New Year. Same You.

Why I hate January…

It’s ironic that I own a Gym and loathe this time of year.

When logging onto Facebook at this time of year, I’m getting bombarded with “Thinning Earth” weigh ins and aloe vera sales reps posting in local groups and Instagram is filled with influencers posting about the latest fad diet.

And don’t get me started on ozempic…

Taking it back to my life before being a personal trainer, I used to find that New Year’s Resolutions made me take an unnecessary long harsh look at myself and conjure up “issues” that need to be fixed, when in fact they were part of who I am as a human being. If I scroll back through the notes on my phone, they still sit there - promises of dropping a dress size, losing 7kg, running 3x a week and eating healthily. These all came from a place of being very unhappy with myself because I thought that was how I should feel as a woman (all thanks to growing up with Heat Magazine’s circle of shame and every female magazine featuring “The Best Way to Drop a Dress Size” or “Look like [insert celeb name]”.

Luckily I no longer find it overwhelming, however I do find it rather frustrating as anyone feeling slightly insecure or vulnerable can get sucked into what the media is saying is “definitely the way to losing XXlbs” because that’s what makes us feel great, right?

So wrong.

A quick Google search tells me that the diet management market is set to reach $29.66 billion and the weight management market, $384.06 billion.

Those figures are utterly mind blowing! And sadly, at this time of year in particular, fad diets are mistaken for health.

Wellness isn’t about looking a certain way. In fact, (another Google definition)

“Wellness is the act of practicing healthy habits on a daily basis to attain better physical and mental health outcomes, so that instead of just surviving, you're thriving”

I look around at all the incredible people who come to the Gym at The Barn KT9 and they are all extraordinary people. 

People who have real jobs, real lives, real problems.

Some of whom started coming to classes because they wanted to lose weight.

But by getting stronger, they focused on the numbers they were lifting getting bigger, rather than the scale weight getting smaller.

And in doing so, they have felt better than ever.

And are still coming 12, 24, 36 or 40 months later!

“Health” should be simple because we want everyone to be able to achieve this. Not only the people who can afford a £299 test kit for a gimmick that is a highly unreliable “health solution” or those who have no other commitments besides looking after themselves.

It’s about feeling good in yourself - eating and working out in a way that leaves you feeling energised (not overexercising yourself into the ground) and looking after your body so that you don’t feel sluggish and a bit meh.

It’s about being fit for life - building strong bones, muscles and tendons so you can carry all the shopping bags, chase after your kids/grandchildren and walk up the stairs when you're 92.

It’s about surrounding yourself with a social community - having people making you feel good and supported, making friends and feeling valued

It’s also about creating a habit that feels so normal that on the occasions when life can be a little crazy, you know you can pick back up where you left off once you're ready and give yourself some grace.

Here at The Barn KT9, we’re all for you coming to us with good intentions inspired by the New Year reset, but we want you to not have to set these same ones next year.

Why? I hear you ask

Simply because by this time next year, you’ll see exercising as much a part of your routine as brushing your teeth.

After all, exercise is for life. Not just for after Christmas!