I recently recorded a podcast episode where I shared everything I wish someone had told me when first starting my fitness journey including mistakes I made along the way. You can check out the episode, “healthy but starting your fitness journey (all the things I wish someone had told me),” if you haven’t already!
In my competitive figure skating era, I struggled with chronic tendonitis in my knees which led me to search for alternative ways to train off ice. During this time, I discovered barre, but I was too young to take the class and ended up getting special permission.
After my first class, I was absolutely obsessed with the blend of ballet, Pilates and yoga to the beat of the music. The best part was that I didn’t have to ice my knees after exercising! And so, my love for low impact workouts began.
By now, you probably know where that passion led me to! Trying different types of workouts, like barre and Pilates, not only led to the creation of this amazing community, but it also helped me become intuitive with what my body needed, especially during different seasons of my life and my cycle.
With that being said, my first fitness journey tip is to get out of your comfort zone and try a new type of workout!
When you’re first starting your health and wellness journey, it’s easy to fall into the trap of following the workout plans we’ve seen work for others.
Maybe you see a girl with your dream body or abundance of energy and you think “hmm I’d love to be like that too!” Trust me, I’ve been there, but this mentality can be misleading and cause more harm than good in the long run.
It’s important to remember that no single person on this planet is created the exact same, so what works for you might be completely different than what has worked for others.
When I was first starting my fitness journey, I thought that the longer and harder my workouts were, the more physical results I would see. Big false! This workout routine led to me over exercising, pushing my body past its limits, causing a cortisol spike and inflammation in my body.
I wish I could tell you the perfect amount of exercise for your body and schedule, but at the end of the day, you have to take action and shop around to see what you can stick to and have fun doing!
The best results come with consistency in doing a workout that makes you feel empowered and strong inside and out.
You can’t hate yourself into a body that you love.
On the same note, don’t be afraid of imperfection! Life happens, and some days you might wake up with gnarly cramps and a migraine and skip your workout, but don’t let yourself give up and feel guilty!
Know that we are all human beings and we are all trying our best every single day.
There will be days where you feel unmotivated, there will be times when you struggle through workouts, and there will be times when having a slice of chocolate cake is absolutely necessary. The important part is that you don’t punish yourself over being healthy while still being human.
Balance is key to a sustainable fitness routine! In fact, a bowl of ice cream after dinner here and there is pretty routine for me because it makes me happy!
The biggest takeaway for those of you who are taking the leap into your own health and wellness journey is to realize that no one’s fitness journey is linear. Just like life, your journey will have its ups and downs. It won’t always be easy but recognizing that the difficult seasons won’t last forever has helped me throughout my own journey and I hope it will help you.
If you want to hear more about my personal fitness journey, I encourage you to check out my podcast Healthy But Human where I talk more about my Pilates journey, becoming a certified Pilates instructor, certified Barre instructor & holistic health coach, navigating my early twenties, living out my faith, and more.
xx, Cal
P.S. I made a FREE Pilates starter guide to help you start your fitness journey. Get my FREE guide here.
