118. Personal Stories of Transformation

When women come together, transformation happens. That’s what I love about my group programs: they’re full of women physicians who support, uplift, and encourage each other through all of the ups and downs that come with any kind of transformation journey. This is part one of a three-part series where I speak to some of the incredible women in my group programs.   Key Takeaways You are enough just as you are. You’re worth it and you are enough.   A Supportive, Uplifting Community It’s so common as teenage girls to want to be the thinnest, skinniest version of ourselves. But what happens when that’s not your natural body type? When you first start on a transformation journey and start to build muscle strength, you will likely put on a bit of weight. The support from other women physicians is incredible. When this happened to one of my program participants, she heard a resounding, “Its muscle, let it go!” from the rest of the women physicians. This is the type of support and encouragement you get with my group programs. Instead of worrying about the weight you’ve gained, I encourage you to start feeling curious about what your body can do, instead. Be curious and find joy in your authentic body instead of trying to change it to be something it’s not.   Transformations Take Time, but You’re Worth It Body transformations don’t happen overnight. They take time, dedication, and the will to not give up when you don’t immediately see results. One of the biggest takeaways from my programs is that the journey IS happy! Embrace it! Part of the journey is finding joy in the grey zone and knowing that there are so many more transformations happening than just the physical ones you can see.  Invest in yourself. See your worth. Embrace who you are. You are worth it!! Do you have any questions about working with me? Let me know in the comments on the episode page!   In This Episode  The power of a supportive community [7:00] How to feel curious and joy in your authentic body [9:30] The power of curiosity [10:00]  How long it takes to see results when you’re making a body transformation [12:30] How being in the grey zone helps you be successful [15:00] What you can work on outside of physical exercise 17:45] What happens when you realize that the journey is the happy [21:30] What happens when you invest in yourself [22:30] The power of embracing who you are [32:00]   Quotes “When you are a perfectionist and a young female and you think everyone’s looking at you, you’re like, ‘be smaller, be tinier, be smaller.’ I’m just not inherently an ectomorph or a small human. I’m about average in build but I put muscle on very quickly. Muscle weighs quite a bit, so it doesn’t matter what your body composition is if you’re tied to a number on a scale.” [4:36] “Maybe I can really start to love myself for who I am rather than constantly battling whatever image I have ingrained into me about how I should be small or thin or skinny or tiny or some weak damsel in distress. I’m really comfortable carrying things by myself.” [8:58] “On my own, my focus is trying to spend more time in the present moment, accepting and non-judging, and working on meditation and mindfulness. But when I work with Ali, I take to the next step. Nobody’s perfect. I still have millions of thoughts every day that take me away from the goals I have and want to achieve, but when I bring those to Ali, she helps me redirect and refocus.” [13:52] “I had friends, I had family, I had lots of success, and I even had lots of happiness, but I had trouble truly embracing joy. I told myself for so long that ‘I’ll be happy when.’ I was always trying to reach the next goal, being on that hamster wheel, constantly feeling that this was my reality, instead of learning the most important thing that I have learned in my time with Ali. The journey is the happy.” [21:01] “I’m worth it and I’m enough. Sometimes those are hard words to believe, but I still keep saying them.” [27:13] “Isolation is super common with women physicians, we feel like we’re alone. The community that Ali builds proves otherwise.” [21:33] “When you invest in something for yourself, you’re doing it for all the people that you love because you’re committing to being the best version of you. That’s when you can really embrace all the joy and all the things that you have in your life.” [33:56]   Resources Optimizing GLP-1 Weight Loss Program. Learn more HERE. 31 Days of FIT. Learn more HERE. Muscle Maintenance During Fat Loss. Waitlist HERE. Fit Woman Collective™. Learn more HERE. Transform® 8.0 deposit link is now open. Sign up HERE. Follow Dr. Ali Novitsky on TikTok | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Subscribe to The Muscles and Mindset Podcast on Spotify | Apple Podcasts Ali Novitsky MD, this podcast, and podcast write-up are NOT providing medical advice     Related Episodes Episode 100: Wisdom from my 32-Year Self-Experiment Episode 108: Dr. Weili Gray on Embracing Her Ectomorph Body Type Episode 107: Optimal Health Challenge Pearls