My Path Forward

Before I became a personal trainer (and still do) I saw a personal trainer myself. I had wondered if I really needed one, as I knew the basics, though after seeing a PT for a while these were the benefits I gained for myself.

🏋️‍♀️ Corrected my form (resulting in less injuries)
🏋️‍♀️ Provided variety and new exercises to try
🏋️‍♀️ Educated me on the difference between machines which seem similar
🏋️‍♀️ Kept me accountable
🏋️‍♀️ Taught me when enough was enough. That resting is as important as exercise
🏋️‍♀️ Challenged me to push harder than I would alone
🏋️‍♀️ Cheered me on and helped me reach my goals

Whether you've been exercising for a while or looking to get started and want to find out how a personal trainer can help you on your fitness journey. Book in for a complimentary Fitness Strategy Session - https://calendly.com/mypathforward/fitness-strategy-session

I have struggled for most of my life being a perfectionist, though for most of the time I didn't think I was.

I thought I was anything but a perfectionist as I didn't think I did anything well. I would always redo my work 100 times, I would procrastinate, and not even give it a try because it wouldn't be good enough.

That was until the day I sat in on a talk on perfectionism, to my surprise I ticked all the boxes. Though what surprised me the most is that when I spoke to my boss at the time and told him about my new found insight, he was surprised I didn't already know!

This became a freeing moment, as I started to tackle the perfectionism, and aim for as good as I could do first go! The quality of my work didn't drop, but my effectivness and productivity soared.

Don't wait to be perfect, go for as good as you can, take the feedback and improve. You'll improve so much quicker than waiting.

If you're not sure what the signs of perfectionism are, here they are:
🤜 You're all or nothing
🤜 Crave approval
🤜 Feedback makes you defensive
🤜 Highly critical of others
🤜 A procrastinator
🤜 Feeling pushed by fear / fear of failure
🤜 Focus only on results
🤜 Low self-esteem / don't feel good enough or what you do is good enough

𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣, 𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙/𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣????

This was a challenge for me, and this is what helped me increase my energy levels and feel energised throughout the day!!

👉 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽
I was struggling to get 5 hours of unbroken sleep per night and slept the days walking around like a zombie. I felt like I was always a moment away from falling asleep, and it affected me in so many ways.
That's when I started meditating before I went to bed. It changed my sleeping pattern. I was able to get to sleep quicker and be more restful through the night. Then I needed to start going to bed earlier so I would have more time in bed to sleep. I have since move to getting around 7 hours a night of sleep

👉 𝗙𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆
What you put into your body has a big impact on how you feel. Do some foods make you feel sluggished, bloated, unwell?? While you're probably not allergic to these foods, they don't process well through your body and avoiding them can help. This helped me a lot
The next two biggest things I did were:
- Eating a balanced diet of real foods
- Taking vitamins for where I was lacking.
I am still a work in progress with my food, though the changes I have made have helped and knowing what vitamins I was missing and adding these in has helped with any shortfall. You can get a blood test from your doctor to check this out.

👉 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆
Increasing the level of movement you have in your body daily makes a big difference. I have found the more I lounge about and do nothing the more tired I feel. I found when I have started exercising after a long break I do be tired, though as I build this into my routine and do it consistently it really helps to increase my energy.
You don't need to start running, you just need to start moving and increasing your steps daily, then work from there.

👉 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆
I have learnt the hard way many times that ignoring your body can lead to injury, exhuastion, and illness. Like when you start anything new, start slowly, let your body adjust and give your yourself sufficient rest.
Your body will tell you when you have more to push through or when you need to rest up. Start listening to the signs and take notice. As when you listen to your body and rest it enough, you'll be pumped with energy when you need it.

Do you do anything different to increase your energy levels??

How well do you sleep????

Did you know that 62% of people around the world have problems sleeping, with 3 in 10 Australians not getting enough sleep.

When you don't sleep well or get enough sleep it can affect how your body and mind function the following day. A 2021 report shows that Australian adults commonly report sleep problems, and that getting too much or too little sleep is associated with an increased risk of several conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and stroke.

While getting a sufficient amount of sleep on a regular basis can result in:
💗 Getting sick less often
💗 better weight management
💗 Lower risk of serious health problems
💗 Reduced stress
💗 Improved mood
💗 More clarity / clearer thinking
💗 Better relationships
💗 Improved emotional control

Sometimes there are valid reasons why you cannot get enough sleep, like when you have a young baby, but if you don't have a reason and are struggling to get to sleep or sleep through the night, it's best to get help and get you sleeping better sooner rather than later.

If this is something you'd like to look at comment "sleep more" in the comments to receive our tip sheet on sleeping better.

You are perfect as you are and your acceptance of yourself will lead you to inner peace and internal happiness. Make yourself happy by loving the person you are!!!

You don't need to do something massive to be proud of yourself. A lot of the time it is the small things that make the biggest differences in your life and those around you.

Celebrate these moments, give yourself a pat on the back and know you are doing a great job

You deserve the best and you can have it. Believe and know you are worth it!

Always be you!!!!

There are so many things I would tell my younger self if I could have 5 minutes with her. I would tell her...
💖 Love yourself wholeheartedly
💖 Follow your dreams and don't let them go
💖 Back yourself
💖 Your belief about yourself is more important than what others think
💖 Be yourself!!!

What 3 things would you tell your younger self

Everything is more enjoyable when you're having fun!!!

Getting the motivation to exercise when it feels like a chore more than enjoyment can be really hard. That's why its important to make it FUN!

Exercise is just movement that increases your heart rate, so choose a form of exercise that you enjoy that could be swimming, walking, dancing, hiking, running, zumba, pump classes, riding a bike etc and do it.

Sometimes the simplest things are the best things for you!!

Here are 4 simple things you can do everyday to help improve your personal health

✨ Drink water
✨ Stretch your muscles
✨ Eat a balance diet including veggies in your meals
✨ Get enough sleep

Sometimes things seem easy, so they don't become a priority, so its important to remember what is easy to do is also easy not to do! Make these a priority in your day so you can make these a habit you'll continue!

The best person you can be, is the person you are!

You will not get ahead or succeed in life if you don't start taking action.

You may already know what you want and need to do, though the fear of taking these steps can be overwhelming and fearful.

When FEAR steps in, you can either

Forget Everything And Run

OR

Face Everything And Rise

What will you do????

There are many things that cannot be changed, but one thing you always have the power to do is change yourself!!

Start the change you want to see and see how others join you!

Show up as you, and you'll attract your tribe to you!

Have you ever been out and felt like someone is watching you????

I had this happen while I was at the shops. I was looking at some clothes in rebel and I had this feeling of being watched. I was trying not to be paranoid and ignored the feeling. Though after a minute or so I had to look and there I saw my mate staring at me. 😂🤣😂🤣

Just had to get a shot of the man that was watching me!

Has this ever happened to you???

Nothing can ever happen but in the present moment!

Stop worrying about a past you cannot change, or a future that hasn't happened. The only tim eyou can take action is NOW!

Decide what will make a difference, or what needs to be done now, and do it! The past can then be released and the future will be taken care of with the actions you take now.

Be still in the moment and take it all in. For this moment will never be again!

There is enough in life that tells you to be sensible, limit the risk, do the right thing, and all of this tends to keep you small and safe.

So today I say let's dream big, set big goals, know there is no limit, and while it may not be possible today, in time it can be.

Believe in yourself and what you want and go for it!!!

Your mind is so powerful that it can make all the difference in the outcomes you achieve.

Conquer the mind, harness its powers and believe in what it can do!

As the finish line approaches, your self-doubt can grow.
Double down on your self-belief and you'll make it to the end!

Working out is more than getting bigger muscles and losing weight!

By keeping physically active and having movement and exercise as a regular part of your life, you are keeping yourself fit and in turn will improve your quality of life along with......
🚶‍♀️ Reduce feelings of anxiety and depression
🚶‍♀️ Improve your sleep
🚶‍♀️ Improve joint pain and stiffness
🚶‍♀️ Improved thinking and cognition
🚶‍♀️ Maintain muscle strength and balance
🚶‍♀️ Increase life span
🚶‍♀️ Protect against many chronic diseases
🚶‍♀️ Strengthen your bones
🚶‍♀️ Prevent falls
🚶‍♀️ Improve your ability to do daily activities

Exercising doesn't need to be a chore, find something you enjoy that moves your body and do it!

You'll improve the quality of your life so you can enjoy your best day every day in happiness and health!!

Without the usual limitations of age, time, money, ability etc what would you do???

This is my favourite question to ask, as it opens up the possibilities and allows any suppressed desires come up.

Allow yourself the space to answer this question. Open up your mind, let the possibilities flow and see what comes up. Don't worry about the how.

What do you really want???

Start with something you can do and build from there!

"𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨"
𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘬

When I heard these words this morning, they really echoed inside of me.

I pride myself on my honesty with others, but there are so many times when I justify, rationalise, and reason with myself to make something okay! But it's not okay. In doing this I am lying to myself.

What hit me hard was when I tell myself these things I believe them as true and this is what I share....my accepted lie. What a wake up call I received this morning.

𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲!

Does this reasonate with you???

The limits you see in your life, are the ones you have put on it. You can choose to change these at any time!

Stop seeing the limitations and start seeing the POSSIBILITIES!!!

Own the space you are in.
You're worth every inch of it!!!

Have you ever felt overwhelmed walking into the gym??

Maybe you joined with all good intentions and then didn't go. Or you went and it was too crowded, you weren't sure of how to use some of the machines, or even what machines to use that would benefit you.

There are many reasons why people join a gym and then stop going. Though it doesn't have to be that way!!

Here are some way you can feel comfortable at your gym:
🏋️‍♀️ Ask for a tour of the gym from the staff
🏋️‍♀️ Join a class where you can meet other people
🏋️‍♀️ Go with a friend
🏋️‍♀️ Ask for help when you are unsure
🏋️‍♀️ Schedule a PT session
🏋️‍♀️ Have an exercise program developed for you

At Plus Fitness at Glenmore Park you get a free PT session when joining, a great way to get strated and feel comfortable in the gym. I love that this is offered and grateful I can provide this service to our customers too. Reach out if you are a member and looking for a session!

TIP: Any time you are starting something new, it will feel a little uncomfortable at the start. Embrace it and enjoy the journey as you develop and learn new skills.