WHY HAVING TO START OVER AGAIN IS GREAT!
It's funny, we spend so much of our time wanting to improve ourselves that we forget to enjoy the process. Well, the opposite happened to me and that's why I wanted to write this post. Let's go back to four weeks after giving birth to my little girl. I was literally climbing the walls to get back into fitness, I missed the workouts, the sweat, the social aspect and even more, I missed having some kind of control over my body.
Having a baby meant I could do what I'd spent so many years wishing I could do, I could go back to basics and start all over again. I could try new things and see what does or doesn't bring results. I became my own client and it was so damn liberating.
Beginning again as a new mum at 32 vs starting my fitness journey those many moons ago when I was 18 was very different. Back then I wanted to be skinny, I wanted to be small and I didn't really give a shit how I felt or performed, it was all about aesthetics. This time was different! Of course, I gave a shit about how I looked but getting into shape felt like it was a million miles away, this empty baby belly was going to take some time so instead I focused on how I felt, what I wanted to be able to do and how my body performed doing it.
My goals after having Jax were to squat my body weight, deadlift 100 kilos, get my first pull-up, be able to do double-unders (Skipping) and a walking handstand. The result of focusing on my performance-based goals was that my body transformed without me putting emphasis on it. By enjoying the process, putting the time in and being kinder to myself mentally my body naturally changed to suit my goals. I feel fitter, stronger and happier than I've ever been with my body and I know that these results came quicker because I didn't spend my time denying or punishing myself by constantly focusing on a size or shape.
If you take one thing from this post it's that I want you to enjoy movement and take everything slower. We as a society always want everything the very next day, we make dramatic changes and expect everything to happen over night, in most scenarios and especially with your health it just doesn't work like that. Instead of punishing yourself by removing the foods you love and putting yourself through HIIT workouts everyday focus on making a new change each week and working towards fitness goals that will take you out of your comfort zone, after all, that's where change happens. What are your current goals? I'd love to hear them so pop them in the comments below and let me help you reach them!
Photography by Lydia Collins. Wearing all Very.
