Continuum Performance

BE ABOUT IT

All Sizes Fit ONE
Eric Belliveau • February 20, 2019

The clothing industry has done an amazing job of categorizing our bodies into numbers and letters. When you walk into the store you usually know exactly where to head to ... S, M, L, XL, XXL, X Tall, Short, 00, 38, and so on. You are in search of a label just like everything else you see in a store. Yet, why is it okay to imprint that label into our minds? Your body, goals, and situations are forever changing. We are never at just one stage, one letter, one number in our life. One size does not fit all. It is okay to be a variety of numbers throughout your life and to rock the heck out of them. This concept piggybacks off of my last blog on photoshopping and how it affects (especially young girls) views.

...It is a daily reminder that you need to meet your body where it is today. The stages through life that aren’t always your best all happen for a reason.

I have worked with and been around a variety of different individuals over the years. I spent a few summers as a camp counselor, a few summers subbing as a Paraprofessional in the school system(preschool through middle school), to now working as a strength and conditioning coach. I see and hear the influence of parents, friends, other kids, and society has on certain individuals. As I’m sure the same language and behaviors can be seen in many of your jobs or environments. As a coach, overall wellness for others is our main goal. The roadblocks we face are the outside persuaders that convince you that you aren’t where society is telling you you should be.

This gets drilled into so many young minds and sometimes that voice telling them they aren’t good enough stays around for years. You begin to believe, so to speak, that you aren’t the “right” size. When really you could fit into a size 2 and a size 12 and somehow both are not good enough. Whether that be the latest diet trend, clothing style, jean size, friend group, workout craze, etc. it never seems to be the “approved” fit.

Consider looking back on the past year of your life. SO much has happened, changed, and is still in the works. For instance, the most recent example I can give is my dad having back surgery. He is the strongest, bravest man I know (bias yes I know, as any daughter would be) but these past few weeks after have been extremely rough on him, reasonably so. So when you hear people complaining about the extra weight they want to lose or jean size they want to fit into it gets put into perspective. He doesn’t care what his pant size is, he cares about taking that next step into recovery, being able to sleep again without waking up in pain. The things that truly make a difference in your day to day living. It is a daily reminder that you need to meet your body where it is today. The stages through life that aren’t always your best all happen for a reason.

Your body and mind can change in the drop of a dime; pregnancy, career changes, passions, failures, successes. Those are the things to remind yourself of when you are browsing down the aisles, not your size. Celebrate the YOU not the number.

So as I look into my own closet and see a range of sizes and numbers, I smile because I fit into all of them. I know that each brand is different, each day is different, and each year has changed drastically. I encourage you to keep spreading that concept, especially to the younger generations. Stop allowing the label to construct your mindset or mood. There isn’t a way to label your life, just be concerned with making it a good one. Your size doesn’t determine your beauty, your life does.

The Meat Hangover

By Eric Belliveau • October 7, 2020
When it comes to taking meat out of your diet, some people have the idea that they will only see positive changes immediately following this choice. While those positive changes are definitely part of the deal, so is an adjustment period for your body.

We're Trying

By Eric Belliveau • September 23, 2020
We were all thrown on this crazy ride together. Emotions were running high but so were patience, empathy, inclusion, and respect. Most of us could rally behind the #WeAreInThisTogether manta. We wanted to do right by each other - donate to charities, lend a hand, check-in on one another. Do our part. As the days turn to weeks and the weeks into months these dispositions decayed rapidly. I know that this Quarantine order has been going on for a long time. I know that a great number of us do not agree on the why. I know an even greater number of us are “over it”. I am painfully aware of the difference of opinions surrounding the pandemic. It is impossible to NOT be aware of this. This leads us all to frustration, anger, resentment, and the feeling that you are not being heard. Very real and very human emotions! It is okay to feel this way. I am not only writing this from the perspective of a fellow struggling human. I do find myself struggling with everything I mentioned above. Not just daily but multiple times a day. My ability to focus has been challenged by my worry. My ability to create time for myself and focus on self-care has been derailed for fear of other things becoming more pressing. I work on this every day. I am not only writing this from the perspective of one of the business owners who were never given a playbook for this. For weeks on end I thought WTF happened to the business and how would our model need to change and remain viable, how each business owner had to either weather a period in which we were completely shut down or allowed to operate under capacity restrictions, etc. The unknown of what the timeline would bring and whether we would be able to continue our dreams or make an extremely difficult decision of not continuing. This still haunts every one of us daily. I AM very much writing this as a service provider! I am writing this as an impassioned human who genuinely loves what I do for a living. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to have built a career surrounding something I get excited about every day. I am making a stand for all of us that make their living in the service industry. To the receptionist, hostess, waiter, cook, dry cleaner, teacher, technician, barista, utility worker, automobile service technician… It is truly impossible to be inclusive of everyone here.  No one human mentioned above asked for this ‘situation’ we are in. We are sure as hell trying to provide a level of normalcy, service, care, and happiness to the lives in which we choose to serve. With added restrictions, added expense decreased capacity and the fear of being fined or shut down for doing it incorrectly, everyday.

The Meat Hangover

By Eric Belliveau • October 7, 2020
When it comes to taking meat out of your diet, some people have the idea that they will only see positive changes immediately following this choice. While those positive changes are definitely part of the deal, so is an adjustment period for your body.

We're Trying

By Eric Belliveau • September 23, 2020
We were all thrown on this crazy ride together. Emotions were running high but so were patience, empathy, inclusion, and respect. Most of us could rally behind the #WeAreInThisTogether manta. We wanted to do right by each other - donate to charities, lend a hand, check-in on one another. Do our part. As the days turn to weeks and the weeks into months these dispositions decayed rapidly. I know that this Quarantine order has been going on for a long time. I know that a great number of us do not agree on the why. I know an even greater number of us are “over it”. I am painfully aware of the difference of opinions surrounding the pandemic. It is impossible to NOT be aware of this. This leads us all to frustration, anger, resentment, and the feeling that you are not being heard. Very real and very human emotions! It is okay to feel this way. I am not only writing this from the perspective of a fellow struggling human. I do find myself struggling with everything I mentioned above. Not just daily but multiple times a day. My ability to focus has been challenged by my worry. My ability to create time for myself and focus on self-care has been derailed for fear of other things becoming more pressing. I work on this every day. I am not only writing this from the perspective of one of the business owners who were never given a playbook for this. For weeks on end I thought WTF happened to the business and how would our model need to change and remain viable, how each business owner had to either weather a period in which we were completely shut down or allowed to operate under capacity restrictions, etc. The unknown of what the timeline would bring and whether we would be able to continue our dreams or make an extremely difficult decision of not continuing. This still haunts every one of us daily. I AM very much writing this as a service provider! I am writing this as an impassioned human who genuinely loves what I do for a living. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to have built a career surrounding something I get excited about every day. I am making a stand for all of us that make their living in the service industry. To the receptionist, hostess, waiter, cook, dry cleaner, teacher, technician, barista, utility worker, automobile service technician… It is truly impossible to be inclusive of everyone here.  No one human mentioned above asked for this ‘situation’ we are in. We are sure as hell trying to provide a level of normalcy, service, care, and happiness to the lives in which we choose to serve. With added restrictions, added expense decreased capacity and the fear of being fined or shut down for doing it incorrectly, everyday.
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