Please Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself.
My training philosophy has shifted over the years, as I stare down my 10-year anniversay of entering the fitness industry.
How regularly do you stop to take stock of your progress?
It's a practice I highly recommend (and for which I block off time every Friday afternoon, on a micro level, and that occurs naturally on a macro level, I find, if I pay attention to my rhythms and those of nature). I've found both with myself and with the vast majority of my clients, if we don't stop to look around and notice how far we've come, feeling the breeze on our faces of the new places at which we've arrived, things can feel like an eternal uphill battle.
Looking back, more than anything, I see growth:
I remember clients whose goals I'd assumed, based on their appearance.
I remember thinking, "if I can do it, so can you!"...at 23, with no kids (or even a dog, at that point!), in a gym all day long.
I remember plugging the #noexcuses and #teamnodaysoff movement (eek).
I remember endlessly counting calories, macros, minutes of cardio, sets lifted per body part, and telling my clients that was the only way to get results.
I remember measuring my worth, as a trainer and a person, entirely on my body fat percentage.
I remember failing to consider how race, gender identity, sexuality, accessibility, or class could affect an individual's experience in the gym (or their body image, or their belief in themselves).
All of the above have changed, and for good reason.
Sometimes, growth is uncomfortable — especially as the growth process isn't linear. It waxes and wanes, going back and forth like a dance, and it can sometimes feel like we aren't in the lead.
Until we step back to see how far we've come.
So to that end, I'd like to welcome you (perhaps again) to this space, and reintroduce myself:
⚡ Hi, I'm Steph, and I don't believe you need to lose weight in order to be happier with your body.
⚡ I won't insinuate you're a failure if you've skipped a workout or abandoned a diet.
⚡ I won't tell you that my "binge" is a side of French fries or a milkshake for which I feel guilty for days; I've eaten until my stomach hurts (more than once) (and thought it was worth it).
⚡ I don't have "one weird trick" that will change your life.
⚡ I don't think you need a new cellulite cream, or a FasciaBlaster, or an endless stream of plyos to make your body "better."
⚡ I can't confidently say that a diet or a new fitness program is the right answer for you: I believe you hold the answers, and you get to choose for yourself.
⚡ I think your body is a powerful tool for you to show up confidently as yourself.
⚡ I know that when you allow yourself the space to explore, and to choose exactly what you want for your body, you're being political, and you're rebellious: you're reclaiming your space in ways that we're conditioned to believe are not for you.
You're about to be bombarded with 30-day plans and 21-day fixes and the next great diet as the New Year approaches.
If you'd like to try that again this year, feel free (I'm not one for shaming).
But if you'd like to get a head start on a path that feels better this year, I'm opening up a few coaching slots at a discounted rate through the end of the month to help you feel powerful, strong, and immune to the shame that used to be your kryptonite.
I offer fitness coaching, nutritional guidance, and body image coaching, and I'd be honored to help you relax into a friendship with your body as we head into 2019. Click here to learn more, and fill out an application if you're ready. And if you have any questions, reply directly to this email (it's me! No assistant. So you'll receive a personal response each and every time. <3).
Talk soon!
xoxo,
Steph
