Almost every single time I go to a networking event and introduce myself as a fitness coach, someone says to me something along the lines of, “Oh my gosh, I’m so bad for eating this!” or “Ugh, I used to be so good about working out, but I’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t been at all! I’m so bad, and I really need to get back to the gym.”
Seriously, it never fails. Every single person assumes that fitness and food are either good or bad, and how you engage with them makes you good or bad, depending on the day. More than that, they assume that because I’m a fitness professional, that’s how I think, and that I’m going to judge, chastise, or commiserate with them about it.
So, it also never fails to surprise people that I always smile politely and respond gently, “Oh, yeah, that’s not a thing. There’s no good or bad about this stuff. It’s tough!”
And after they get over their surprise, I can see the relief on their face, and that’s when they start to open up, tell me a little more, and ask me questions. That makes me smile bigger.
Secretly, I love the opportunity to rattle people’s notions of what fitness looks like.
Well, actually, maybe that’s not so secret at all…
Many times, these initial introductions inspire enough curiosity that we connect further and schedule coffee or lunch meetings. (As you know, I’m a huge fan of the coffee date!) It’s in those meetings that I hear more about what’s really going on. Stuff like:
- I have a toddler and I’m the breadwinner and also my hormones are changing and how the hell am I supposed to work out when all I want to do is sleep?
- I tried X class for a few months, and I did like it, but then I injured myself and now I feel horrible and I don’t know what to do.
- I used to run all the time, but I just don’t really want to do that anymore, and now I’m putting on weight and that makes me feel awful.
- I’ve been following X diet and working out three days a week, and I still don’t feel like I’m making any progress.
- I’ve bought so many programs and tried so many things, and I can’t stick to any of them and I feel like a failure.
- I feel like I’m doing OK, but if I could just lose that last X pounds/get rid of this X body part, then…
- I just feel better about myself when I’m thin.
Hundreds of meetings, hundreds of women, hundreds of similar stories and challenges. You know how you always hear that whole thing about how you’re not alone?
You. Are. Not. Alone.
This is a constant freaking struggle for so many people. And every time you think you have it figured out, something changes, something happens, something shifts, and you have to figure it out all over again. And while you’re doing it? You feel more alone than ever.
What if there was a way to figure it out that would actually last? And what if you didn’t have to do the figuring out part alone? What if you could do it with all the other women who are feeling just like you, who have been through all the same struggles?
Yeah, that exists, and it’s happening in Fitness Unraveled.
A lot of coaches do a lot of work through courses and self-paced programs. While I see plenty of value in those things, I’ve found that value increases tenfold when the work is done in real time and coupled with a group. I mean, I’m pretty cool, and I know what I’m doing. But I’m astute enough to know that I’m just one person. I alone am not the big benefit here.
The big benefit is in not being alone anymore, but immersed in a group of other women who also feel a little bit like they might be the only ones, and don’t want to not be alone in their struggles anymore either.
It bears repeating: you’re not the only one feeling like you’re struggling with figuring out fitness and body confidence.
And you don’t have to figure it out in isolation. You can do it with a group of incredibly awesome, like-minded, supportive, and non-judgmental women, with me as your partner and guide. And you can rest assured that you’ll never have to figure this out again, especially not alone. Better yet? You’ll feel happy and confident to help other women in your life next time you recognize these familiar struggles so they don’t have to go through it alone.