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You see those memes all the time: "Everyone has to start somewhere!" True, we had to crawl before we could learn to walk, and walk can't we just skip to the good stuff already? It's hard to start out, I mean, where do you even begin? I've been reflecting a lot, lately, on that moment I decided to not only try, but to stick with it. I had just started going back to the gym on a regular basis, and somehow struck up a conversation with this tiny woman lifting at the squat rack. At the time I hadn't even dared to dream of using the squat rack, let alone ever imagined it would become a regular part of my weekly routine! I had commended the woman on how much she was squatting -120lbs - unable to understand how this tiny woman was able to perform her exercise with ease. Meanwhile, my squats were being weighted by a 50lb fixed barbell, performed in an open area away from that intimidating cage.
Fast-forward 2 years later and I'm a regular in the squat rack. To top it off, throwing a 45lb plate on either side is regular in my warm up. I love working in the squat rack. I love the feeling of accomplishment as I reach new PR's, pushing myself to throw on that extra 5lbs more than last time. My time in the squat rack no longer feels intimidating, but empowering - a feeling I never knew I could experience simply because I chose to lift up the bar.
We all start somewhere. I know what it is like to walk into the weight room for the first time and feel like every eye is on you. I know what it is like to stumble, fumble, and drop a 25lb dumbbell on your foot. You doubt yourself; you struggle. You turn up your music, don't make eye contact, and hope to God no one is watching. That was me on my first day in the weight room. It was, also, me last Tuesday in the weight room. Sometimes, no matter your practice or experience, you're going to feel self-conscious. Despite this, there will also be day where you're going to look back at last week's records and realise you blew them out of the water with this week's progress! Those little weekly wins will soon become monthly wins. You will set new goals that are higher than you thought you could ever reach, previously. It's in those moments of small personal success that your confidence begins to build; your head rises a little higher; your walk becomes a little more set in its steps.
We all start somewhere! This is why the progress picture (and tracking of stats) is the best way to keep sights of your goals. As flooded as your social media pages may be with progress pictures, I suggest you take your own at every stage of your journey, no matter your approach to making a healthy change. I know they are uncomfortable. I know you don't feel like documenting what you look like in shorts and a bra. But, trust me when I say you will be thankful you did when you find inspiration in that photo months -or years- down the road when you feel like your journey has hit a wall. Looking back, that photo will remind you of the feelings you had that day you decided to start your journey: hopes for success; dreams of what your life would be like when you accomplish your goal; and, yes, the fears of failing. That photo will bring those feelings rushing back, bringing with it a sense of self-pride in how far you have come. Maybe there won't be dramatic physical changes -maybe, your greatest change is in your smile! Maybe the person in the "before" photo was lost, and the "after" photo shows a woman who knows her way. There is so much more in a progress picture than the inches/lbs lost, including what was learned along the way.
Don't be afraid of the "Progress Pic." Embrace it, and love each one as it documents your journey along your way.
