I woke up this morning feeling
absolutely compelled to write a blog post for many reasons, not least the fact
that it has been far too long since the last entry. Anyone remotely dependant
on people for their business will know that our blog posts and ‘keywords’ are
imperative for social awareness, search engine optimisation and business.
However, I also wanted to write
because, there just seems like so much to say, and that now is a good time to
say it. As I start to tap the keyboard, I wonder two things; how do I order the
ramblings in my head into something readable and interesting and how do I
connect its relevance to the Health and Wellness Industry in which I operate
and Love. So, in that moment I have the beginnings of the blog post - LOVE!
It seems pretty apt that I should
write about Love on Valentine’s Day! How
does this relate to wishing to help people take control of their Fitness and
Health and how does it relate to wishing to push out the best possible trainers
and coaches into the industry so that they can motivate, empower and inspire
people? Well, I’ve come to the
conclusion that none of it would happen or work without Love! Maybe Love really is all there is! When I connect with people with a genuine Love
of helping them towards their goals and to get out of their own way, they
suddenly want to do it! They start to move forward. When we ‘show up’ and stay mindful, only for
the person in front of us, meeting them wherever they are, I find that they
perform a lot better, they realise that they want to do it, and that they are
worth enough ‘Love’ to make it important to themselves to look after and take
responsibility for their own health and fitness! Even ‘showing up’ and
immersing myself fully in massage and therapy clients has helped heal their
injuries and release tension much quicker!
Maybe if we loved the people
around us a bit more, everyone would feel a little more human connection, and
be less likely to reach for junk food or whatever else fills the Love
void. Maybe if we loved a little more,
we would be less likely to want to hide behind being overweight or underweight
or ill health or the ‘I can’t change because’ reasoning that we all carry over
something. Maybe if people felt a little more loved and connected they’d want
to stay well and fit and healthy so that they can be around for the people who
they care about. Maybe if people learned to love themselves a little more, they’d
show that love through a healthy mind and body!
All of the above was brought home
to me with a big bump this week! I have been
so inward lately, that perhaps it is my own need for connection that landed me
at the doctors and subsequently A & E with a very very sore head! I’d ‘soldiered on’ with a severe headache for
so long that the obvious simple questions asked by the doctor about my job,
date of birth and even my name (I do have 4 names to remember!) were way beyond
me, and that coupled with very high blood pressure entitled me to every test
under the sun at the local hospital with the fortunate discovery in the end
that I had little more than an extremely sore head. I am it seems very well, and very healthy. My first conclusion – One really must stop
thinking quite so much, (my head is just too small for all the thinking my
brain tries to do!) and that we must look after our heart as well as our mind
and our body! My second conclusion – Next
time, I won’t go through a situation such as that on my own.
Reflecting again on the last six
months, I think I have been on a huge personal journey – to stay present with
what and who really makes my heart sing and to try to let go of the things and
people who don’t. To care about myself
firstly and to realise that some people just don’t care as much or don’t have
as much love to give us as we would like. I have read, meditated, eaten too
much, eaten too little, holidayed in silence, walked, journelled, cycled, yogi’d,
pilated, paddle boarded, travelled, worked, avoided work, spent a lot of time
alone and everything in between. This has
meant that I’ve spent a little less time on my physical fitness and a little
more on my spiritual and mental wellbeing.
Things happen in life and our
bodies and hearts respond to them in ways which sometimes force us inward, difficult and frightening as this can be, I
have also found it to be a great teacher for me. I have let go of and been forced to let go of
some friends and people and found depth and strength of character in myself and
others that neither I nor they knew about.
I have learned that maybe it’s okay if I don’t feel compelled to run as
fast and hard as I used to at the moment. However, if I do again, I’ll just do it! I’ve
learned that if I’m not best at everything that’s okay, and if I haven’t yet
reached the pinnacle of where I want to be with the things I value in life,
that I still will, and there is still time! Maybe it’s okay if I don’t run at all for a
while. Maybe it’s okay if I’m not as CV
or resistance fit as I used to be. I have learned that Pilates is extremely
good for me! Which is possibly what makes me a good Pilates teacher. I’ve learned that I like lie ins (sometimes).
Having taken the time to do the
mind work makes me a better coach and teacher and trainer. My personal journey has slowed me down in
many ways. I’ve been slow at my work, whilst I’ve been trying to think about
making sure that I do the work that’s true to me. I’ve been brought consciously by a feeling of
lack to make sure that I earn what I’m worth, and don’t experience lack ever
again. My own fear, has made me one by
one try to change every single criticism or perception of ‘lack’ that has been
highlighted to me and sent me on a journey to investigate why it all matters so
much to me or how another’s opinion has affected me so much and it has finally
brought me to loving myself and putting an emphasis back on my own Health and
Fitness.
I’d like to think that I’ve
always been an authentic person and whilst that hasn’t won me many favours with
the gamers, it’s been very good at bringing me closer and closer to what I want
and to the connections I want. It’s made
me be as real as I can be for my clients and our learners and meant that I can
help them overcome their thoughts of ‘I’m not good enough’ to enable them to
reach their full potential. It means
they are being trained by a human, not a machine, and interestingly, in the
last 6 months, their presence and their reliance on me has helped me just as
much as I’ve helped them!
So, maybe you can start on
Valentine’s Day what you mean to continue for the rest of the year. Love yourself more by looking after your own
Health, Fitness and Wellbeing. Then you’ll
be able to give more LOVE to all the people you want to LOVE, and you’ll be
more effective and positive in business, LOVE and Life!
LOVE from us at AES J
x
Helen@exercisestudies.co.uk
