As you may know, I have always loved lifting the things - my most recent venture has been Olympic Weightlifting. It’s a whole other form of lifting. Olympic lifting incorporates power, strength, and speed. I love it, it’s challenging, and I am finding so much joy in it. If you have seen any of my videos lately you will see the biggest smile on my face. I actually picked up weightlifting a few years ago, and I
incorporated a few lifts every now and then, but it slowly crept away from me. So long story short, I’ve always had a passion for it and I’m so happy to be doing it again.
I want to let you in on a little secret – while I love Olympic lifting, it can be painfully frustrating! Every training session is spent trying to get a little bit better….just a little bit. Sometimes, it even makes me want to cry! Everyone has those moments –
moments when you’re pursuing your passion and you have a setback, or a frustrating moment, or even just an off day. It’s what you do next that matters – as I’ve said about diet and exercise, consistency is the key. Just because you have an off day or experience some frustration doesn’t mean you should quit – nothing worth having or mastering is ever easy! Yesterday was one of those days for me - frustration almost brought tears to my eyes, as I struggled with weight that was
easy just days ago. Girl, don’t be so hard on yourself! Cut yourself some slack and move on with life!
Doesn’t it feel good when you pick up a weight that was heavier than the last week’s weight? If you haven’t noticed, I have been talking about “Lifting The Things” and embracing what your body can do, versus focusing on what it looks like. We often times go down the rabbit hole in the quest for the perfect physique. As if all will
be right if we hit our goal weight, or that we can’t begin life until the weight is lost. Please don’t spend you lifting career (so to speak) chasing a lighter weight on the scale because you will never be satisfied.
Too much focus on an arbitrary number leads to obsession. Your worth is not dependent on a number on a scale. Break free! There is freedom and mental clarity when you stop chasing a number. How much life has passed you by while you
waited for the perfect number on the scale, or perfect dress size? How many times have you chosen to not do something because of your physical appearance? Stop!!! Life is too short to miss out on due to an arbitrary number!
With all this said, love how you move your body. Love moving and lifting so you can do it for life and enjoy it, not loathe it. I have worked with several clients that didn’t actually like working out. They only
did it to lose weight, and I bet you can guess - they stopped working out after 3 months, and the results disappeared….on to the next diet or exercise craze for them.
Don’t do that - find a way to move that you enjoy, and get to it! It may be lifting weights, or it may be something else – at the end of the day, exercise is the true fountain of youth. If you indulge in it regularly, you’ll feel better, move better and oh by the
way – you’ll be happier with what you see in the mirror as well.
I’ll leave you with this – Three Tips to Long Term Fitness that have helped me and I want to share them with you!
1. Try new stuff. Don’t get stuck in a rut – you don’t always have to lift or exercise for aesthetic reasons. Give power lifting a try….Olympic lifting….Crossfit….or even take a Zumba class for all I care!
Doing the same thing day after day, month after month gets boring – make a change once in a while.
2. Don’t kill yourself every day! This is a recipe for overtraining and injury – listen to your body, and back off when it tells you to. No, you will not gain a dress size if you take a couple days off, nor will you lose muscle if you take a break. Smart lifters program “down” time to ensure recovery and
health.
3. Moderation – eat all the food in moderation. Make sure you eat food you enjoy, but don’t eat too much! No food is off limits! Contrary to what some may say, food is not just fuel, so stop trying to make it that. Think about how much of your life revolves around food – it’s social, emotional, physical….I could go on and on, but that’s a subject for another time.
P.S. I
hope you will still find love for "Lifting The Things!" Wait till the day you deadlift your body weight or get your first pull up and you'll be in love!
Can you take moment and click reply right now and tell me what you are struggling with as it pertains to health, fitness, or nutrition. I love getting your emails!