After cancer devastated their sense of a normal life and their knowledge of their very own bodies, these LiveSTRONG participants are finding a new normal through heathy living. I was honored to speak with them on a simple, yet monumental, topic… food. What thrilled me was, for them, food is not about body size. Food is about life. It was a refreshing and rewarding interaction and, today, I’m tackling some of the same topics on the pod!

You can check out the work of Dr. Chutkan on Gut Health at her webiste: gutbliss.com.

Find more of my podcast stuff, run coaching stuff, and blog stuff at laurajingalls.com

My recovery and return to marathon running after being diagnosed with hyperparathyroid disease and having surgery in December 2016 could have been a rough road. Fortunately, I had a few tools that helped me along the way. What I learned through this experience was a new way of framing my “bad days” and discovered what strength actually looks and feels like.

And HOLY COW! I have a sponsor!! This week’s podcast is brought to you by WHOOP! The coolest activity tracker in my little athlete world. Visit them! Give them love! Get $50 off with my offer code! Visit whoop.com

Find more podcast stuff, run coaching stuff, and blog stuff at laurajingalls.com

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I’ve been waiting on perfection. I’ve been searching for the perfect words, the perfect presentation, the perfect set of facts to talk about nutrition. It means so much to me and  you mean so much to me, so I’ve been putting off starting this conversation for fear of not “getting it right.” But perfection isn’t human and waiting for it creates paralyzation – the opposite of thriving! And I’m all about thriving!

Today I’m done waiting for perfection. It’s time for us to thrive together.

Find more podcast stuff, run coaching stuff, and (coming soon!) blog stuff at laurajingalls.com

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After taking an unexpected hiatus, I’m back! I can’t wait to share with you what’s been going on in my life that has kept me from the airwaves and hoping, as I share about the changes and commitments in my life, I open up a possibility for you to take a look at what you expect of your own self in times of stress.

I also circle back around to discuss the word “fat” as used towards a kid in my life intended as an insult. And you KNOW I have thoughts about that!!

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According to the New York Times article, “Losing-It in the Anti-Dieting Age,” Weight Watchers has been losing money since our culture has been shifting away from weight loss diets and embracing words like “healthy,” “fit,” “clean eating,” and “strong.” This is amazing news! 

But don’t get too excited just yet. In researching what is behind this shift in language preference, Weight Watchers found that most people are still seeking weight loss, they’re just calling it by another name. “Wellness.” 

I observe this trend every day both at work with clients and in my social circle of family and friends. While it’s clear we’re moving in a good direction, where do we go from here? How do we take our body-positive talk and turn it into heartfelt action?  I have a few ideas.

As mentioned in the podcast, here’s the link to the Harvard Public Health article, “Obesity: Can we stop the epidemic?” It’s a long, but worthy read.

Here’s the link to the New York Times article, “Losing It in the Anti-Dieting Age.”

For more podcast episodes and some cool new ways to work with me, visit my website at laurajingalls.com

Hit me up on the tweets! @ljingalls and Instagram @ljingalls

It’s summer and there’s this gym down the street from my house that has a sign outside that says, “Get your Beach Body Here,” with a photo of a skinny, busty woman in a bikini. All around the windows in orange letters are words like “Burn Fat” “Burn Calories” and all of the other tired, tragic tropes of fat-phobic diet culture. Every time I pass it, I seriously want to stop and post sticky notes all over it calling out the body-shaming lies. 

But it’s not just gyms perpetuating this skinny-is-better diet culture. It’s my friends. It’s people in my social circle. It’s companies and celebrities and all sorts of well-meaning people that I really love and respect. My newsfeed is littered with before and after shots and comments that imply one message and one message only, “Skinnier is better. To be better, try this diet, it really works.” 

I’m putting “works” in quotation marks. Take note of that word. “Works.” Because, honestly? These weight loss plans don’t “work” the way we think they do.

As mentioned in the podcast, here’s the link to the Harvard Public Health article, “Obesity: Can we stop the epidemic?” It’s a long, but worthy read.

I have some cool new ways to work with me on my website! Check it out and see what’s new at laurajingalls.com

Hit me up on the tweets! @ljingalls and Instagram @ljingalls

I’ve been at war with photos of myself for years. I’ve tried practicing being nice with the photos I take of myself with pretty good success, but in the age of Facebook, I’m often not the one in control of the photos being taken of me, posted, and shared. It’s made loving photos of myself more challenging than usual. I’ve worked on reminding myself that this is what strong looks like. This is what healthy looks like. This is what I look like. And I’ve forced myself to look at these photos until I stop seeing things I don’t like and start appreciating myself for who I am. But I am really not good at it. How can I be so comfortable with what I see in the mirror and so uncomfortable with what I see in a photo? In this week’s episode, it’s time to set some new boundaries with that internal voice when it comes to photos. 

Also, this week, I’m in New York City! Why? Tomorrow, Saturday June 24th, is Global Sports Bra Squad Day, sponsored by Oiselle. I’m here as a guest of Kelly Roberts of Run, Selfie, Repeat to speak on a panel after the run event here in the afternoon.

If you happen to catch this episode in time and want to join in the fun, find your city on the list here and just show up! If you’re in NYC, click here to get the event info.

Check out my website and see what’s new at laurajingalls.com 

Hit me up on the tweets! @ljingalls and Instagram @ljingalls

Divas. Perfection is boring AF.

One, it’s absolutely impossible to achieve and, thus, death to diva-dome. Two, it’s something that women seem to uniquely put pressure on themselves to be in all areas of life, and we’re constantly being sold products and services to help us be more perfect. (Essentially, we’re sold the idea that we should advertise a bag of lies and call it “me,” while being taught that it’s okay to openly criticize and even bully other women who let their imperfections show.) And three, perfection is the death of growth, and that is f-ing boring. 

Check out the latest podcast episode for more.

Join Global Sports Bra Squad Day on June 24th! Go to Run, Selfie, Repeat to find a #SportsBraSquad in your city, or lead a run of your own.

Get your tickets for the screening of Embrace on July 10 at the Westboro Regal Cinema here: https://gathr.us/screening/20037

Learn more about Embrace and the Body Image Movement at bodyimagemovement.com

Check out my website and see what’s new at laurajingalls.com 

Hit me up on the tweets! @ljingalls and Instagram @ljingalls

I’m 37. I’m single. And I’m mostly cool with it. Lately, though, I’ve been thinking I might like to get back to kissing a few frogs here and there, but it’s been a while since I’ve been on the dating app scene. Prompted by a friend of mine, I decided to do a little research into the latest apps and the result was shocking. Listen in for what I discovered. 

Get your tickets for the screening of Embrace on July 10 at the Westboro Regal Cinema here: https://gathr.us/screening/20037

Learn more about Embrace and the Body Image Movement at bodyimagemovement.com

Check out my website and see what’s new at laurajingalls.com 

Hit me up on the tweets! @ljingalls

Falling off the wagon, regardless of what wagon train you’re on, whether it’s career, fitness, or eating in a way that makes you feel strong and energized, is going to happen. It’s life. But should we feel guilty about it? Are we bad when we fall off the wagon? Or is it normal and human? Do we give up and make camp right where we fell off? Or do we get back on and keep moving? Let’s talk about it! 

Project 1:59 with Kelly Roberts of Run, Selfie, Repeat

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Register for The Power of Breath on June 7th!