abilities, your size, shape, age, or anything else. Just to love yourself for who you are, right now.
Thanks for sharing this post with your friends if it meant something to you! This year is all about getting the message out "Love Every Body" ! If you're interested in trying out boudoir, or just seeing what it's all about, please contact me so we can go over everything together! My favourite clients are the one's who are the most afraid, the most nervous, the most unsure because they are truly ready for change!
Thanks to HMUA Katt Panic Makeup Artistry
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