One way to sky rocket your confidence

 I did a post on Instagram recently that basically said losing weight doesn't boost confidence, doing difficult sh*t will. And I want to talk about that more. Because actually I am a bit wrong. I'm right too. But also wrong.

Let me explain.

If you are overweight, you are very likely extremely uncomfortable in your clothes. Jeans dig in in all the wrong places. Tops don't fit right on the curves of your body. When you shop, you shop for comfort or you shop for clothes that will hide particular body parts. If you know, you know. I do know, I once weighed 90kg (14 stone) and wore size 18-20 clothes. I was super uncomfortable. I hated wearing jeans. I would only wear leggings and baggy jumpers or dresses that covered the parts that stuck out further than I wanted them to. 

I was also always breathing in. Do you know how uncomfortable that is?! Until I sat down, in which case I could finally breathe and pull myself up to my desk so no one would see my tummy protruding from whatever baggy top I had chosen that morning. 

When I then went on to losing 25kg and finally got to chose clothes that I actually liked. The game changed. I did have more confidence. I did the difficult thing of eating in the calorie deficit, throwing a few weights around at home a few times a week, getting my daily steps in plus let's not forget to mention the comments from friends and colleagues noticing that my body was shrinking. Of course that gave me a big dose of confidence. Probably to the point of cockiness at times.

But once you've lost the weight, you are no longer classed as overweight. Then what? The compliments fade away. You adapt to being able to wear whatever you like, it's really nice, but you don't get that buzz anymore like you used to. That's when doing difficult things start to build on your confidence. 

If you want to build confidence in your body's ability, then start lifting weights. It's that simple. There are other things you can do too that are great for your mind and body. I love to run. I see other women partake in fitness competitions and it is wonderful and empowering to behold. Seeing a woman run a marathon then breastfeed her baby, or climb a mountain carrying a heavy load. How awesome is that?

But lifting weights is the real game changer. 

Week on week, lifting more weight, building on reps. Moving weight around that you never thought would be possible. It won't turn you into Arnold Schwarzenegger overnight. It takes YEARS to build muscle like that. What it will do though, is highlight what your body is capable of as well as making daily tasks a hell of a lot easier.

Imagine being able to carry your toddler or child when they're too tired to walk anymore. But they outgrew the pushchair.

Imagine the trip to the house from the car carrying heavy bags of groceries being a piece of cake. You do that shit in one trip.

Imagine no longer feeling pain from sitting on the floor playing with your children. Being hauled up to your feet by your partner of just struggling to your feet by shuffling onto your knees then using the closest chair or surface to push your body from the floor.

One more, imagine feeling confident in your naked body with your partner. You have sex with the lights on. 

Lifting weights isn't something that you'll do for a while then stop when you're happy with your physique. It's something you will partake in for the rest of your life. It's one of the only things that will increase your bone density, lowering your risk of osteoporosis in your older years - meaning if you do end up having a fall your bones are less likely to break. Plus the more muscle your body carries, the more calories it needs to sustain said muscle. Meaning more food. So if you want to be a woman who can maintain her body weight consuming 2500 calories a day, then build muscle. 

You are allowed to have aesthetic goals when it comes to lifting weights. If you want a particular body composition then lifting weights is going to be the way to make that happen without any kind of surgery. I feel confident in my body because not only am I very aware of its capabilities to survive should a zombie apocalypse happen, or the plot of Fall Out comes to life, I love how it curves in all the right places. That gives me confidence. I made that happen by showing up in the gym consistently for the last four years. That includes throughout a pregnancy. Hell, I was deadlifting until the day before I gave birth to my second child. 

I coach other women to build bodies they feel confident in too.

But my approach is personal. You won't just be sent a premade programme. I build a programme and habits around your lifestyle. So if you want to book a chat, follow the link below:

https://calendly.com/amberloufitcoaching/1-1-coaching-consultation

Peace and love, friends

Amber xo