Our trainers: How was the mental challenge? Part 3

What was the hardest part of the journey for you?

The mental challenge was probably the hardest part of my prep journey. It was definitely physically demanding but I feel like most of the time we can push ourselves harder but it's our mind that's stopping us from doing it.

For example in a fitness class doing a plank, you can definitely hold that plank for longer than you think you can- it's your mind that is telling you to stop. You have to push past that voice in your head, which happened a lot for me.

At a lot of the stages of my journey, I wanted to give up or skip my cardio/ workout because I was physically and mentally drained. But I had a goal to get onto the stage and I had my why- which was to prove to myself more than anyone that even with PCOS I would be able to stand on stage next to the other competitors and not look out of place.

I feel like with any fitness journey you have to have your reason for doing it and it has to be for you only. if you're doing it for someone else you're not going to stick with it or push yourself past your comfort levels.

To succeed in anything you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone and get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Sacrifice some immediate happiness for long term happiness. 

What did your friends and family think about you competing?

Having a good support system is also something that got me through it- my partner was so supportive of my journey even if he didn't understand it not being in fitness himself. He made sure I pushed past the days when I felt like I wanted to quit because he knew it was important to me.

Having someone to support you on your fitness journey whether that's weight loss or general fitness is so much more important than people talk about.

I have a lot of clients who end up ruining their progress because of a toxic relationship being with someone who sabotages their diet because they are not on one themselves. This can be due to jealousy or even worrying about that partner losing the weight and leaving them for someone else....among many other potential reasons. If someone cares about you they will support whatever you choose to do, even if they don't completely understand it themselves.  

Were you ever in a position where you thought you might quit?

Learning how to say "no" to people was a very hard part of prep as I'm a people pleaser and find it hard to say no as I feel like I'm letting them down. I had to say no to social events, and food among other things and I had to get comfortable with that because of my end goal.

It taught me a lot about self-care and putting myself first because  I feel like a lot of us don't like to say no even if it's for the benefit of our own wellbeing. You're allowed to say no if you don't want to, it doesn't make you boring or a horrible person! 

Keep up to date with Jess by following her @coachedbyjessie or by emailing her at jess@retrofitlondon.com