Here’s one thing that the bodybuilding industry doesn’t prepare you for: ⁣ ⁣ Transitioning from a society that tells you to be a size 0 to a community that tells you to be big at all costs.⁣ ⁣ I did this shoot at one of my lowest weights since high school. Not because I wanted to be skinny, but because the journey of healing my lower back had taken me to that point. I didn’t get to eat or train like an athlete. I walked miles a day because I just wanted to be active in some way. I lost muscle. But I knew that I knew that it would come back when the time was right.⁣ ⁣ When I initially looked at these photos, I berated myself for being too small. “Ugh look how flat my shoulders are.” Where is my butt?” Because in my industry, you get ripped apart for that stuff.⁣ ⁣ If we try to exist in both the “real” world and in the fitness industry, the standards may seem impossibly unrealistic.⁣ ⁣ So what do we do?⁣ ⁣ We create our own damn standards.⁣ ⁣ We stack our toolbox with self-love tools.⁣ ⁣ We hire GOOD coaches who can keep our mindset in check. Mine is @jamidebernard, of course 🥰⁣ ⁣ We get solid on our goals and understand what it will take to reach them.⁣ ⁣ And we understand that chronic comparison and multiple failed attempts to adhere to someone else’s standards are simply self-sabotage. (Which is rooted deeply and is something worth digging into)⁣ ⁣ And then, we protect our bubble of self-worth at all costs using boundaries.⁣ ⁣ There’s a lot more to this bodybuilding stuff than food and weights, huh? 😉⁣ ⁣ .⁣ ⁣ 📷 @seannelsonphoto ⁣ #TeamFBF #FitBodyFusion