Time for me to get real with you guys. My body fat percentage is currently the highest that it's been since I started Fit and Thick. Funny thing is, so is my happiness and self-acceptance. When I was on my quest to "look the part" of entering the fitness industry, I ended up losing what fitness was for me in the first place. It never used to be about looking a certain way, but about the mental clarity and emotional release that I was able to achieve after an hour of pushing my body past what I thought I was capable of. ?It was how I was able to find body acceptance in the first place. - By placing so much emphasis on my aesthetic goals, I lost touch with the fulfillment that I once experienced through my relationship with fitness. It's an important lesson to grasp and I hope that by being open with my revelation, I can light the way for you to connect these same dots within yourself. - The way I look will never make me truly love myself. I need to reach deeper than the shell and work on the empty parts. - So I recently set fitness goals with my class that have nothing to do with our appearance. Goals like: • 30 consecutive push-ups • 3 miles without stopping • Following through on working out 5x/week for a month straight Attainable goals that will require us to motivate ourselves in new ways. Goals we won't need a mirror for. - You are more than the way you look. Is it important to take care of your temple? Yes, but why is that getting the majority of our attention? Why do we place so much emphasis on the way we look instead of focusing that energy on intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth? - Seems ironic coming from someone who gained 1.4 million followers on Instagram because I put my body on the internet. I think it's exactly why I feel so strongly about reaching higher and bringing anyone along with me who's open to it. Not just on the outside but on the inside too. Not always individually, but as a community too.? - I made a promise that I would be vulnerable with you guys, and when it comes to me and my body image, this as real as it gets. I am flawed. I am loved. But I am so much more. - And so are you. ? #selflove #fitandthick

A post shared by Nicole Mejia (@nicole_mejia) on Apr 13, 2017 at 10:48am PDT