When playing professional football, Amir Madison feels good in his body. She puts on extra weight as she eats heavy meals to fuel her intense workout schedule. He was in top football shape, but he didn’t feel like himself. After retirement, he took up yoga – a practice completely opposite to his norm. She embraced the practice of yoga, became an instructor herself, and even founded her own yoga training company and non-profit focused on accessible health and fitness. He lost just over 40 pounds, and found himself healthier not only physically, but mentally. In his own words, this is how he did it.
AT THE BEGINNING years of my life, I was deeply entrenched in professional football. Although in a good athletic condition for the sport I play, I carry excess weight and feel uncomfortable in my body. I weighed over 220 pounds around that time. My focus was mainly on performance, fueling myself with heavy meals to burn calories, and pushing my body through intense training sessions. Even though I work out extensively, the extra weight feels like a burden, and it really brings me down mentally.
After several football-related injuries, I wanted to change the way my body behaved – to be more flexible and balanced than football training allowed. I also want to focus on my overall health. So I looked for alternative health modalities and found yoga. I really resonated with the holistic approach of yoga, focusing not only on making the body healthy, but also the mind.
When I retired from professional football in 2014, I was able to fully shift my focus towards whole body wellbeing. I embraced yoga even further, practicing it daily and incorporating his teachings on mindfulness. I learned all about breathing and meditation, and incorporated it into my yoga practice and daily life.
Before embracing yoga, my diet consisted of heavy, meat-centric meals. However, as I dive deeper into my yoga practice, my body naturally craves lighter, plant-based foods. I switched to a plant-based diet, focusing on whole, nutrient-dense foods that nourished my body from the inside out.
Weight loss is not my main goal – I just want to feel better in my body again. I knew that yoga’s holistic focus would help me get there, so I didn’t focus on the scale. Now, I weigh about 185 pounds, and I feel better than ever.
Currently, my exercise regimen includes a balanced combination of yoga, strength training, cycling, and hiking, all of which support my well-being. Weight loss naturally followed from my commitment to holistic health.
These three tips made my transformation journey a success.
Focus on Your Wholeness
I really take to heart the practice of yoga-centered care of the whole body – not just the physical. It allowed me to move away from losing weight as my primary goal and focus on feeling better. This gave me a deeper sense of purpose, and the peace it brought mentally and physically was more important than any weight loss I achieved along the way.
Think about doing more for yourself than just working out and eating less. Practice mindfulness, maybe through yoga or meditation, and it will teach you to listen to your body. I became more in tune with what my body needed, whether it was a rest day, a new challenge in my training, or a different way of eating. Plus, focusing on overall health instead of the number on the scale takes the pressure off weight loss and shifts your attention to wellness instead.
Switch It Up
While consistency is important in any exercise regimen, incorporating variety into my workout routine helps keep things interesting. Instead of sticking to one style of exercise, I mix things up running, cycling, swimming, or hiking. I never get bored, and can easily move to higher ground. It also helps prevent overuse injuries, and keeps me mentally stimulated.
Embracing variety adds fun to your workouts and allows you to discover new strengths and interests. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try new activities to keep your fitness journey fresh.
Shift the Focus
A key aspect of my weight loss journey has been not focusing on weight loss at all. By prioritizing my overall health, I can achieve sustainable results without the stress of constantly checking the scale.
I realized that real transformation happens when we prioritize self-care and holistic well-being over external goals. Weight loss can come naturally as a byproduct of protecting your body, mind and spirit through practices like yoga.
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