I’m Coralie and I am so pleased you have found your way to Get Fit for Autism.
Are you or someone you know caring for someone with autism?
Are you feeling physically and emotionally exhausted?
Maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed, lost, abandoned and alone?
Do you worry about the future of your loved one living with autism?
Are you worried about how you will be able to continue to offer the support that is needed of you?
If you’ve answered yes to even one of those five questions then you have found your way to the right place and I’d like to reassure you, that you’re no longer alone.
Together we will build your strength – both emotionally and physically – as well as provide you with access to a community of people who are walking a similar path to you. Here you’ll find guidance, encouragement, strategies and support.
I’m a 45 year old single mum, raising three boys all living with level 2 ASD. I have walked the walk and talked the talk while caring for my boys and also studying to become an autism behaviour specialist and federal advocate for families living with autism.
I have (and continue to) worked along side some of the best known professionals in this field and I’m here to help you through the maze of autism.
But Get Fit for Autism is even more than that. I also want to share with you my journey of getting fit, both physically and emotionally, so I can successfully raise these boys and enable them to be the best they can be.
To do that well, I need to be fit in every aspect of my life and….. yes, so do you. Together we can achieve this but only if you are committed. All I ask from you is to commit to one thing. Seriously that is it. One thing. How many times have you said to yourself: I’m going to start a diet, exercise three times a week, get the kids out more and not eat chocolate or stop drinking, go to counselling, find better support networks and I’m going to start all these things from Monday.
I don’t know about you but I have lost count how many times I have done this.
The problem isn’t that I wasn’t doing it…. and you possibly aren’t either. Right? The issue is these statements set us up to fail before we even begin by over committing.
As Chris Powell states we have to stop making commitment after commitment after commitment because when we over commit chances of being able to keep them all are slim to none. The human brain can only take on so much at any time and let’s be honest when you are living with autism our brains are already overwhelmed.
If you can commit to one thing, and I mean that literally one thing, you have 85% chance of lifetime success. When you try to commit to two lifestyle changes at any one time that percentage drops to 33% and then when you try and uphold three or more lifestyle commitments at once the chance of lifetime success of those commitments go down to 15%.
My personal roadblock has been my own dignity; my self esteem, my self love, my self worth and how I feel about me. No matter how hard I’ve tried to have dignity and pride in myself and all I do, I have found it constantly beaten down because I’ve been too exhausted to be true to my own integrity.
Integrity to me is doing what you say you are going to do, when you say you are going to do it. INTEGRITY WITH YOURSELF IS INTERTWINED WITH YOUR DIGNITY.
When you make a commitment… or in many cases a number of commitments… it is important to remember that you are gambling with your dignity. When you make a commitment and fail your dignity takes a blow.
How many times have you failed at a commitment despite all the best intentions and beat yourself up; “I am hopeless”, “I am useless”, “I don’t know why I even thought I could do it”.
How familiar does this sound?
Then you say to yourself, it’s ok I will start tomorrow or my favourites: I will start on Monday, next week or next summer. Then, predictably it never happens and you beat yourself up all over again and dignity takes another hit.
So what are you then left with? A lower self esteem than when you started and nothing in place to ensure you are making yourself stronger physically, emotionally or spiritually.
So together here at GET FIT FOR AUTISM we will make one commitment at a time… one day at a time. And for probably the first time ever YOU are going to put yourself first.
Terrifying concept I know.
You need to become a priority in your own life… as do I. I hate letting anyone else down but just brush it off if I let myself down.
Well, today is the day that has to stop and together that can be something we can do. When I decided to start on this journey I was emotionally and physically exhausted, overwhelmed and broken and if you have found your way to me here chances are you are too. But I have decided to make myself #1 for the first time in my life because I have realised that this is my life also. I absolutely have to be here for these boys but it’s ok to put me first so I can be the best me I can be and then I honestly believe I will be able to be a more productive support, voice, guide, advocate, friend and mum to the people I want in my life.
Thanks for joining me. I’m so excited to be travelling this road with you.