The strength of a woman never ceases to amaze me. I am blown away by this all of the time.

Just this week, I was touched by a couple of my clients when they shared their treasured life stories, talking about their weight and health issues, how these have affected their lives, and who they are today. This really made me think about the struggles we all face.

I guess we all take it for granted, don’t we, that we all grow up in a loving family environment, in a big family home, surrounded by a supportive extended family. We have those treasured childhood memories of holidays, Christmases, picnics, sporting occasions, birthdays, etc.

We sailed through our school years, onto high school and beyond. We had childhood sweethearts, some we married, we had great careers, 2.5 children, and we are now living the dream, in the perfect house with the perfect body.

No?

No! Even if some of that list may be correct, for many of us, this is not how it played out.

Instead, there was child abuse, parental abuse, sexual abuse, no schooling, no Christmases or birthdays, no family home or even family. There were the drugs, the alcohol, divorce, loss of loved ones, loss of finances, loss of identity, detachment from family and friends, trauma, huge stresses… Are you hearing me? Are you putting your hand up?

These are the things that we have in our past, and in our background, and these are often the things that can lead to total demise of one’s self respect and self love. And then, WHAM! You are 20 kilos heavier, completely unfit, and have a biological age some 20-30 years older than you really are.

It’s just so amazing to hear these stories being so genuinely told, to hear about where someone has been, and where they are now. And as woman, it’s amazing to be reminded of just how strong we can be. I have had clients lose amazing amounts of weight, lose numerous dress sizes, and add years to their lives; I have had clients who have grown up in foster homes, not knowing what a family life was, create their own family from deep within and develop their own successful businesses; clients who have lived the high life, had everything, only to lose it all, and then find the courage to pick up the pieces and start again, and complete university degrees. These women have all taken the reigns and decided to change their lifestyle, their bodies, and their health, simply by tapping into that inner strength.

As a woman, I believe we have enormous stamina, commitment and will power. What we lack sometimes is belief; belief in ourselves. If we can apply all this incredible will power and combine it with self belief and belief in what we want to achieve, like the weight we want to lose, or the dress size we want to be, or the body shape we want to create, then we are unstoppable.

So, my message to you is to never, never give up. Always maintain the belief that you are worthy and you can be that person you so desire to be. Just let go and let it happen.