You Are Enough

Working in the fitness industry, it’s all about image. But I’ve noticed no matter how good we look, or how hard we try, it’s never enough. 

I’ve noticed that most of us are chasing perfection instead of happiness.

 How many of us have compared ourselves to someone on Instagram, watched what they eat, or how they work out, and then felt inadequate? I know I’m guilty. It’s so easy to look at a curated life on social media and think, “If I just eat what she eats, if I just workout the way she does…” But when we compare ourselves to social media, we are comparing ourselves to appearances that are curated and filtered, not actual lives. Why are we defining our self-worth on something that’s not real? [divider height="30" style="default" line="default" themecolor="0"]

Why can’t we take a compliment from a friend, a significant other, a stranger?

Why do we highlight the parts of ourselves we’re least comfortable withinstead of being proud of what our bodies can accomplish?

Why do we define a day as being “good” or “bad” based onwhat we eat and whether we work out?

 [divider height="30" style="default" line="default" themecolor="0"]I had a goal this summer: To look good in a bathing suit. But now I’m changing it, not because I don’t care how I look in a bathing suit, but because I’d rather focus on how I feel in my bathing suit. I want to feel confident. And I want you to feel confident, too.  I built Ascend on the idea that we are the owners of our workout, always working towards a better version of ourselves. Ascend instructors teach you to own your ride, helping you understand the physiology of the workout so you can harness your power and turn it into a more satisfying workout.Yes, you can lose weight with our Ascend cycle rides; yes, you can tone and build lean muscle with our Underground workouts. Yes, you can change make physical changes to your body. But the studio is about so much more than that – it’s about showing up for yourself, it’s about digging deeper than you thought you were capable of, it’s about unlocking the mental strength to keep pushing those sprints, to keep adding weight to your reps. It’s about a supportive community that shows up for each other. It’s about you.  But now I have to clarify a few things: you don’t need me, or my studio, to make yourself better. You need you. 

And you are enough, just the way you are.

 We are enough when we believe we are enough. We are enough when we realize our true potential, when we uncover it, is limitless.My goal with Ascend is to give you the space to unlock your limitless potential and to build your self-confidence. It’s a place to defy your own self-doubt on the bike or in Underground and become the person you are underneath the negative narrative on repeat in your mind.  I want you to stop looking to others to determine your self-worth and instead look inward. Choose a lifestyle that works for you, doing things that make you feel confident, eating foods that make you feel good, working out and resting when you need to. Because it’s not about anyone else – it’s about you.This summer, let’s work on the build-up, not the teardown. Let’s work on the healthy ways to hit our goals – the self-care, the time dedicated to the things we love, the forgiveness when we fail. Let’s practice affirmations, let’s surround ourselves with positive people, let’s speak our accomplishments aloud. Let’s ask our friends to do the same.I’m a work in progress, but I’m starting my new summer goal today. No more doubting myself. No more comparisons. No more judgement. Right now, I’m enough.And so are you.