there is a look
this is fitness
let me tell you the story of how I came
to one of you said a large part of my
childhood was centered on sports I spent
a ton of time conditioning my body at
various camps clubs and contests I
worked hard and practices with
aspirations of playing at a high level
one day and like many young athletes
growing up I wanted to be like the pros
the Serena Williams the Simon Richards
the Rafael Nadal’s these were the
athletes I adored not solely because
they were incredible talents but mainly
because they look freaking awesome
competing in their arenas the athletic
aesthetic bodies they achieved were
totally badass and I was look badass at
12 years old I started strength training
with a personal trainer who also happens
to be a bodybuilding coach he had this
wall showcasing his top bodybuilding
clients posing at their shows I will
walk in the gym every day before
training and look at that wall for
inspiration because the physique they
achieved were incredible I told myself
if I worked really really hard and all
my training sessions that I could look
like them one day I kept this mentality
for the next 10 years getting after it
in all my training sessions with
intensity unwavering from full throttle
you can ask my former teammates what I
look like training they’ll tell you that
intense was my middle name and that I
was extra fast forward a year later from
about 13 to 15 years old I was in this
awkward phase of having attained the
physical attributes of a woman but I
still had the frame of a thin little
girl during this time I was flooded with
comments from laying friends on my body
dang their body is so fit and perfect I
remember when I used to look like that
stay active girls we can keep that
perfect body
enjoy it now this is the best you’re
ever going to look and then there was
the fundamental intolerance of body
diversity in our society then waste
lines flat tummies thigh gaps round tone
butts but not too big
these are markers of success willpower
and beauty for women and for guys muscle
value washboard abs those are markers of
strength work ethic popularity and
athleticism I mean the pressures are
unavoidable these are the standards in
our media so with all that being said
I’ve pretty much obsessed over keeping
it tight most of my life by any means
necessary make the story sounds familiar
to you maybe you’ve had similar
experiences or have you ever felt like
fit but somehow tie it’s your success or
self-worth maybe you’re raising your
eyebrow at me thinking wow this is
coming from a former athlete a trainer a
fitness influencer well yeah these body
ideals affect everyone especially
athletes trainers and fitness
influencers who are expected to have the
fit look throughout high school and most
of my time as a collegiate athlete I
spent more time that I like to admit
pursuing the fit look chasing the
perfect body obsessing over too much
conditioning in the gym I mean maybe I
could have been a better athlete if I
could have focus all that energy on
actual sport performance and skill work
stuff oops
well at 22 it hit me it was an injury in
the weight room that gave me new
perspective I had a squat accident that
set my hip into severe misalignment
completely disrupting how my lower body
function
I couldn’t flex at the hip without sharp
pain I couldn’t do any more lower body
workouts and I couldn’t walk or sleep
without discomfort or sharp pain this
accident screwed up a critical piece of
my lifestyle imagine the most essential
part of your being getting stripped away
from you in an instant crippling
injuries by the way are a common source
of competitive athletes experiences with
depression and this was the case for me
a long inconvenient journey back to the
movement health began for me I went to
many doctors chiropractors massage
therapists physical therapists you name
it
this was a challenging couple of years
for me but also very eye-opening and
humbling you see being fit was how I
define myself and now I couldn’t really
make that happen because I struggle even
getting around
I gained a newfound appreciation of what
Fitness was meant to be and I became
empathetic to the people that lived with
these movement limitations their entire
lives people that didn’t have the choice
to be physically active or experience
all of what the human body was
physically capable of like I had been
able to I started feeling bad about
taking my body for granted for having
such a shallow view it as I went through
the process of rehabbing my hip I
started to obtain the gift of a healthy
body and the beauty and healthy movement
patterns as I truly started engaging my
mind in my rehab exercises my journey
reshaping my body reshape definition of
thick no longer was fit describing a
look to me but rather a body that can do
things that can move around like like
these
this was my breakthrough moment that
unlocked new perspective reshaped my
worldview and inspired lifestyle change
being fitted was not about the look
being fit was the ongoing active strive
to optimal physical well-being
during my time rehabbing I gained a
deeper appreciation of functional
fitness and I promised myself that once
I was fully healthy I would commit all
my training to purposeful movement
rather than kill yourself die die die
workouts I feel that you know
technically it is is functionality
related and I’m thinking about Charles
Darwin in his definitions of it if you
were still around I don’t think that he
would be referring to the leanest most
esthetic person as the one most fit for
survival even the current research
bolsters this alternative view of fit a
2005 study showed that excessive time
spent in the gym and appearance driven
workouts like oftentimes cardio machine
training are associated with negative
body image self objectification and
disordered eating the exercises that are
commonly used in repetition abused and
appear in aesthetic focus workouts are
isolation exercises such as the military
press the leg extensions preacher curls
and crunch variations like these also
popular are hit exercises such as the
kettlebell swing high rep box jumps and
other high-low plyometrics and any
circuits or wads that train literally
every energy system at once
now these exercises may help tone your
abs your your arms your butt your legs
and they may even help burn a ton of
calories but unless you have awesome
posture range of motion at all your
joints zero joint pain basic strength
and muscle endurance and pretty good
coordination balance and body awareness
and awesome stability in form and
positions like these then those
exercises are actually going to be high
risk for you often leading to injuries
such as lower back pain discs our
nation’s ankle sprains shoulder
impingement and hamstring pulls why not
take a step back from the high rep
high-intensity training and maybe go
back to those unsexy functional movement
exercises that your body is probably
craving like my grandma would do let me
let me go back to my childhood for a
second to explain what I’m talking about
so I spend most of my summers at my
grandma’s place growing up with like ten
of my cousins and my sisters my grandma
loved her some health fitness that’s
what she would call it health fitness
every morning we will watch her do some
of the craziest exercises knowing that
her routine was completely made up we
would crack jokes but I’ve realized over
the years that my grandma was the og of
functional fitness specifically hip
mobility training in fact just the other
day I got some footage of her at the gym
getting after it here she is right here
just killing it she’s burning me
[Music]
Hiep games but really my grandma’s still
to this day sticks to her morning health
fitness and she taught me this valuable
lesson
the human body was designed for movement
exploration what changed my perspective
and inspired is lifestyle change were
some conversations I’ve had with with
consulting with my clients one
individual set the following to me
during a fitness assessment I just
really want to be skinny is that
possible for me
how long until I get there in our
training regimen another individual has
similar goals raising up their shirt and
tugging what I saw was a flat tone tummy
they they looked up at me and discussed
and they said the following look at all
this fat I can’t even see my abs
troubling statements right we’ll get
this these individuals are athletes
these individuals are male and these
individuals are ten year old children
sadly I have many examples like this
guys but hearing this from these two
broke my heart they’re just kids this is
a cultural problem are you surprised
that eating disorders depression and
anxiety are prominent in our society
among adolescents and young adults I’m
not and mind you this talk has been
focused on fit goals the cultural
preoccupation with getting skinny is
another complex issue my lifestyle has
changed a lot since my breakthrough
moment my workouts are more like
playtime they’re less rigid gym centric
and body part focus the now more about
posture and breathing awareness total
complete core strength coordination
balance stability and just straight-up
movement flow or movement exploration my
coaching style has has changed it is now
most important to me to cultivate
positive body image and understanding of
proper movement patterns when I work
with people if I could get the physique
focused person to get excited about
changes and improvements in their
functional movement health that’s a win
for me the significance of positive
self-talk and celebrating personal
improvements was ingrained in me a long
time ago for sports
I practice be at your best mentality and
all my fitness training and in my life
in general
and I think on spreading this value not
idealistic physique goes with my
influence in the fitness world now
people may say oh great
and the trainer preaching that body
ideals are trivial while she’s standing
up there blessed with a athletic body
type most of us aren’t that lucky I’ve
never experienced a lean body or ABS
well let me tell you something I worked
my ass off for this body don’t get it
twisted I don’t care what kind of
genetics you have you still got to put
in the work and you think having a
6-pack is going to somehow solve all
your problems make you happy no I’ve
been there that process is a very
restrictive lonely and a hungry place
and again you still got to put in the
work
listen stop chasing the fit look and
start chasing a fit body when your
definition of fit changes to that
ongoing active strive toward optimal
physical well-being your quality of life
will become better and trust me when you
start committing your training and your
workouts to the exercises that help you
become a better functioning human you’re
fit look will come without you obsessing
so much over it so team would you rather
look fit or be fit thank you
this is fitness
let me tell you the story of how I came
to one of you said a large part of my
childhood was centered on sports I spent
a ton of time conditioning my body at
various camps clubs and contests I
worked hard and practices with
aspirations of playing at a high level
one day and like many young athletes
growing up I wanted to be like the pros
the Serena Williams the Simon Richards
the Rafael Nadal’s these were the
athletes I adored not solely because
they were incredible talents but mainly
because they look freaking awesome
competing in their arenas the athletic
aesthetic bodies they achieved were
totally badass and I was look badass at
12 years old I started strength training
with a personal trainer who also happens
to be a bodybuilding coach he had this
wall showcasing his top bodybuilding
clients posing at their shows I will
walk in the gym every day before
training and look at that wall for
inspiration because the physique they
achieved were incredible I told myself
if I worked really really hard and all
my training sessions that I could look
like them one day I kept this mentality
for the next 10 years getting after it
in all my training sessions with
intensity unwavering from full throttle
you can ask my former teammates what I
look like training they’ll tell you that
intense was my middle name and that I
was extra fast forward a year later from
about 13 to 15 years old I was in this
awkward phase of having attained the
physical attributes of a woman but I
still had the frame of a thin little
girl during this time I was flooded with
comments from laying friends on my body
dang their body is so fit and perfect I
remember when I used to look like that
stay active girls we can keep that
perfect body
enjoy it now this is the best you’re
ever going to look and then there was
the fundamental intolerance of body
diversity in our society then waste
lines flat tummies thigh gaps round tone
butts but not too big
these are markers of success willpower
and beauty for women and for guys muscle
value washboard abs those are markers of
strength work ethic popularity and
athleticism I mean the pressures are
unavoidable these are the standards in
our media so with all that being said
I’ve pretty much obsessed over keeping
it tight most of my life by any means
necessary make the story sounds familiar
to you maybe you’ve had similar
experiences or have you ever felt like
fit but somehow tie it’s your success or
self-worth maybe you’re raising your
eyebrow at me thinking wow this is
coming from a former athlete a trainer a
fitness influencer well yeah these body
ideals affect everyone especially
athletes trainers and fitness
influencers who are expected to have the
fit look throughout high school and most
of my time as a collegiate athlete I
spent more time that I like to admit
pursuing the fit look chasing the
perfect body obsessing over too much
conditioning in the gym I mean maybe I
could have been a better athlete if I
could have focus all that energy on
actual sport performance and skill work
stuff oops
well at 22 it hit me it was an injury in
the weight room that gave me new
perspective I had a squat accident that
set my hip into severe misalignment
completely disrupting how my lower body
function
I couldn’t flex at the hip without sharp
pain I couldn’t do any more lower body
workouts and I couldn’t walk or sleep
without discomfort or sharp pain this
accident screwed up a critical piece of
my lifestyle imagine the most essential
part of your being getting stripped away
from you in an instant crippling
injuries by the way are a common source
of competitive athletes experiences with
depression and this was the case for me
a long inconvenient journey back to the
movement health began for me I went to
many doctors chiropractors massage
therapists physical therapists you name
it
this was a challenging couple of years
for me but also very eye-opening and
humbling you see being fit was how I
define myself and now I couldn’t really
make that happen because I struggle even
getting around
I gained a newfound appreciation of what
Fitness was meant to be and I became
empathetic to the people that lived with
these movement limitations their entire
lives people that didn’t have the choice
to be physically active or experience
all of what the human body was
physically capable of like I had been
able to I started feeling bad about
taking my body for granted for having
such a shallow view it as I went through
the process of rehabbing my hip I
started to obtain the gift of a healthy
body and the beauty and healthy movement
patterns as I truly started engaging my
mind in my rehab exercises my journey
reshaping my body reshape definition of
thick no longer was fit describing a
look to me but rather a body that can do
things that can move around like like
these
this was my breakthrough moment that
unlocked new perspective reshaped my
worldview and inspired lifestyle change
being fitted was not about the look
being fit was the ongoing active strive
to optimal physical well-being
during my time rehabbing I gained a
deeper appreciation of functional
fitness and I promised myself that once
I was fully healthy I would commit all
my training to purposeful movement
rather than kill yourself die die die
workouts I feel that you know
technically it is is functionality
related and I’m thinking about Charles
Darwin in his definitions of it if you
were still around I don’t think that he
would be referring to the leanest most
esthetic person as the one most fit for
survival even the current research
bolsters this alternative view of fit a
2005 study showed that excessive time
spent in the gym and appearance driven
workouts like oftentimes cardio machine
training are associated with negative
body image self objectification and
disordered eating the exercises that are
commonly used in repetition abused and
appear in aesthetic focus workouts are
isolation exercises such as the military
press the leg extensions preacher curls
and crunch variations like these also
popular are hit exercises such as the
kettlebell swing high rep box jumps and
other high-low plyometrics and any
circuits or wads that train literally
every energy system at once
now these exercises may help tone your
abs your your arms your butt your legs
and they may even help burn a ton of
calories but unless you have awesome
posture range of motion at all your
joints zero joint pain basic strength
and muscle endurance and pretty good
coordination balance and body awareness
and awesome stability in form and
positions like these then those
exercises are actually going to be high
risk for you often leading to injuries
such as lower back pain discs our
nation’s ankle sprains shoulder
impingement and hamstring pulls why not
take a step back from the high rep
high-intensity training and maybe go
back to those unsexy functional movement
exercises that your body is probably
craving like my grandma would do let me
let me go back to my childhood for a
second to explain what I’m talking about
so I spend most of my summers at my
grandma’s place growing up with like ten
of my cousins and my sisters my grandma
loved her some health fitness that’s
what she would call it health fitness
every morning we will watch her do some
of the craziest exercises knowing that
her routine was completely made up we
would crack jokes but I’ve realized over
the years that my grandma was the og of
functional fitness specifically hip
mobility training in fact just the other
day I got some footage of her at the gym
getting after it here she is right here
just killing it she’s burning me
[Music]
Hiep games but really my grandma’s still
to this day sticks to her morning health
fitness and she taught me this valuable
lesson
the human body was designed for movement
exploration what changed my perspective
and inspired is lifestyle change were
some conversations I’ve had with with
consulting with my clients one
individual set the following to me
during a fitness assessment I just
really want to be skinny is that
possible for me
how long until I get there in our
training regimen another individual has
similar goals raising up their shirt and
tugging what I saw was a flat tone tummy
they they looked up at me and discussed
and they said the following look at all
this fat I can’t even see my abs
troubling statements right we’ll get
this these individuals are athletes
these individuals are male and these
individuals are ten year old children
sadly I have many examples like this
guys but hearing this from these two
broke my heart they’re just kids this is
a cultural problem are you surprised
that eating disorders depression and
anxiety are prominent in our society
among adolescents and young adults I’m
not and mind you this talk has been
focused on fit goals the cultural
preoccupation with getting skinny is
another complex issue my lifestyle has
changed a lot since my breakthrough
moment my workouts are more like
playtime they’re less rigid gym centric
and body part focus the now more about
posture and breathing awareness total
complete core strength coordination
balance stability and just straight-up
movement flow or movement exploration my
coaching style has has changed it is now
most important to me to cultivate
positive body image and understanding of
proper movement patterns when I work
with people if I could get the physique
focused person to get excited about
changes and improvements in their
functional movement health that’s a win
for me the significance of positive
self-talk and celebrating personal
improvements was ingrained in me a long
time ago for sports
I practice be at your best mentality and
all my fitness training and in my life
in general
and I think on spreading this value not
idealistic physique goes with my
influence in the fitness world now
people may say oh great
and the trainer preaching that body
ideals are trivial while she’s standing
up there blessed with a athletic body
type most of us aren’t that lucky I’ve
never experienced a lean body or ABS
well let me tell you something I worked
my ass off for this body don’t get it
twisted I don’t care what kind of
genetics you have you still got to put
in the work and you think having a
6-pack is going to somehow solve all
your problems make you happy no I’ve
been there that process is a very
restrictive lonely and a hungry place
and again you still got to put in the
work
listen stop chasing the fit look and
start chasing a fit body when your
definition of fit changes to that
ongoing active strive toward optimal
physical well-being your quality of life
will become better and trust me when you
start committing your training and your
workouts to the exercises that help you
become a better functioning human you’re
fit look will come without you obsessing
so much over it so team would you rather
look fit or be fit thank you
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