On The Quest To Be...Strong & An Honest Chat About Fitness

Physically I'm without a doubt one of the weakest people I know, there is no denying that. So writing a post all about wanting to be stronger is something that I never ever thought that I would be doing. Exercise is something that I've never really been too interested in because I never found it enjoyable, it always just felt like a lot of hard work and I never gave it much time. And it wasn't until I realised how much it helped my mental health that I made a real big effort to make it an important part of my life. I don't have the easiest relationship with fitness that's for sure but I'm not sure anyone finds it that straight forward. 2017 is the year that I've decided that I want to try and work on my strength so are some thoughts on that as well as a few honest reflections on exercise in general. 

THIS GIRL CAN

One of the best exercise movements I've ever seen is the #thisgirlcan campaign which was released last year I believe? And every time I see anything related to it I can't help but feel inspired. I've always fed myself excuses as well as let societies stereotypes get in my mind that I couldn't possibly be strong. And it's not about being a bodybuilder and being able to lift crazy amounts of weight. It's more feeling strong in myself physically as well as mentally and I'm sure the majority of us can relate to the feeling of worrying about not being able to be strong but this girl can. 

MAKING IT ENJOYABLE

Like I said, I don't find exercise super easy nor do I think a lot of people do and I think it can often be seen as a chore or something that we have to do. And whilst we all know that we need some sort of physical activity whether that be going for a walk or lifting weights it's never that simple. We all lead busy lives so it's not the easiest thing to work into your schedule when you've already got a hundred other things going on. I know that I used to be in the mindset that exercise was a chore and something you had to do but now I know that having that thought pattern is only going to make you resent the process. Over the years, I've grown to really love fitness and it's something that I consider part of my 'self-care/me time'. It's one of the only things that I do in life that's purely going to benefit me and it's something that makes a huge difference to my mind. 

IT TAKES TIME

We live in a world where instant gratification is very much a normal thing but fitness and creating a consistent routine is something that takes time. It's not something you're going to do once and see results from, it does take time and dedication which is why I think it's so easy to become frustrated with fitness when you're not seeing or feeling what you'd like from all your efforts which can make it really easy to give up. But when the results do come it will give you that push to carry on and keep on doing whatever you're doing. 

YOU DO YOU

January is full of people trying to get into shape and it's probably on 90% of people's resolution list and it can cause a lot of eye rolls but that seems so sad. There are certainly problems within the wellness and fitness industry that can be really damaging but making people feel bad or embarrassed that they want to get in shape is incredibly sad. If getting in shape, losing weight or just generally trying to be a little bit more active is something that you want to do then don't let others discourage you. For some people, they hate the thought of going to the gym and can struggle to understand why other people want to do but it's all about what you want to do and if it makes you happy then why worry about everyone else is doing? 

FINDING INSPIRATION

I'm never quite sure how I feel about fitness inspiration as I worry that it can more often than not lead you to feel disheartened. Because as much as we might like to look like someone else we're never going to so we have to learn to love ourselves and our body shape no matter what. However, having something that motivates you and makes you want to change for yourself is something that can work really well. Personally, I find looking at other girls who take a no bullshit approach to fitness the most inspirational. So the girls who aren't afraid to say that it's hard and that sometimes you don't want to do it are who I really admire. Zanna Van Dijk and Carly Rowena are both people I really look up to for that reason. 

WHERE TO START?

As of right now, I have a pretty ok fitness routine but I'm certainly lacking in inspiration for body weight exercises and have no idea where to start with lifting weights. So if you have any advice I'd love to know your thoughts or if you've gone through a similar transition how did you get going? 

R x

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