This is a story of my personal transformation… but not in the way you would typically see online.

The fitness industry is full of “Before” and “After” photos, focusing on how someone looks.

And I’m not bashing physical changes at all… (You can view some of my own before + after photos here)

But today I want to highlight the internal transformations that fitness has the power to leverage.

My name is Jacqui.

I’m an online women’s health, fitness + lifestyle coach.

I’m a 5’0, 34-year old wife and Mom of 2.

And this is the story of how I truly transformed in my own health and fitness journey….

As any typical Millennial woman that was a teen in the early 2000’s, most of my life has been consumed by how I look.

I tied my self-worth to my body image.

In a world where tall + thin was the “ideal”… well, it was hard to find value in myself when I’ve always been short and on the stocky-side.

But I’m not here to talk about the hardships of that, as I recognize that everyone has had their own internal struggles when it comes to body image and diet culture.

I’m here to tell you how I got OUT of that mindset.

Like most women, my first steps into health and fitness started with the intent to lose weight.

It was the end of my second year of university.

I had just gotten out of a toxic relationship.

I had gained a bunch of weight.

And I just had enough of my own B.S.

So I got a gym membership.

And for the next few years, I was your typical cardio bunny.

Mostly because that’s all I knew how to do!

Slowly, over time, I learned new movements to target certain areas of my body that I wanted to tone.

Eventually I hired a personal trainer because I wanted to feel more confident using weights in the gym.

But what I didn’t know, was that I would gain a lot more than that.

What started as a desire to develop skills in weight training, turned into a lesson about what weights could do for me.

Throughout that year of working with a trainer, I was pushed way more than I have ever been pushed before.

But it showed me what I could DO.

What I was capable of.

I remember many moments when my trainer would tell me to move up in weight, and I would be SO skeptical that I could ever use the weights she wanted me to use…

…And then I would complete the set with the weight I didn’t think I was strong enough to handle.

My trainer would give me that “I told you you could do it” look…

And I would leave my session just BEAMING with pride.

Over time, it was no longer about how I looked.

It was about showing up and beating myself.

Showing up and proving to myself that I could do it.

And leaving the gym feeling great afterwards.

The more I did this…

The more I worked with different coaches and learned different things about strength training, and overcoming personal challenges…

The more my self-image and self-worth became way more than just about how I looked.

I’m not denying that strength training has major benefits when it comes to the physique that you can develop.

But because of the nature of strength training, for me it became more about developing my own standards.

I started recognizing myself in my ability to perform in ways I never thought I was capable of.

You see, every session is You vs. You.

Every time you step into that gym, it’s “how am I going to improve from last time?”

Can I increase the weights?

Can I improve my form?

Can I engage more muscles?

Can I do more reps?

Will it feel easier than last time?

The only comparison is against myself.

The only person to beat, is myself.

Every time I did, I only became more and more confident.

I became more and more hungry to be better.

Eventually this translated into other aspects of my life.

And instead of comparing myself to the standards of society (which are ridiculous btw)…

I was comparing myself to my own standards and what I truly wanted for myself.

Whether this was in my physical strength…

Whether this was learning a new skill…

Whether this was learning to stand up for myself…

Whether this was being brave enough to set boundaries for myself…

Whether that was working up the courage to truly express myself…

Whether that was getting comfortable with the idea that I can’t please everyone all of the time…

THESE have been the values that have changed my life.

And it started with strength training.

It started with shifting the emphasis of my worth from how I look, to what I can do.

It gave me the confidence to keep trying, even when I failed.

It taught me that I just have to be brave enough to repeatedly TRY, even when I have no idea what I’m doing or didn’t think I was “good enough”.

To recognizing that there’s only so much I can control when it comes to my appearance, but there’s a lot that I can control when it comes to my skills.

To pushing past my limiting beliefs.

To know that I just have to take a deep breath…

Believe in myself…

And prove to myself that I am worthy and capable.

Doing this over and over and over again.

And I truly believe that had I not learned these skills, I would still be stuck in my self-limiting beliefs (not to say that I never have them anymore!)

I would still be WAY more self-conscious about my body that I am now.

And you can bet that there would be a ton of things that I probably would have missed out on because I didn’t think I WAS enough.

Your health and fitness is not a temporary season just to lose weight.

Pursuing goals by using fitness can elevate skills that are transferrable to many aspects of your life.

Don’t make your fitness goals just about losing weight.

Plan to implement fitness into your life for the long-term.

Plan to learn and challenge yourself in various ways.

Be prepared to push out of your own comfort zone.

That’s how you become a better version of yourself.

That will be the game changer for you.

Change the game, change your life.

You can do hard things.

Proving this to yourself in the gym only allows you to see that you can ALSO prove this to yourself in other aspects of your life.

Imagine the unwavering confidence that comes with that!

I hope this article helps you today. If it did, please share!

All the best,

-J