Some of the most common times beautiful people, make the fabulous decision to come to the gym are in this prime “swimsuit season.” I for one, appreciate seeing people in the gym that are eager to learn new things and get out of their comfort zone a little. There is a lot to be said by an “everyday body” mindset, versus “bikini ready.” In this post, I will provide some tips to remind you all that you are beautiful no matter how often you go to the gym, but also, how to defeat those fad gym going times, and create phases of your fitness journey.
First of all, I will admit,
I have not always had a mindset nurturing self-love
I have been incredibly insecure about my belly in the past, and occasionally still to this day
I am not a person that has ever cared what others thought and can be found being unapologetically myself (that’s where that came from), but I’ve never had flat chiseled abs. I now know, the reality is that I am not built to have 0 fat on my belly. Everyone stores fat differently, and one of my spots is in my lower abdominal region, but genetics play a significant role in natural build and body distribution.
FITNESS MYTH: YOU CAN PINPOINT FAT REGION LOSS=FALSE
A tremendous, yet common misconception is that if I want to get rid of my belly fat, I work my core. This DOES build and tone the region targeted, but fat loss is dependent on a multitude of factors from caloric intake to activity expenditure. Do not get me wrong, toning an area and gaining strength will help develop lean muscle, but it will not provide a pinpointed fat loss to the targeted region.
Now that I have changed a lot of how I work out, carry myself, and view the world, I am much less concerned about how my belly looks than I used to be. Being summer time, many of you beautiful babes out there putting on your bikinis and leaving your confidence at home… so don’t forget that! The way your body looks in a swimsuit is not what defines you, and if you are worried about how you look and want to start working out, there is nothing wrong with that!
When my bikini season/fad gym friends come to the gym, they typically last long enough to get sore, intimidated, and discouraged. I have gone through many phases of my fitness journey. I started learning about working out by doing home workouts, but have had phases in
group fitness classes
cross-training
and now I am getting into my new areas of exploration (to be continued b)
For every time in my life, my fitness has adapted to my needs and capabilities from living at home, in a college dorm/sorority, and part-time with a significant other at one point. These phases provided everything I needed from them at that time, and they can be extremely productive outlets and considerable growth in your fitness journey.
On the other side of this conversation, there are fad workouts/programs marketed at the quick fix when in reality, fitness is a journey, not a destination! Your fitness will adapt to areas of interest, enjoyment, and reality of your life. Something that is important for you beauty’s interested in starting working out is, keep coming back!
It takes 21 days to form a habit. It may feel like a grind at first, which I know isn’t fun, but eventually, your days will feel off when you don’t GET to workout. Every workout is an opportunity to show the world what you are capable of and we are privileged to live in a world that allows us to be kick-ass women! (sorry not sorry beaus its time for our spotlight)
So go to the gym, try that new class you’ve wanted to try, look a little lost, ask people questions (for real… gym rats love to help people do things the right way), and use RELIABLE resources to learn some new stuff! My best tip for someone wanting to start a workout routine/program is to do it with a friend. I had fallen out of my healthy habits and accumulated a lot of poor ones after a pretty unhealthy time in my life and a messy breakup. I started working out with a fellow instructor that had similar goals as me and was very willing to keep me accountable, and I could in return, share my knowledge of resistance training and help her perfect her skills/lifts. She was influential in getting me out of my slump and back to where I wanted to be. I do honestly recommend an accountability partner, and if you do not have one, go to a group fitness class, and your accountability partner can be us, instructors (we are there every week, every class!).
There are and will be many phases of your fitness journey that will expand and adapt to YOU, which is something so beautiful! SO if you have been considering getting a new healthy habit started, there is no better day than today. Not tomorrow, not Monday, because those days never come.
Yes, it is bikini season, but that does not mean you can’t create the hottest everyday body!
Yes, you are beautiful just the way you are, but if you want to change a few things, there is nothing wrong with that, and there are many ways to form healthy habits for whatever phase of fitness you find yourself in.
No, you are not allowed to have any self-hate in the bikini because you are beautiful!
Stay Beautiful, -MM