I grew up with a strong fear of failure. I now believe it was tied into my worthiness. If I failed it would be that I was unworthy. I thought carefully about the risk of anything I set out to do.
I think many people quit exercising because they may have failed to accomplish why they set out to do it in the first place. Most of the time it is around losing weight or achieving a desired body type. Then they are held back by overthinking and miss out on the growth and success that they would achieve if they stuck with it. I think about how I can help people get unstuck because I have been fortunate to be a stubborn person and every time I am knocked down, I eventually get up. I am always seeking growth and want to help others be their best selves.
I love the quote: Life will never be easy. It will often be hard. But we can choose our hard. Choose wisely. I do know that some people take this quote differently than I do and feel angry because some things in life happen to us without a choice being involved. I feel encouraged and validated by this quote. I can choose to work hard to find out how to eat healthy and get the nutrients my body needs and reacts well to. I can fail and make not-so-healthy choices and then I have the choice to focus on why I made the first choice. I thought for a while that certain healthy foods were good for me until I found out why I had intestinal issues and had allergies and sensitivity to those foods. I then chose to figure out what I could eat instead.
It is the same with exercise. I learned as a Personal Trainer, Licensed Massage Therapist, and Physical Therapist that not all exercises fit everyone. Some people have activities that keep them on target and some activities they would rather not do. Some people want to do Yoga for strength versus doing free weights. As a Physical Therapist, I have learned to completely evaluate each person individually to find what their body needs. It is not just giving exercises for the different areas of the body, it may be to improve body mechanics altered by injury, surgery, or conditions that began in their youth. Once my patients/clients find out the Why of what is keeping them from success with fitness, they are free and empowered to make choices of their own.
There is also the aspect of self-love. When things get hard in life, do you let your inner critic tell you that you cannot do something or do you choose to be kind to yourself? I have struggled with this all my life. I grew up with people saying some harsh things. My older brother would tell me I was ugly and fat and I took that hard. Then I took it upon myself to add that I was stupid when I did not get an A in a class or failed to know something. It has taken some effort to be kind to myself. I found my worth and started to build upon that over the last several years. I knew the benefits of meditation but had no idea about "kindness meditation" or "meditation for healing" and the like. When I started taking 10-30 minutes every evening to listen to audio meditation I realized that I had not focused on kindness towards myself. I feel this was a missing part of my personal and professional growth.
I learned this today from the pastor of my church, What you practice, forms you. It is important that you do what you do with a focus on growth, and that you do it consistently. Even in times of stress and trouble, keep practicing to see growth in your life. It is essential to learn to accept yourself in your failures but see those failures as useful learning to move forward more wisely.
Let me help you incorporate exercise, physical therapy, health, and wellness in your life so you can show yourself more compassion that will make a difference in your well-being and growth. Contact me through the website, email, or call to take action to a life inspired.
#Live Inspired,
Karen Baltz Gibbs, PT, DPT, CSCS, LMT,CMP, Owner Garage Training & Rehab Gym
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