SheStrong by Sabina

part one of reshaping my relationship with food after bodybuilding prep... after everything I’ve learnt about food, my body and myself🪞

I’ve struggled with disordered eating since I was 12 and it took me years to admit it, years of recovery, and a lot of work to understand where those behaviours came from and build a more peaceful relationship with food🥺

and for a long time, I genuinely felt like I had done that

pregnancy and postpartum actually helped me more than I ever expected. having to let go of control, trust my body and focus on nourishing myself and my baby completely changed the way I saw food and my body❤️‍🩹

so when I went into bodybuilding prep, I knew it would challenge me, but I also felt confident that I had the tools to navigate it

and I did learn a lot but I also found myself in conflict more than I expected

because when you spend years learning to fuel your body, listen to hunger and respect what your body needs, bodybuilding prep asks you to approach food in a very different way

and then comes the post show period - the part nobody really prepares you for

the hormonal shifts, depletion, unpredictable hunger, changes in your body and suddenly having a lot less structure around food💭

in a weird way, it has reminded me of early postpartum🤱

and that has made me think a lot about the women I work with, especially mums, who are trying to navigate nutrition while their body, hormones, identity and relationship with themselves are already changing

sometimes the problem isn’t that you don’t know what to eat

sometimes there is a much bigger relationship underneath it all that needs attention⛓️‍💥

so I’m sharing the messy part of this journey too🤗

not because I have all the answers, but because I think we need to talk more about what happens after the goal, after the diet, after the transformation

this is part one 🤍

the whole point of this series was to show you behind the scenes (inside my head) after the bodybuilding prep

the struggles that might sound ridiculous but are not uncommon amongst female athletes

the main take away is that no matter what physique you have, the situation inside your head, your thoughts, beliefs, words you’re saying are always more important for you to thrive in fitness and in life💕

comment QUIZ to find out what postpartum stage you’re in and how your training should look like💪

prep really tested me, wowowow... part 2 of me finding myself after bodybuilding prep and embracing the HOT MOM ERA with all flaws❤️‍🔥

I thought i had made peace with food and my body👀

and then prep brought up some old noise I thought was long gone

it was learning to trust myself again when there was no plan telling me what to eat

and it is the constant reminder to appreciate my body even that this time the look back is not the early postpartum days but stage lean, peak physique of my lifetime😬

and HOT MOM ERA is definitely not about pretending everything is easy💪

it’s about being honest when it isn’t and choosing yourself anyway and holding the responsibility for yourself✨

three months ago I stepped off a competition stage. months of strict routine gone overnight. plus I’m four weeks out from my wedding so I really should be in peak glowing bride mode right now 🙃

instead I’ve been feeling completely lost

if you’ve ever worked your absolute butt off for a massive goal and then felt totally empty when it was finally over, this one is for you. it feels so much like early postpartum all over again. uncertain, uncomfortable, and not making much sense

hot mom era is supposed to be about choosing yourself with total confidence.. but what about when you have zero confidence, you’re exhausted, and you’re just figuring it out in real time?

turns out that season is worth embracing too. maybe even the most important one ✨

come figure it out with me? drop a 🤍 if you get it