Natalie Renee Long

Natalie Renee Long Instagram – Happy Transformation Tuesday!
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*2015 —> 2021
*Post heart surgery —> Post 1st Bikini Comp
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It took 25 years of struggle before I reached my weight loss goals in a healthy, sustainable way. And it started by loving myself and my body exactly as I was.
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Six years ago I was laid up on the couch with a debilitating injury after years of punishing my body with exercise because I hated the way I looked so much. My self loathing had clearly never helped me reach my goals and I was tired of hating myself and putting off following my dreams because of my appearance. I started therapy, conquered my eating disorder and began the journey of loving myself and my body and detaching my worth from my weight.
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When I recovered, I started pursuing fitness from a different place than I ever had – a place of love for my body and excitement to reach a challenging goal. To prove to myself I was strong enough because, for the first time, I knew inside that I was. I started following people who were living the type of life I wanted to live. I knew if they could do it, I could too. This started my secret, unspoken dream of competing in an NPC bikini competition. @whitneywiserfit was the first local competitor I started following. I watched her, learned from her and was constantly inspired by her. My dream of competing was realized in 2018 and this Saturday I will be competing in Whitney’s show @nashvillefitshow .
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I wanted to be leaner for my first competition of the season and I almost let that stop from doing this show, but like I said yesterday, I’ve wanted to compete in it since it’s inception and something has always gotten in the way. So I’m going into it with no expectations other than to have fun, connect with other competitors and support a sport that changed my life.
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Don’t let your circumstances make you feel like you can’t have or do the things you’ve dreamed about. Take the step, do the thing and watch in awe as you achieve your wildest dreams.💖
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Always remember…
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Your worth has nothing to do with your weight. Love and respect yourself. Enjoy life and be happy.💖 | Posted on 17/Aug/2021 14:38:51