What a year 2019 turned out to be and as we come to the end of it and near the start of the next I write to you this New Year’s letter.
If I am to be completely honest with you, this year wasn’t my best. I lost my direction and I forgot my values. I forgot why I chose to spend my days helping people realize their potential and I spent much of my time trying to find a place to fill a void. I started to believe the hype that if it wasn’t new and shiny then it wasn’t worth my time. I got caught up in the part of my industry that is gross. The part that only cares about image and money.
It is tough to stay true to who you are in my industry, especially when you do the deep dive down the social media hole. I don’t like social media. It can be a judgy place where I don’t feel safe being me. Which is why you haven’t heard from me in a while, because I feel like I’ve lost my voice. I speak my truth, and although it is real and honest, sadly it is not new and shiny.
Sometimes it makes me feel ill when I think about what my industry does to people. How it can make someone feel like they don’t belong or they are not good enough for something as shallow as not wearing the right thing to a workout. I’ve heard of some studios having a best dressed list. At a workout!
So my wish for you as we enter 2020 is lose the expectations. It doesn’t mean you stop challenging yourself or setting goals but it means letting go of the expectation at the end of the journey. You aren’t doing this for anyone other than yourself. If you are going to run your first marathon in 2020, do it for you. If you are going to go to your first spin class this year, do it for you, but if half way through the class you hate it then grit your teeth, push to the end and never go back. Try something else and keep trying until you find something you love. Something that inspires you and speaks to you. Maybe it’s a mat in your basement and a few weights or maybe it is that really expensive membership to a very fancy gym. Neither one is better than the other, as long as it is something you enjoy.
When I look back at the last half of my life and at all the gyms I’ve not only worked out in, but worked in, they all have one thing in common, which is they fit into my life at that time. Ironman races and marathons are just memories to me now. Cross country mountain bike racing has turned into fun Saturday rides with my friends. HIIT is now an evening yoga class. My fitness journey has morphed and will continue to morph because when it no longer serves me, I move on.
Don’t let anyone tell you to eat a certain way or move a certain way. Don’t let anyone tell you that what you are doing is isn’t good enough or hard enough. Trust me when I say that lately my favourite workouts are my barefoot and braless, 30 minute at home workouts in my pajamas. Fitness doesn’t need to be fancy, so please don’t believe the hype. If you just remain true to who you are and what makes you thrive, 2020 will be the best year yet.
Thank you to everyone who takes time out of their days to read my words, and thank you to everyone who takes the time to write me personally. This platform and this family is where I feel safe to be me and to speak my beliefs. But as I struggle to find my voice again in this fickle and ever-changing industry I work in, please know that my only intention is to help each and every person create the lifestyle that serves them. There’s no mold and what works for one person will not work for the next.
Happy New Year to everyone from the bottom of my heart. Please enjoy all the joys this time of year brings as I’ve learned recently that even in the darkest of months love and light can be found.
