You're exercising all wrong

No one’s going to see me naked though, are they?
 
Let’s not go down the road of wondering when that might happen again it could be a very long and winding road, that probably doesn’t lead to your door, but to one of a red flag yielding man
 
I wouldn’t be training at all right now if I used exercise solely to change how I look, alter my body composition. I'd be holed up in my slacks scranning my pastries wishing I could get the motivation to train but not having any of it
 
Sex bod is a no go. Tight clothes similar (ever tried breastfeeding in a regular bra and anything tighter than a sack? Or worn a baby carrier in denim?). Selfies a rarity as I continue to fight against the narrative of bouncing back. 
 
There’d be no point in going to the gym. I don’t really have the time right now to train as it is. I’m exhausted, so my energy to go is low. I live for making my baby laugh. I want more time to work. Social events with mum friends and non mum friends fill my cup to allow me to keep going. Visiting family is the best use of my time
 
This is the mistake you’re making with training, whether you exercise regularly or not
 
Training that’s driven predominately by how you look is associated with reduced motivation to exercise. You’re less likely to be consistent with it when you’re focusing on how you look 
 
On top of that, exercise that’s driven by external motivation e.g., admiration and popularity, and specifically exercise motivated by a drive for extreme body figures, is associated with less healthy behaviours, disordered eating, body image dissatisfaction, lower self worth & social physique anxiety
 
In a nutshell, exercising solely or predominantly to change or control how you look is f*cking up your relationship with food, your body and training itself
 
It’s ok to want a bigger ass or bigger delts or smaller waist or bigger waist or leaner or musclier body - all of these things are ok
 
But...
 
If you struggle with taking rest days or the opposite and struggle with being consistent with exercise (or struggle with having anything interesting to say at social occasions trust me no one wants to talk about diets and exercise (god bless the poor man who once tried to impress me with his bench PB I wonder where he ended up)) then please consider what you’re exercising for aside from the ass
 
I for one am training to minimise the body pain I’m feeling right now, to give me 40 minutes in the day where I’m in my body (instead of it being owned by someone else), to support my muscle mass so I can live long enough to witness my baby be a man (or other) with his own family, to support my still recovering pelvic floor and diastasis recti, rebuild the strength I lost in preggo… and to rebuild my phat ass

I am SO motivated by not feeling pain
 
Whether you struggle with motivation to get to the gym or struggle with motivation to rest – change the narrative
 
I diligently programme accordingly for my clients when they ask me to grow that ass but it’s in the wider context of health and how they feel in their body i.e. embodiment and how it allows them to show up cognitively and for others and feel less like they’re going to break when they play with their kids 
 
What are your reasons for training? Take this weekend to consider your relationship with exercise (a really good insight into this is how you body check before, during and after the gym)  – use your relationship with these things as a torch to shine a light on your thoughts and feelings about your body
 
Then do something about it
 
Oh, and have a lovely weekend
I’m always here
Em