Earlier this week I had my teeth fitted with Invisalign, which for uninitiated is a clear version of braces. The difference being is that they are a series of clear plastic teeth moulds that you wear 22 hours of the day (only to be removed whilst eating or drinking) that over a long period of time, change the shape of your teeth and jaw.
For most of my life I have hated my teeth and braces as I was growing up was never an option. For those of you who know me probably will think “oh your teeth are not that bad”. And that is because I never show them. I have perfected the art of smiling with little teeth showing and big belly laughs are accompanied by a hand over my mouth. I am subtle, but I don’t show my teeth.
My mother is never fooled. She will tell me in photos “show your teeth Michelle” But then again, she also tells me to go into the sun without sunblock, “to brown up.”
After x-rays and uncomfortable indentations into a blu-tack substance, I have had my first set of clear braces delivered from America. I popped out in between clients to have them fitted by the dentist. It felt like having Hubba-Bubba smoothed over your teeth with an unmistakable pressure applied that caused me to lisp slightly. Great.
My next client of the day arrived and I felt the need to explain about my teeth, as I was a little self conscious of my lip-smacking (as they constantly feel dry). The first thing I noticed about her was her beautiful teeth. She had braces when she was a teenager. Again, I silently cursed my parents.
This particular client’s main goal is weight loss. She is overweight to the point of being pre-diabetic. The weight causes issues for her joints, particularly her knees, which then make it more difficult for her to move. She has 3 children (1 still in nappies) and works 4 days a week, while juggling the greater proportion of home duties.
I believe her cortisol (stress hormone) levels to be high, causing her body to crave fatty and sugary food and depositing it directly around her middle. When we work together, it is not just about exercise, it is often about strategies to
a) eat healthier
b) move more
c) minimise the stress in her life
The PowerPlate is an excellent way for her to exercise as the vibration not only makes her work harder than on land, but is much kinder to the joints and ligaments.
I was showing her an exercise, when my client looked at me and said
“Can I have your figure?”
I replied, “Can I have your teeth?”
The way I see it, we both have a long journey ahead (I will wear my braces for around 18 months). We will both experience pain, expense and the constant desire to give up because the experience is hard, long and costly.
Today I want to take these damn things out of my mouth. And have even heard myself say “you know, your teeth aren’t that bad” and “hey, they are character teeth”
But this self-talk is just trying to allow me to take the easy way out and NOT make any change at all. This sort of self-talk is not helping me.
I listen to this self-talk, acknowledge it and then allow it to be replaced by improved self-talk.
In my case it is:
“I really want to have straight teeth”
“I want to smile with confidence”
“I will get use to the pain and it will get easier”
The reality is, that if you want to change something in your life and really want to change, it will be a journey. It will be fraught with self-doubt, possibly expense and most probably hard work.
The procrastinating can take a long time but the way I see it, once the journey is started, then you are on your way.
Do you have a change that you want to make?
I’m a visual kind of learner. In the pool when my coach wants to help me work on my stroke she shows me because that way I get it a lot quicker than if she were to just use words. It was exactly the same with the ultrasound. It’s so easy and non-invasive…the worst bit is how cold the jelly stuff is, but we’ve had babies so we’re used to that!
