“Will weight lifting make me muscly and hard?”

Nope.

I could quite literally end the blog right here to be honest with you. I get asked almost daily “will my bum become hard if I start using weights?” There’s such a huge misconception when it comes to weight training and progressive overload. The truth is, to get that muscly, defined and ripped physique, diet plays a very significant part; you are almost always in a calorific deficit (eating less) and training like crazy.

This post is pretty much for the girls and women out there that believe that their bodies will become like this when they start using weights and I can assure you it’s the opposite. Weight training improves your strength, reduces body fat, improves posture and can give you the curves you long for. If you’ve been following me for a while on my social media accounts you can see how I’ve built my curves from weight training and I promise you can too. So let those fears go and start using weights!

Be wary of your diet though, if you are weight training and not consuming more calories that your daily intake as well as not enough protein, then your body fat percentage will gradually decrease which may give you that defined physique that you may not want. So find a balance between your diet and weight training because it’s so important.

Oh, mental health, I almost forgot. It’s quite simple. If you feel stronger physically, then you will feel stronger mentally. If you’re going through some stuff and need a good stress relief, gym and weight training is where it’s at! Weight training teaches you to overcome discomfort and push yourself when everything else tells you to give in.

So girls, please don’t fear the weights section. Build up your confidence and head on over because you’ve got this 🙂

Happy weight lifting!

Be your own body goals.

Body Positive.

So what is body positivity?

Okay let me try to define it. It’s all about how you view your body and how you believe other people view it too. Are you content with it? Do you like what you see? Do you want to change? These are all questions that can determine just how positive you are about your body image.

I think it’s important to talk about these things especially if you’re on your way to becoming your own body goals or just started your fitness journey. So if you fit into one of those two categories, keep on reading girl.

Let’s start with me and my body image. So when I was studying for my A level exams a couple years ago, I remember losing a significant amount of weight due to exam stress. This shifted my body image positivity significantly in a negative way. My body has always been one to change so quickly and the weight loss was rapid! After my exams I remember looking in the mirror and seeing something I wasn’t happy about and I knew I had to make a change. I knew I wouldn’t be able to continue being discontent with my body image which is why I joined the gym straight away and here I am today 🙂

If I was to give advice to anyone reading this and struggling with a positive body image, I would say find what you’re most discontent with and start working on changing that. It doesn’t always have to be gym, it may be a case of your mindset. Perhaps start meditating for 10-15 minutes every morning or wake up and state 10 things you like about yourself or some positive affirmations. These can work wonders when it comes to building positivity around yourself.

Just always remember that you can make the change. It will be hard and it will be challenging but once you reach your goal of body positivity, you’ll know it was all worth it.

Be your own body goals x

‘Be your own body goals’

A quote I should probably get tattooed on me. I live by this quote, I say this quote to myself or others daily and I want you to adopt it too. You see it’s a lifestyle; not just 5 words you say every now and again to make yourself feel better or to motivate yourself but instead an entire lifestyle.

Let me put it simply, ‘be your own body goals’ is something that encourages you from within to be content with where you are physically as well as mentally and to aspire to be where you want to be too. You are entirely in control of your own life and the way you view yourself and that will never change. We often seek validation through social media and base our entire visualisation of ourselves on what we view on site’s like Instagram (but that’s another topic for another day lol). My point is, to be your own body goals is to know where you are currently and to be happy with it simultaneously.

I must admit, before creating this blog I was a little unsure if I truly had a purpose for it. But with thought and realisation I know how much of a determining factor motivation can be in any aspect of life and particularly fitness journeys. We all lack motivation and as someone whose experienced it first-handedly I feel I should pass on the knowledge and encouraging words that aided my own journey. I wholeheartedly believe that once your mentality is right, your body will follow.

So here I am, starting my blog in June 2019 as a 20 year old fitness influencer. Oh, my name’s Natalee by the way if you couldn’t tell already 🙂
I hope you enjoy starting and following this journey with me as I guide you into being your own body goals.

Love,
Nataleebfitness x