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Marianne,
I don't know what's wrong with me....
I got to the end of another week and realized I didn't do half of what I set out to do. It makes me feel like just giving up all together!
When I first got into fitness, it was meant to improve how I felt about my body, not make me feel like it's never enough.
I used to be so passionate about fitness - I did your workouts for years and loved them - but these days, life is just crazy, and my health and fitness are slipping farther down the list.
I'm afraid I'll end up like some of my relatives, who've neglected their health and are now dependent on others to help them. My worst nightmare is to lose my independence and be a burden to my children.
But it's so much harder to stay motivated or just enjoy it, so I stop more than I start. How can I get it right?
I don't know how others find all this time and energy to do 4, 5 or even 6 workouts a week, even if they are super short and "simple". I constantly feel like I'm chasing something I'll never catch up with.
Workouts aren't something I look forward to anymore. In fact, I often dread them. I'll never get the results I want because I just can't seem to do what it takes.
It's not like I'm asking for much...all I want is to feel good about my workouts again. I love feeling strong and capable, but I am struggling to make it happen.
HELP!
Hi, I'm Marianne Kane, and I coach a different kind of Kettlebell Workout community, so the above scenario no longer happens...
That's why we're journey/process-oriented
You see, the message above is not atypical. Every month, I hear from people who just want their fitness to feel like they're doing enough to be fit for life. The problem is, there's a disconnect between what we think we *should* be doing and what we actually *need* to do.
And it's not your fault. The fitness industry has been built on a false premise: that people are broken, and to get fixed you have to keep doing "all the things" and making everything perfect.
People start their journey not being or doing enough.
As a consequence, most fitness communities are results-focused. Get the desired outcome so you'll no longer feel broken, and all will be well, right?
Sure, sometimes people will happily walk that path and enjoy chasing the next thing.
But for others - especially under certain circumstances, outlined below - this entire system can actually impede progress, block satisfaction, and fuel a perpetual cycle of failure (or at least in a belief cycle of failure), which can seep into every corner of life.
Circumstances like:
1) If life has derailed your fitness journey and you're struggling to get consistent again (or know where to start);
2) If you're sick of chasing goals and just want to be fit for life, but you're starting to dread workouts because of the pressure to have performance goals or targets;
3) Or if you're dealing with what I call "fitness/workout perfectionism" (always trying to get things "right" but never feeling like it's enough).
Some of these manifest as "losing your fitness mojo", or an increase in comparing yourself to your past, or to others who represent what you used to be, and you may often say "I'll never be ___"
If you identify as any of these, and you're wondering when you'll finally reach your goals and be happy, I suggest a shift toward a more process/journey-oriented approach.
The Journey is the Destination
If the premise "you're broken, and fitness will fix you" is wrong, and it perpetuates the failure-cycle, what would a better premise be?
Is what they're saying true? That "you can't be your fullest, best self UNTIL ______". That outcomes are what complete us? That external rewards add value to us as people?
I'm not saying they don't feel good, but so many people don't feel good even when they get the outcome.
Because it's never enough.
Therefore, we have to create our own premise. One that cultivates a sense of value, appreciation, and capability from the get-go.
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are" ~ Teddy Roosevelt
This quote sums up what I'm getting at. It says you come equipped.
It says you have and are exactly enough to take the next step on your journey.
It implied wholeness. And it inspires perseverance.
If 2020 has taught us anything....
... it's that time is our most precious resource. How we use it matters, and what we spend time chasing is either serving us, or hindering us. This means, if you believe you're here for a purpose greater than yourself, you can't afford to keep playing the "not enough" fitness-world game any more.
I Invite You to Rebel with Us
We value feeling strong, being independent, and self-sufficient. Do you? If so, you may have found your new fitness family.
We also value our time and energy, so fitness needs to work for us and fit easily into our lives so we don't drain those precious resources. It has to leave us feeling GOOD.
Finally, in case you hadn't guessed, we value PERSEVERANCE.
Because LIFE HAPPENS sometimes.
So, even when you:
=> Fall short of your goals or are sick of having goals,
=> Start and stop (going all-in or nothing at all),
=> Feel like you'll never be as fit and strong as you were in the past,
=> Are unsure if what you're doing is enough or the "right stuff" to make progress,
=> Disqualify your efforts because you didn't do everything you planned to do,
...You still never give up trying!
Being equipped with strength does NOT necessarily mean you believe in yourself, or that you even feel like you're equipped with strength. It often means getting back up when you feel at your weakest or lowest point.
It's the kind of strength that is expressed when no one is looking. It's the kind of strength that allows you to still work out, even when you feel totally out of shape and may even be ashamed at how you look.
Just remember:
The stops don't define you, so long as you never stop STARTING.
Think of this page like our Manifesto
My mission, as coach, is to remind members of their existing strength (inner and outer), and encourage them to take the next step, value the effort they took to do it, and reassure them it was enough. We just need enough strength to take the next step.
It's my job to help remove the stress and pressure to "do more" or "try harder" or even the pressure to "earn your enoughness", by dispelling myths and giving accurate information about what's really needed to progress. This means members can:
A) Stay consistent, and actually make real progress because it's so easy and convenient to do it's almost impossible to fail
B) Enjoy, rather than dread, their workouts because my approach focuses on valuing your efforts - the process/journey - more than what the fitness industry typically does (valuing results only)
and
C) Have more time and energy to enjoy LIFE, because they feel strong, capable, and they know what they're doing is enough <3
Okay, but how do you do that?
My weekly follow-along kettlebell and body weight workouts (both live and pre-recorded) get you strong, energized, and feeling accomplished without a big time commitment.
And every single workout gives you a Plan A option and Plan B, so you know exactly what to do if life gets in the way of you doing what you hoped. The idea is to nurture consistency, and part of that is simply redefining "what counts".
Everything I teach is geared toward helping members make the most of
where they're at NOW, be flexible in their mindset about fitness "success", remember the big picture over many details that don't actually matter, and value their efforts - even the imperfect ones - MORE.
Who Runs Equipped with Strength?
Marianne Kane, RN turned ACSM Certified Personal Trainer, Kettlebell Expert, and mindset coach is Founder of both Equipped with Strength and Myomy Fitness. In the last decade she has been on a mission to encourage others to reach their potential, live with agency and perseverance, instead of giving up on themselves because they can't do enough. Not only did she co-found Girls Gone Strong and Get Glutes, but she was named in Shape's Top 10 YouTube Workout Channels as her short and effective kettlebell workouts reach millions of people around the world. She wants people to stop bowing and bending to every "should" or "have-to" in the fitness world. Fitness doesn't not have to consume your life and purpose. There is a way to be strong without it draining your valuable time and energy: Keep it simple and doable, and fluff-free.
Marianne got into fitness to "fix" her chronic pain condition. She believed her body was weak and dysfunctional, full of imbalances and bad posture. During her time as a coach, even through many physical and mental ups and downs, she has learned to see her "imperfections" as things that can be used to strengthen others to keep going.
"You know who impresses me the most? People who have life happen to them big time, but who still try to make fitness work. But they are the ones who feel like the biggest mess. If I can help them turn that around, imagine the amplified impact they could have on those around them"
Marianne Kane
Founder and Head Coach
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