You are the one and only you...
"I am the one and only, nobody I’d rather be!"
– Chesney Hawkes
Sam here and yes, I did just quote a Chesney song, one of my favourite empowering songs!
As we mentioned last week, January can be overwhelming for some of us. Even if we have not set ourselves any major goals for the year we may still feel the pressure from those around us that have. Working in the gym environment, one of the things that we find with new joiners especially, is the habit of comparison. We compare ourselves to each other, to a previous version of ourselves, to celebrities or social media influencers, wanting to be more like somebody else.
But actually.... we are amazing as we are!
“Because you'll find out that we come, In different shapes and sizes”
We are each unique, amazing and inspirational in our own way. Even if we cant see it in ourselves, believe me when I say that there will be something about you that somebody will aspire to have in themselves and more often than not, we never know just how many people we are inspiring without even trying!
Using fitness as an example, somebody that regularly practices HIIT or spin may find it difficult to lift super heavy weights, meanwhile a bodybuilder may never attend a high-energy cardio class. We each have our strengths and weaknesses which we can choose to work on depending on individual goals, but it is very rare to be able to do everything! I may be running down the canal and somebody passes me at a higher speed. It might be that I'm part way through a 15 mile run while the speedy person is starting a 3 miler. I may look at them and wish I was a faster runner, meanwhile they may wish they had the endurance to be able to run longer distances.
How often do we wish we had a smaller waist/toned arms/fuller lips/a smaller head?! I remember a year or so ago I was introducing a lady to spin. She questioned if spin would make her any bigger, telling me that she didn’t want big legs, after which she pointedly looked at mine!! There was a time where I may have wished for slimmer legs, but these days I know how strong my legs are and I am very proud of them!
“I am the one and only, You can't take that away from me”
It is always good to have your own goals, it is common to aspire to look a certain way, but please don’t forget along the way that who you are right now is everything you need. How our body is shaped and how strong or fit we are is not a reflection on our personality. No matter what our relationship to our body is, it is our beliefs and values that make us more who we are than any part of our bodies. So don’t forget…
“No one can be myself like I can, For this job I'm the best (wo)man, And while this may be true, You are the one and only you”
Enjoy your weekend!
Sam and Ash
ps, Find it here if you now need to listen to the song!
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