Relentless Positivity Fitness For Women

What can it mean???

You’re eating pretty much the same.
You’re still exercising.
Nothing has changed THAT much.

But somehow...
Your clothes are fitting tighter.
Your energy is lower.
You’re craving more junk at night.
And the scale seems to be slowly creeping up.

So naturally, you think:
“I need to be more disciplined.”

Maybe.

But there may be something else worth looking at.

How much are you carrying mentally?

Work.
Kids.
Grandkids.
Aging parents.
Appointments.
Bills.
Meals.
Schedules.
Housework.
Relationships.

Remembering what everyone needs and when they need it.
And somewhere at the bottom of that list...
You.

That mental load can affect your health in ways that aren't always obvious.

Stress can disrupt sleep.
Poor sleep can increase hunger and cravings.

Being mentally exhausted can make convenience foods much more appealing and exercise much less appealing.

And after making decisions for everybody else all day, at 8 p.m. your brain isn't exactly excited about making another great decision.

That's not necessarily a lack of discipline.
You may simply be exhausted.

This is where I don't want you to make another mistake.

Don't respond by adding MORE stress.
More rules.
More restriction.
More exercise.
More things you have to track.

Sometimes the answer isn't adding another thing to your plate.
It's taking something off.

Maybe you don't need a perfect meal plan.
You need three simple dinners this week you can make without thinking.

Maybe you don't need six workouts this week.
You need two good ones and some walks.

Maybe you don't need to stay up another hour getting things done.
You need to go to bed.

Maybe you don't need to handle everything yourself.
You need to ask for help.

YOUR CHALLENGE
Take five minutes today and ask yourself:
“What am I carrying right now that is making taking care of myself harder?”

Then ask:
“What is ONE thing I can make easier?”

Not perfect.
Easier.

Prepare tomorrow's breakfast tonight.
Ask someone else to handle dinner.
Put your workout on the calendar.
Go to bed 30 minutes earlier.
Say no to something.
Ask for help.

Because taking care of your health isn't only about what you eat and how much you exercise.

Sometimes it's also about recognizing how much you're carrying and giving yourself permission to put some of it down.

We celebrated 17 years in business last night!

Seventeen years ago, I started RPF because I loved fitness and I knew I could make a difference.

I had no idea what I was actually starting.

Or even what I was doing.

But I was doing it with my whole heart!

Just that one class on the side while I was working 3 other jobs was where this all started.

Man I could have never predicted the blessing it would become.

I was supposed to give a speech at the party. Probably should have prepared something...

Because I looked around the room and almost started crying.

So many people I love in one room. Blew me away.

I’ll keep that picture in my head and heart forever.

No words felt adequate.

And I didn’t trust myself to think too much about and talk about what I was feeling.

Pretty sure I just kept alternating the words thank you and amazing.

I’m better at writing things down anyway.

I saw people who have become a huge part of my life.

I've watched them get stronger.

I've watched them do things they didn't think they could do.

I've watched friendships form that never would've happened if somebody hadn't decided to walk into an RPF class.

But I've also watched them go through some really hard things.

We've been through losses together.

Health scares.
Family struggles.
Lost people we cared about.
Kids growing up.
Parents getting older.
Careers changing.
Life changing.

And through all of it, we've kept showing up for each other.

That's the part I'm most proud of.

I didn't start this thinking, "I hope someday I get to build a community of people I genuinely love."

But somehow, that's exactly what happened.

RPF has given me far more than I could ever give back.

It's given me purpose.

It's given me friendships.

It's given me thousands of mornings when I woke up knowing that what I was about to do mattered to somebody.

And there have been times over these 17 years when this business has been hard.

I mean really hard.

Times I've wondered how much longer I could do it.

And then one of you would tell me something like...

"I'm not sure I could have gotten through this without my friends from class."

Or sometimes you'd just walk through the door smiling.

And I'd remember why I started.

So when somebody congratulates me on 17 years of RPF,

I appreciate it, that's so cool. I love it.

But it's not me, it's we.

We did.

Every person who showed up.
Every person who brought a friend.
Every coach who cared about our people.
Every person who believed in this place.

You are part of this story.

People come in and out of class.

That's just life.

But I hope the friendships made here last.

I hope the confidence you built here stays with you.

I hope you're still doing things at 70, 80, and 90 years old that you once weren't sure you'd be able to do.

And I hope you know how incredibly grateful I am that, for a little part of your life, I got to be your coach.

Seventeen years ago, I thought I was starting a fitness business.

Turns out, we were building a family.

I love you guys.

Thank you for these 17 years.

And we're not done yet.

I think a lot of us have been taught to feel guilty about resting.

If we're not working...
Exercising...
Cleaning...
Helping someone...
Checking something off the list...

We feel like we're wasting time.

So we keep pushing.
And pushing.
Until our body eventually decides to take the rest for us.

Rest is not the opposite of progress.
Rest is part of progress.

Think about strength training.

You challenge your muscles during the workout.
But your body needs time afterward to recover and adapt to that challenge.

You can't just keep adding stress indefinitely and expect better results.

And that's not only true in the gym.
It's true in life.

Successful people know when to push AND when to recover.

Rest doesn't mean you're lazy.
It doesn't mean you're losing momentum.
And it definitely doesn't mean you're weak.

Rest is a tool.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your health is get another hour of sleep.

Sometimes it's taking a day off from exercise.

Sometimes it's sitting outside for 20 minutes without your phone.

Sometimes it's saying no to something you don't have the capacity for.

Sometimes it's going for an easy walk instead of doing another hard workout.

And sometimes it's doing absolutely nothing productive for a little while.

That's okay too.

Here's the important distinction:
There's a difference between resting and quitting.

Quitting says:
“I'm done.”

Rest says:
“I'm recovering so I can come back.”

One ends the process.
The other helps you continue it.

And if your goal is to stay strong, healthy and active for decades (not just the next 30 days) you need to learn how to use both.

Work when it's time to work.
Push when it's appropriate to push.
And rest when your body and mind need rest.

You don't earn extra points for running yourself into the ground.

YOUR CHALLENGE
Sometime this week, intentionally schedule a little recovery.

Not because you've “earned it.”
Not because you're being lazy.

Because recovery belongs in your toolbox just like discipline, consistency and hard work do.

The strongest people aren't always the ones who can push the hardest.

Sometimes they're the ones who have learned when not to.

Pour yourself a cup of ambition go have a great day on purpose.

Dolly Parton Never Got the Memo

Dolly Parton apparently never got the memo about getting older.

Slow down.
Step aside.
You've done enough.
Let somebody younger take over.

Dolly had a different idea.

She continued creating.
Working.
Giving.
Learning.
Showing up.

I think one of the biggest mistakes we can make as we age is slowly shrinking our lives.

We stop doing certain things because they're harder.
Then we stop going certain places.
Then we stop trying new things.
And eventually our world gets a little smaller.

That's one reason I believe so strongly in what we do at RPF.

We're not exercising just so we can say we exercised.
We're training so we can keep participating in our own lives.

Strong enough to travel.
Strong enough to play with grandchildren.
Strong enough to carry our own groceries.
Confident enough to get down on the floor and know we can get back up.
Healthy enough to keep saying YES when opportunities come along.

Dolly's life also reminds us that purpose doesn't have an expiration date.

I believe that's part of aging well, too.

It's not just asking:
How do I stay young?

It's asking:
How do I stay useful?
How do I keep contributing?
How do I keep helping?
How do I keep experiencing things?
How do I keep becoming someone?

Your strongest years don't have to be behind you.
Your most meaningful contribution doesn't have to be behind you either.

So keep moving.
Keep learning.
Keep helping.
Keep showing up.

And maybe take a little inspiration from Dolly:

Don't spend so much time worrying about getting older that you forget to keep living.

Rest In Peace Dolly.
Thank you for the example of a life well lived.

There is SO much information out there about how to improve your health! But what actually works? What do you need to avoid? And what specific things do you really need to do after 50?

We will cover all that and more in this free workshop next month. It is free, but spots are limited.

Please register by scanning the QR code or you can check out the link in the comments.