I thought pushing harder was making me fitter. It wasn’t.

For years, I believed that if a workout felt hard, it must be working.

Push harder. Lift more. Sweat more. That was my mindset.

And honestly, I was proud of myself for being able to do it.

I could finish the hard workouts. I could push through when I was tired. So, I thought that meant I was strong.

But my body was telling a very different story.

Even before my bigger health problems started, I would finish workouts exhausted, achy, puffy and inflamed. My stomach would bloat. My joints hurt. And for all that effort, I wasn’t even getting the results I thought I should be getting.

Still, like many of us, I kept believing the answer had to be more.

Looking back now, I sometimes think:

Was that workout actually making me fitter just because I could survive it?

For me, it wasn’t.

Some people may feel amazing doing really intense workouts. My body never did. And instead of believing what it was telling me, I kept trying to make my body fit the workout.

And there was something deeper underneath all of that too.

The fear that if I backed off, I would gain weight. Lose muscle. Stop looking fit.

I think a lot of us carry those thoughts around much longer than we realize.

Even when we know our body needs something different, there can still be this little voice saying, “But what if this isn’t enough?”

I still hear it sometimes.

Do you ever think, “I’ll do these gentler workouts until I get better…then I’ll go back to my ‘real’ workouts”?

I think that little thought tells us a lot.

Because what if the workouts that leave you feeling stronger, that you recover from well, and that you can actually keep doing are the real workouts?

And maybe feeling good in your body, taking care of yourself, having energy for your life and feeling comfortable in your own skin matters more than chasing the body the fitness world keeps telling us we should have.

That has been a much bigger mindset change for me than I ever expected.

This week’s tip: Think back to the workouts you used to call “good.”

How did you actually feel afterward?

Stronger and more energized?

Or wiped out, swollen, achy or even needing days to recover?

Your body may have been giving you the answer for a long time.

Your next step: Pick one old fitness rule you’re willing to let go of this week.

Maybe it’s “I need heavy weights,” “I have to sweat,” or “a short workout doesn’t count.”

Then choose a Cocolime workout that breaks that rule.

And when you’re finished, don’t ask:

“Was that hard enough?”

Ask:

“How does my body feel?”

Your body doesn’t need to exercise like everyone else’s.

And you don’t need a six-pack or perfectly sculpted arms to look strong, healthy and beautiful.

Sometimes, when you start taking better care of your body's needs more, it can start to show in incredible ways on the outside too. 💛

Until next Sunday😘

-Suzanne