What I do is a grind. I have no intention of working a 9-5 for the rest of my life or being in the corporate world. That’s okay if you do want that, nothing wrong with it. For me personally, I’ve trained clients and the misery outweighs their money. I don’t want to live that life. I also know that we are limitless in what we can achieve but we have been influenced to only attain one career and do that. As an entrepreneur, you have to be consistent in your actions as well as goals. It is something that you have to work at diligently and create. Especially if you are true to who you are and don’t sell yourself short to the social constructs of this industry, it’s even more difficult. I’m referring to the fitness industry. Ironically, health and fitness has lost its true meaning of wellness. It has become all about looks, selling products that influencers use and getting whatever it takes to fit into the “sexy” category of fitness.
True fitness professionals practice what they preach, seeking balance in the mind, body and soul. Now, more than ever, fitness “professionals” are just using social media for likes, posting workouts, tips, advice and product endorsement that is actually unhealthy and incorrect. I’m of course speaking about a select group of folks; not every fitness professional is doing this.
The Crash
I personally was and am, always true to my beliefs and never try to market myself with compromising my persona however, at one point I was so caught up in looking perfect that it caused my body to crash and get extremely ill without a diagnosis. The worst thing I’ve gone through physically, being distended, unable to eat anything but still looking 30 pounds heavier, retaining a huge amount of water; the worst. I had to take a look at myself, take a step back and think about what caused me to get here. It wasn’t easy but I knew I was extremely hard on myself and my body. I was training 7 days a week 2 times a day, which is normal to some athletes, but you need to eat and fuel your body to do that amount of work, which I wasn’t. I wasn’t recovering enough for the previous 2 years leading up to this and my body had had enough.
The Switch
I had to force myself to chill out, relax, stop training and breathe and meditate on it. I wasn’t huge on mediation but after reading about all the most successful people on earth sharing meditation as a constant practice in their lives, I thought it was worth it. I didn’t know how to start but I just kind of read more about it, studied it, learned that it is different for everyone and just got into the habit of it. That and learning how to listen to my body if it’s tired, hungry, exhausted or anxious. Becoming in tune with myself was something I used to ignore. I’m very in tune with it but I would never actually listen to what it was telling me; two different things.
I decided to write about my experience and then expanded that into a blog to help others find balance through fitness but also wellness and self care. Health isn’t just about hitting the gym. Fitness is one component of health, it isn’t the only one.
For Ya’ll
Seek being the best version of you. This doesn’t mean your six pack alone but the best mind and spirit you can develop. Realize that all “fitness” stars, influencers and trainers are not all legitimate sources for fitness and health advice. There is a lot of b.s. out there and it’s extremely hard to separate what’s valid, what’s true, what’s for the gram, what is really intended to help and what is made up just for the likes. I urge you to look for advice from true professionals with credentials, not just followers. I have gained so much knowledge about the wellness field and continue to do so in order to help people like the past me, focused on looking good but not functioning well. I post actual workouts with proper form. I also aim to inspire people through the best quotes I come across. Listen to your body, seek advice from true knowledgeable mentors and keep growing because your body is the only one you have, it’s constantly changing and evolving. Keep up with it.
My book is a tool I created specifically for the wellness journey. Short and straight to the point and applicable to anyone and everyone.
“13 Ways to Evolve as a Human”, on Amazon, check it out.
https://www.amazon.com/13-Ways-Evolve-as-Human-ebook/dp/B078VYHNM5