Since not being able to train on a regular basis due to UC it’s given me a whole different outlook on training.
I’m noticing the benefits I was getting from training – it was boosting my mood and my energy. It kept me feeling strong and confident and without it I’m finding my mental health is declining quite a lot. I feel weak, tired and I’m even getting back pain which I have never, ever have had.
It made me flash back through my training experiences and the emotions, fads and life lessons I’ve learnt along the way – I’ve grown so much as a women and looking back to where it all begin I can’t believe I was such an asshole to myself.
I think we ALL go through a similar process…
When we first start training it’s usually because it’s force-fed through via social media of what we should look like – we decide to train to become that idea of a ‘perfect’ human. Hit the gym without really knowing what the hell we are doing (usually in the beginning hours of pointless cardio e.g treadmill wars with random next to you.) In combination with this you’ll starve yourself because carbs are the devil and we need to have a six-pack by summer.
Out of all the inductions I’ve had with girls over the years as a trainer none of them have said they want to start training to feel good. It’s always ‘tone up’, ‘get fit’, and ‘loose weight’.
It’s really interesting.
Not dissing all my gal pals out there when I started training it was purely to get skinny – I didn’t care how I felt, I just wanted to look like the girls on Instragam.
What I didn’t realise though was the more I focused on looking hot as hell and the more pressure I put on myself, the worse I felt and the worse I felt the more I felt the need to go to the gym and the more I went to the gym the more obsessed I become with the ideal of ‘perfect’.
Looking back it was pretty f*cked.
From the outside someone who seemed super fit and healthy – did not at all have a healthy relationship with fitness.
It’s common – I know that now and I do all I can via training girls (and this blog) to not let healthy relationship become unhealthy.
But what happens when you do have a healthy relationship with fitness and your body?
Man it’s a truly beautiful thing – loving yourself is one of the most (I think) empowering things you can do.
When you do this amazing things happen – you train for a purpose of reaching fitness based goals and to feel good, the main focus shifts from looking like a certain body type to feeling f*cking fabulous and confident in your own skin, you realise literally every single person has a different body shape to you and with each body shape comes extraordinary power. There is no stereotyping – I’ve seen tiny girls squat 100kgs, I’ve seen women I there 60’s do cranes, I’ve seen bigger girls sprint like Usain Bolt.
Their relationship with their body changes as does their mindset as does their training as does their life – it waterfalls.
There is no judgement – just a bunch of badass girls doing badass things.
Appreciating your body and what it capable of is such an overlooked element.
I know that now.
Step back from your fitness journey and see where you are, you might only be at the beginning where it is all about looks – that’s okay just know there is so much more out there, so much more to appreciate then a six pack – the penny with drop one day and you’ll feel the shift, man that shift feels fabulous.
If you’re at the stage of training hard, kicking goals, feeling good and giving zero f*ck good on you – let them endorphins fly, post them selfies and keep inspiring all those around you – because even though you might not realise it there is someone looking up to you as their role model.
Stay Strong & Stretch,
Tel X
talkingwithtel 