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Fitness Is a Vehicle for Connection

Fitness Is a Vehicle for Connection

Stephanie Ondrusek
mindset

I've often said fitness is a vehicle: it's where many of us meet folks who share our interests, and also where many of us end up meeting ourselves.

We don't always start out this way, though, or, at least, we don't always see it.

Most clients I've coached in the last 10+ years have come to me with a goal to change their bodies in some way, but when we dig underneath, rather than hearing they really want to be a certain size or hit a certain number on a squat platform, I hear things like...

"I'd really like to feel comfortable in my own skin."
"I'd like to be able to run around with my kids without knee pain."
"I hope someday I can teach my daughter how to take care of her body in ways that feel good."
"I want to feel accomplished, like I acheived something to be proud of."

So much of this is about acceptance, about belonging, about connection, about relationship. That's what we're all really after, after all. It's easy to get lost along the way, thinking this achievement or that thing will bring it to us, without realizing it's available to us, exactly as we are right now.

That gets sticky, too, though, doesn't it?

"I have a strong desire to feel supported and feel like I belong." Sound like you? Me too.

"I have a strong desire to feel supported and feel like I belong." Sound like you? Me too.

Stephanie Ondrusek
offers

When I began my career in fitness, I essentially crawled into the gym for my first day after spending a week drinking on the beach to celebrate my college graduation.

I knew I was passionate about wellness, about how our bodies move, and about how things fit together. I knew I wanted to walk out a journey as a person much like the average gym goer: not looking to compete in a physique show or be the next great Crossfit sensation, but just looking to look a little better, feel a lot better, understand my body, and have more confidence.

But I’d argue that my career choice, at least initially, was as much to heal myself as it was to help others (moderately selfish, I know.), finally putting into practice all the facts and theories I’d learned over years of studying health and exercise, hoping that using them practically would finally make it all make sense.

Because I’d tried a lot over the years, probably much like you.

Active Acceptance...because There's Nothing to Fix.

Stephanie Ondrusek
mindset, coaching, ballgnorance, general BAMFery

We are strong and worthy. Our goals should always be plans to improve and upgrade ourselves into elevation, not fix what’s “wrong” with what we see.
That framing makes all the difference in the world between yo-yo dieting and effortlessly eating to serve your goals, and between a 21-day “banish xyz flaw” plan and training to be more mobile, energetic, and powerful.

Welcome to the Strong by Steph community! Allow me to introduce myself...

Stephanie Ondrusek
general BAMFery, FAQs + hacks

I believe that we are creation of the Creator, and more than a workout solution on a piece of paper; we should, therefore, move and eat and love ourselves as such. This includes making choices in service to our higher selves – nutritionally, physically, and emotionally. We have more talent and power than we are taught to realize, particularly as women. We are all able to move past our stories into a place of healing and strength.