I’ve been a trainer for 7 years now, and in my industry, it’s very common to come across females who struggle with their relationship with food, exercise, and their bodies. It is a sad thing to come across, but one of my favourite parts of working with females is helping them break these thought patterns and to really grow into who they are and who they have the potential to be. Limiting thought patterns can be absolute poison on a health and fitness journey, and can keep things in a miserable cycle of ‘I have to’. ‘I have to do this, I must be this’. It doesn’t have to be this way!
The journey from limiting beliefs to freedom and confidence can be a long and difficult one, but doesn’t have to be a massive leap. In fact, I find the easiest way is to start small. I find the easiest place to start is with the stories we tell ourselves. Here are some common things I hear women say in the gym, and alternate statements they can be replaced with:
Limiting story #1:‘I have to go for a run, because I ate too much chocolate.’
Try:
‘I get to go for a run, because it makes me feel fit and fast.’
‘This run is going to feel so great now that I have energy to burn!’
‘I actually hate running. I’m going to do squats because I enjoy them.’
‘I have to eat a salad, because I want to wear a bikini at the beach.’
Try:
‘I can wear a bikini at the beach any day, any time, regardless of what I have eaten.’
‘I want to eat a salad because it makes me feel happy and nourished.’
‘I actually don’t like salad - I’m going to eat some sushi instead.’
Limiting story #3:
‘I can’t wear shorts at the gym because I have cellulite/stretch marks.’
Try:
‘I work hard in the gym - I’m going to wear the damn shorts!’
‘Cellulite and stretch marks are normal and very common. A lot of other women likely feel insecure about theirs too. Wearing shorts could inspire other women to love their legs too!’
Limiting story #4:
‘I’m so weak’.
Try:
‘I’m working on getting stronger.'
‘I’m too big/small for the gym/beach/insert any place here.’
Try:
‘I belong. I deserve the same amount of happiness as others around me. We are all doing our best.’
Summary
Statements like these are only the beginning of coming into our full potential, and fully embracing who we are and what we’re capable of. Watching women grow into these incredible unlimited versions of themselves is my favourite part about what I do. Limiting beliefs are exactly that - designed to keep us small, unsure, afraid. Ditching even just the thought patterns makes ALL the difference on a health and fitness journey - regardless of what the goal is! This is why I love the message behind Embrace so much - I feel like it’s about celebrating women on all walks of life - everyone belongs - we ALL deserve to feel this way. We all deserve to see how strong, beautiful and unique we are. There is no better time than right now to embrace this with all our being and be US!
Author: Sarah Collier - PT
Sarah is a Personal Trainer who has gone on her own mission for health and discovered it was more than just training and eating well, but that it started with mindset. She has a passion for helping others on the health journey they are on and see them embrace all aspects of this journey to create powerful results.