Sometimes you’ve got to just do the thing. Just start.

This is what came to me late last night when I was trying to get to sleep and wondering what my first blog should be about and getting all flustered and confused.

Just start.

Words that I utter so often to my clients and have been told on numerous occasions by my wonderful mentor Joslyn Thompson Rule. Because if you wait until you are ready, you will never be ready.

This late night realisation automatically led on to two sub topics - the stories we tell ourselves and what motivates us.

As much as I’d like to use my platform to educate and inform, today I would like to share my learnings so far and what has helped me massively step forward both on a personal and professional level.

The stories we tell ourselves

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard people say that they aren’t fit enough to go to a class, or that they will start training when they’ve lost a bit of weight, or get that gym membership when they are in better shape. I understand. We are fed this idea of what it looks like to train or to be fit. We so rarely see the journey to fitness - just the end result - and it leads us to believe that only a certain type of person should be seen in activewear, or training in the gym. This isn’t true! If you have a body then you can train. This training will look different on every body and that is ok - in fact, it is essential. We all have the right to move and to exercise and to celebrate what our bodies can do - whether that’s walking for 10 minutes on the treadmill or pulling a double bodyweight deadlift. 

So often when I work with people I hear the phrase ‘Oh, I’m so uncoordinated’, or ‘I’m not strong enough to go to such and such a class’, or ‘I’m not a runner’. These are the stories we tell ourselves and most likely the stories we were told growing up. But the fact of the matter is that if you train, you are an athlete. If you run, you are a runner and if you ride a bike you are a cyclist. You might be at the beginning of your training journey or you might have years of experience. It doesn’t matter - either way we all have equal right to invest in ourselves and take up space in whichever area we choose.

Motivation

What motivates you to move? For a long time I was too focussed on what I looked like and how I was perceived. Did I look like a PT yet? Would I be seen as a movement master? Did I look lean enough or strong enough? I was massively insecure and never, ever felt I was enough. Instead of speaking my truth, I tried to imitate those around me with perceived success (insta influencers anyone?) and all it did was hold me back. It took me far too long but I got there. I slowly started to realise that the only way I could do this was to be me, and to share my own journey. To not be afraid to break the mould or follow my beliefs. I stopped worrying about whether I was strong enough yet and focused on the journey and the lessons learned along the way. I learned when to push myself and also when to give myself a damn break. I learnt to work with my body rather than trying to bend it to fit a mould that just didn’t work. 

If you find that you are never happy with your performance or where you’re at then maybe you would benefit from switching it up too. Try celebrating all that you can do rather than focusing on your perceived shortfalls. Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing or how you compare to others. Maybe your self care was a go hard or go home workout in your living room, or a 6am Vinyasa yoga practice... or maybe you simply took the time to nurture your body with movement. DId you move today, did you fill your lungs with fresh air? Did you stimulate your senses by walking on varied terrain and listening to the sounds of nature? Did you give yourself a break from the mundane and endless scrolling? Did you take the time to just be still and breathe? 

This all counts - all of these unsexy, non-glamourous and non-grammable activities can be so beneficial for our health. More on this in a different blog coming soon.

If you find you are dissatisfied with your training or where you are at then maybe try a different approach. Exercise because you love your body. Move because it feels good. Train your pushups to develop a strong, functional pushing train rather than to tone your triceps. If HIIT is your jam then celebrate the fact that you just boosted your brain’s health rather than focussing on how many calories your fitbit reckons you burnt. Build strong and active glutes to protect youself from injury and create a strong and powerful gait rather than to get those booty gains.

There’s nothing wrong with aesthetic goals of course but when they are your sole focus and the idea of success is attached to looking a certain way, it can set us up for feelings of discontent and failure. Life is hard enough, especially under the cloud of covid and lockdown, so how about we give ourselves a break and find a way to move that fires us up rather than weighing us down.

Exercise doesn’t need to be something you add to our to do list. It can be something you look forward to and find joy in. It’s definitely a process rather than a switch you can simply flick on or off but my experience has been that it is well worth it <3.

Give me a shout in the comments section if this raised any questions for you or if you have a similar experience to share. Your passionate personal trainers in Walthamstow would love to hear from you :-)