I was in the gym by myself the other day attempting a lift from my new program – ignoring the load amount recommended on my paper (oops), I quickly threw a few extra plates on the bar and went to go pick it up…I could hardly budge it. Say whaaaat?! My thoughts raced of all the people I knew who this amount of weight would be their warm-up, who would laugh if they saw my major failed attempt. Humbling? For sure. Defeating? To be honest, for a moment it was.
Sure, it had been a (long) while since I performed this lift and my back was wonky and I was hungry and I hadn’t slept well and ….whaaaaaa! –> insert more valid reasons here <—. I quickly texted my frustration to Mike – husbands as trainers can come in handy for times like this 😉 – and I expected (read:wanted) some solidarity in my pity party.
Instead of the long explanation back of why either a.) I’m awesome (ha) or b.) I’m annoying (more understandable at this point), he simply wrote back three words:
You do you.Â
Bam. It wasn’t what I expected to hear but turns out, was exactly what I neededto hear. Trainers are good at that, aren’t they?
It’s so true…Comparison is the thief of joy. The pride I felt for getting in the gym and moving my body, engaging my muscles, and being intentional about my fitness was robbed by one negative, comparing thought. I am almost sure I’m not alone – the gym can be a mental battleground for many of us.
Our hope at Valeo is you’d have a moment like I did and immediately exercise the mind muscle that blocks any negativity set to sour a potentially really great experience. And if that mind muscle still needs some training of its own, our trainers are here to flex it and remind you how awesome you are when you do you.
When they can lift more than you. You do you.
When they’re hardly out of breath. You do you.
When they crank out pull-ups one after the other. You do you.
When they’re complaining about their ‘only 5 lb weight loss’. You do you.
When they’re out sipping their kale-probiotic-chia-essential oil-infused green drink. You do you.
When they’re posting pictures of their abs on Instagram. You do you.
When they’re completing fifty billion rounds in three minutes. You do you.
When they’re hitting PRs every metabolic finisher. You do you.
Wanting to get better is a really good, commendable thing. But doing so at the expense of your joy and self-worth is well, not worth it. When you find the freedom to stop comparing and just “do you”, we promise…it’s a lot more fun and that’s when you’ll really soar in your fitness. And if you need any help remembering that, we’re here for you.
To your good health & joy,
Jess + Team Valeo
After you’ve gotten your sweat on, cozy up with the Holland Sentinel and read our latest column in the Life section!
