It’s Not Them, It’s You.

I am starting this blog post with the most open heart and mind. That being said, I feel like what I may share here might ruffle some feathers. However, I have thought long and hard on this post and when something stirs in my soul for a while, I can’t get rid of that prompting to SHARE. So let’s get on with it.

I was a part of a conversation the other day about various fitness organizations. As some of you may know, I attend Fit4Mom classes, going on 2.5 years now. Before joining I had no idea what to expect. I myself had in my mind the stereotype that Fit4Mom is the “easy-going” option in today’s fitness world. The name “Stroller Strides” gives off this connotation that you strap your baby in a stroller and stroll around the park while you are chit chatting with your friends. Easy, right?

Wrong.

Yes, there is one part of the class that you do get to “stroll” if you call pushing a 50 pound stroller at a jog/run “strolling”. But in between those runs you are strength training. Flat out doing bicep curls, squats, lunges, overhead presses, burpees… To name a few. I left that first workout convinced I might die. 😀 I also left with a new revelation of what this class was about. I decided to go back, and haven’t left since. I JOINED because it challenged me, I had someone telling me what to do (I need that :-D), and I didn’t have to worry about finding childcare for my baby… I STAYED because of the village I found. Moms in the same stage of life as me, moms who share the same goals and interests, friends who text you when your not at class, instructors who believe in you, push you, and congratulate you along the way. There’s nothing quite like it.

Now here comes the part where the feathers might ruffle. I have heard this saying more than once in my life, and maybe you have too. Heck I have even said it myself. “Find WHAT works for YOU.” But the more that I think about it, I can see where that may not be enough. Yes we need to find some THING that works for us, however ultimately YOU have to work for YOU.

There. I said it.
You can join all the classes.
You can pay for all the programs.
You can buy all the right foods.
You can clear your entire schedule.

But unless YOU actually show up? Nothing is going to change.

A mom pushing her baby around in a stroller deserves just as much credit as the mom doing box jumps at the cross fit class. A girl doing bicep curls with a resistance band deserves as much credit as the girl bench pressing her body weight at the gym. The person completing 10 full pushups for the first time on her own, deserves just as much credit as the one who is doing pushups in front of a personal trainer. They are all on the same level playing field due to one factor. THEY SHOWED UP AND DID THE WORK.

My point in all of this is yes, by all means, PLEASE find something that motivates you to exercise. Community in exercise is so crucial in sticking it out. Especially for the days that you don’t feel like going.
But can we just STOP with all of the competition on whose workout program is better than whose? The effort and the results depend on YOU. Not THEM. Show up to YOUR space, and do the best you can, push yourself to the farthest that you can go, THAT’s when you will see the real change. Not by jumping from program to program, or class to class. If you are looking around for the “perfect” solution, you need to start your search in the mirror. Your program/trainer/coach will only go so far. The progress and change rests in YOU not THEM.

If you’ve stuck with me through this whole post, thank you. I do love to hear back from my readers, and would love to hear your thoughts on this subject. *I also feel the need to share that these thoughts are {all} my own, and not affiliated or sponsored by Fit4Mom in anyway. 🙂

Have a wonderful day. <3