Amy Wong (31-year-old transpersonal life coach)
At the age of 15 I developed an eating disorder. I lived in a constant state of anxiety, always worried about what I was eating, and exercised at least 90 minutes a day. With a lot of determination and support, I kicked the anorexia and bulimia during my last year of college, but the fear of getting fat, anxiety about food, and an exercise addiction continued. Over-exercising left me ravenously hungry, and justified to overeat in the evenings, which in turn led me to guiltily over-exercise the next day. As such, I lived in a miserable, never-ending cycle. By 30, I was used to the constant feeling of exhaustion. Deep down, I was suffering.
It wasn’t long before I had a breakdown and knew something had to give. A good friend told me about her life-changing experience with The Happy Body. I was curious -would this work for me? I made the call and set up my first appointment. What I learned about Jerzy and Aniela’s no-nonsense approach seemed at first too simple to be true, but I decided to give it a try. I had nothing to lose.
The biggest hurdle was keeping myself from my old workout routine – the sweat and endorphin rush of my daily seven-mile run. But after two weeks I began to notice a huge difference in my body and my mental and emotional state. I was calmer, and I didn’t feel stiff or sore anymore. I began to have the feeling that this might work. And I was right!
By simplifying my approach to food and fitness, and adding meditation as a daily ritual, I dropped 17 pounds and reached 13% body fat in eight weeks. But the best part is the newfound sense of freedom and equilibrium I feel. I have gained back one and a half hours since I no longer slave away at the gym. I’ve lost the constant anxiety that had been my background music, and I’ve finally broken the cycle of overeating and guilty exercising.
I am living my life more intensely, and I’m present to myself and to others the way I haven’t felt since I was eight years old. I am so glad to have my new lifestyle, one without fear and without the cycle powered by punishment and reward.
What a gift to live, joyfully, moment by moment.