Things I Love Thursday #8 Confidence

One day walking home from school with some friends, age fifteen, a boy walked passed me and commented on my jiggly legs.  That boy insulted me and will have forgotten about it in days. It stayed however, lurking in my mind; when trying on new outfits, putting on my gym clothes or getting ready to go out someplace.  Its a horrible feeling thinking that you must look so bad a random stranger decided to comment on how you look.  Even now when I pull on a pair of shorts I think of that day and question if I should go out looking "like that".


Last weekend my boyfriend bought me the cutest pair of shorts.  They are so comfy, fit amazingly and have pockets.  We were going to the gym the following Monday for international chest day.  I threw on my new shorts and thought;  This is it, they day I face my fears.  The whole time I was in the gym I kept looking at myself in the mirror to see if I looked ok.  Thing was, I did.  I looked good in my shorts and even more I noticed that other people were just getting on with there day, meeting there goals and focusing on themselves.  Yeah ok there might be some people judging my choice of clothing but I was confidant and happy in myself. 


When you can put on an outfit and a smile follows everyone will notice the smile first.  Having confidence in yourself is so important and not in just how you look.  This is something that going to the gym has helped me build.  Not just because now I look better but it has shown me with hard work you can progress and succeed.


Work to become the person you want to be, follow your dreams and don't let other peoples doubt get in the way.

Things I love Thursday #7 Burning Up and Stressing Down

Day to day life isn't always easy and I know that I get stressed quite a lot.  It wouldn't be a normal day for me if I wasn't worrying about one thing or another.  I have noticed that when I hit the gym, cardio, weights or classes I always feel a lot more positive about life afterwards. You often hear people say: "No one says they regret working out."  This isn't just because of their health or strength increases, a lot of it is the therapy they get from it.  On rest days I even notice that I am still carrying the weight of the day later on into the night.  I am not saying train every day, because your body needs a break, but giving your mind a break is important to.

 For example when lifting weights, let say squatting, do you ever fret about work or money or deadlines when you are squatting?  I know that I don't because I am concentrating on the task in hand (Not falling over is the main one!).  Giving your mind something else to focus on makes it harder for you to worry.  This can also work in reverse and I know this from experience.  Trying to work out when that worry cant be distracted can be very dangerous.  You stop concentrating so much on technique causing you to slip up and make mistakes.  When this happens my best advise is to take a break from whatever you are doing and focus on something easy or repetitive.  Getting on a treadmill and giving you time to calm your head might be the way for you (keep in mind to go slow and not get your heart rate up to high!). I however like doing circuits.  Slamming a ball onto the floor 15 times really helps take the anger and stress out of me. Its not something that you can forget all form for but something that is quite simple to do.

Whatever way it works the gym is there to help and at a much cheaper cost than a therapist!  Keeping fit helps you keep happy and full of energy and is the reason I am a gym junky.  If you ever want advice or someone to destress to drop me an email at amelia.gourlay1@gmail.com.


Keep it up and remember to give me a follow!  See you soon!

Thinks I love Thursday #6 Training Buddy!

For the first few months of my gym life  I was a lone wolf.  I hated training with other people.  Mainly because I only had a small amount of knowledge on my workouts that I wasn't able to switch and change things up for training with other people.  I used to get annoyed when someone showed me a different way to do something because that is not how I had been taught.  I am a grumpy toddler at heart.  Even though deep down I am the same stubborn brat things have changed. 


Going to the gym with someone now is a totally different experience.  Its like being with another member of the pack ready to show the world how it should be done.  This has changed because I have learnt something very important.  Just because its different, doesn't mean its wrong.  When I started out at the gym I was a novice.  I had been taught how to do an action or motion in relation to the workout I was doing, for my body at that time and to help develop a serration area.  Over time building knowledge of my body and techniques I am beginning to understand the difference between bad form and variations.  This is something that is very important when training with someone.  For example the person I currently train with is male, tall and has been training for a few years now.  The variations he sometimes uses are different to mine.  We both might be training legs however he might be isolating one area whereas because I am not as far on I might be working on my legs as a whole.  As a result of this we may be doing things differently. 


Right now I am particularly enjoying working out with my friends who are new to or don't have much knowledge of training.  This allows me to share what I know, and in doing so develop myself.  As people are different I am coming up with plans that suite both of us and using different variations to suite our bodies and levels.  It has also helped me to develop my skills in supporting people within a gym environment. 


Going to the gym with someone and working out together is something I would recommend to everyone.  Give it a shot because it might not be as bad as you think!  Remember to be open to new workouts and styles but make sure you keep your form on point and stay safe!


Hope you enjoyed my Things I love Thursday #6!  See you soon!