Hi everyone, Finally, a long awaited update.
Here are my excuses:
- A little laziness - just coming home from work and putting my feet up and spending time with loved ones.
- Over all, a bit of a lull in motivation with regards to home workouts - once I'm finished my Personal Training sessions, I am outta there and heading home to relax!
I have realised that I need to re-organise everything and try to limit my time in the studio, spend more time online again and work towards a big move .... 😉 Yep, the plan is finally in motion and I am working towards relocating to the USA (hopefully by the end of this year). However, I have decided to begin the long process of registering as a nurse over there to help with both income and securing a more long-term visa. Being a trainer is still as important to me, but I am not sure I will have the immediate job security (and healthcare) that I would get as a nurse... considering my medical condition etc. If I take steps to securing my nursing registration, then I will have more freedom to continue with my blog, online training and the occasional stint of travel. Which is worth it to me 🙂
The last few weeks have really drilled home just how much I value everything that I have achieved and all the amazing opportunities that have come my way because of my blog. And, if anyone knows of somewhere willing to take on an intern for a few months to learn new Training Skills, then I am open to any opportunities for that 🙂 The more training I get as a trainer, the better I will be. After all, we never stop being students.
In a couple of days I will be jetting off to the USA for 2 weeks. Phoenix, Kentucky and Kansas City are my destinations. Hopefully I will be able to share a few travel workouts and some fun stuff along the way. I'll be hanging out with Bret Contreras (Phoenix), Nia Shanks (Kentucky) and many more friends in Kansas (at the Fitness Summit), so there should be a lot to tell you. I am super excited!
Next, the other day, I mentioned on Facebook I was writing a post on Supersets ... this is one yet to be completed, but in the meantime I bring you this brand new conditioning workout from home 😀
Before I show you the workout, there was something else I wanted to talk about. From time to time, I get messages from people thanking me for being such an inspiration to them. They often refer to their fitness/weight/body image struggles and they will often thank me from helping them through it, or making them see there is hope. When I get these messages, my immediate response is to feel like a complete fraud. WHY? Because I am still struggling with many of the same issues as them and I want to be free of these things as much as the person messaging me and then ACTUALLY be able to help them with a sure-fire way of winning the war they are fighting. I feel that I should have it sussed and I should be without these issues. The truth is, I am not! I am exactly the same as many of you: fighting my own war, battle to battle and struggling with demons that seem to pop up right when I think I have things under control. Feeling like a fraud is an extension of my negative self-talk, because when I think about it rationally, I realise that actually no one *really* expects me to be perfect - I just think they do. All this does is knock my confidence more and increases my self-condemnation for failing in some way. This is so crazy! Lately, I have picked up on a few triggers for this stuff. It might be helpful for you to think for a minute about what sets these thoughts and feelings off. Here are some of mine:
- Stress!
- I have a looming holiday where I will be in my bikini (and we all know the demons that come out with that one!)
- I have gained weight and some clothes are tighter :-/ This is one of the toughest ones to feel better about, because you either start doing something about it or, like me, you sabotage yourself even more under the stress/panic response.
- I am meeting a lot of new people soon. People who have read my blog and watched my workouts for a long time. Being a shy(ish) person, I stress about living up to people's expectations of me and this manifests in worrying about how I look even more!
What I do know is that I am not the only one who experiences these things. The only thing I want to convey here is that there is no magic answer that will cure you of every negative thought about yourself. They have a habit of coming back time and time again. But knowing that, in itself, is a power over it by remembering that each phase passes and you do get through that period of particular difficulty. Just like I said in my "Beyond the Crest of a Wave" article, you must keep your eyes on the forest rather than focus on the tree that appears to be blocking the path. And, FYI, just because I am writing this, does not mean I am successful at this all of the time. In fact, I am writing this for myself equally as much as I am writing it for you. Hopefully we can help each other through the periods when things become less clear by talking about it.
Just know that I understand and I am on your side to beating this stuff 🙂
The Workout
Set your Gymboss Classic Interval Timer for 6 cycles of 20 seconds rest and 40 seconds effort. Complete 2 rounds of the following 3 Triplets.
Triplet 1
- Thruster (right) (16kg) (12, 10)
- Thruster (left) (16kg) (11, 10)
- Two-Handed KB Swing (20kg) (29, 29)
Triplet 2
- Alternating Reverse Lunge (20kg) (18, 19)
- Burpee (10, 10) :/
- Alternating Swing (20kg) --> didn't count
Triplet 3
- Alternating Bent Over Row (20kg) (12, 10)
- Long Lever Plank Hold
- Roundabout Swing (20kg) --> no point in counting
And that's a wrap for today. Boy did I miss my workouts 😀
Hope you enjoy the workout and I hope you will comment on the other stuff. Even if you never struggle with these things, it's good to hear from you 🙂
Cheers,
Marianne
Hi everyone, Finally, a long awaited update. Here are my excuses:
- Busy and distracted with a lot of changes – Good changes 🙂
- A little laziness – just coming home from work and putting my feet up and spending time with loved ones.
- Over all, a bit of a lull in motivation with regards to home workouts – once I’m finished my Personal Training sessions, I am outta there and heading home to relax!
I have realised that I need to re-organise everything and try to limit my time in the studio, spend more time online again and work towards a big move …. 😉 Yep, the plan is finally in motion and I am working towards relocating to the USA (hopefully by the end of this year). However, I have decided to begin the long process of registering as a nurse over there to help with both income and securing a more long-term visa. Being a trainer is still as important to me, but I am not sure I will have the immediate job security (and healthcare) that I would get as a nurse… considering my medical condition etc. If I take steps to securing my nursing registration, then I will have more freedom to continue with my blog, online training and the occasional stint of travel. Which is worth it to me 🙂
The last few weeks have really drilled home just how much I value everything that I have achieved and all the amazing opportunities that have come my way because of my blog. And, if anyone knows of somewhere willing to take on an intern for a few months to learn new Training Skills, then I am open to any opportunities for that 🙂 The more training I get as a trainer, the better I will be. After all, we never stop being students.
In a couple of days I will be jetting off to the USA for 2 weeks. Phoenix, Kentucky and Kansas City are my destinations. Hopefully I will be able to share a few travel workouts and some fun stuff along the way. I’ll be hanging out with Bret Contreras (Phoenix), Nia Shanks (Kentucky) and many more friends in Kansas (at the Fitness Summit), so there should be a lot to tell you. I am super excited!
Next, the other day, I mentioned on Facebook I was writing a post on Supersets … this is one yet to be completed, but in the meantime I bring you this brand new conditioning workout from home 😀
Before I show you the workout, there was something else I wanted to talk about. From time to time, I get messages from people thanking me for being such an inspiration to them. They often refer to their fitness/weight/body image struggles and they will often thank me from helping them through it, or making them see there is hope. When I get these messages, my immediate response is to feel like a complete fraud. WHY? Because I am still struggling with many of the same issues as them and I want to be free of these things as much as the person messaging me and then ACTUALLY be able to help them with a sure-fire way of winning the war they are fighting. I feel that I should have it sussed and I should be without these issues. The truth is, I am not! I am exactly the same as many of you: fighting my own war, battle to battle and struggling with demons that seem to pop up right when I think I have things under control. Feeling like a fraud is an extension of my negative self-talk, because when I think about it rationally, I realise that actually no one *really* expects me to be perfect – I just think they do. All this does is knock my confidence more and increases my self-condemnation for failing in some way. This is so crazy! Lately, I have picked up on a few triggers for this stuff. It might be helpful for you to think for a minute about what sets these thoughts and feelings off. Here are some of mine:
- Stress!
- I have a looming holiday where I will be in my bikini (and we all know the demons that come out with that one!)
- I have gained weight and some clothes are tighter :-/ This is one of the toughest ones to feel better about, because you either start doing something about it or, like me, you sabotage yourself even more under the stress/panic response.
- I am meeting a lot of new people soon. People who have read my blog and watched my workouts for a long time. Being a shy(ish) person, I stress about living up to people’s expectations of me and this manifests in worrying about how I look even more!
What I do know is that I am not the only one who experiences these things. The only thing I want to convey here is that there is no magic answer that will cure you of every negative thought about yourself. They have a habit of coming back time and time again. But knowing that, in itself, is a power over it by remembering that each phase passes and you do get through that period of particular difficulty. Just like I said in my “Beyond the Crest of a Wave” article, you must keep your eyes on the forest rather than focus on the tree that appears to be blocking the path. And, FYI, just because I am writing this, does not mean I am successful at this all of the time. In fact, I am writing this for myself equally as much as I am writing it for you. Hopefully we can help each other through the periods when things become less clear by talking about it.
Just know that I understand and I am on your side to beating this stuff 🙂
The Workout
Set your Gymboss Classic Interval Timer for 6 cycles of 20 seconds rest and 40 seconds effort. Complete 2 rounds of the following 3 Triplets.
Triplet 1
- Thruster (right) (16kg) (12, 10)
- Thruster (left) (16kg) (11, 10)
- Two-Handed KB Swing (20kg) (29, 29)
- Alternating Reverse Lunge (20kg) (18, 19)
- Burpee (10, 10) :/
- Alternating Swing (20kg) –> didn’t count
- Alternating Bent Over Row (20kg) (12, 10)
- Long Lever Plank Hold
- Roundabout Swing (20kg) –> no point in counting
Awesome workout Marianne,
Proves you don’t need anything fancy to put some serious work in.
Best of luck getting sorted in the USA, I’m sure you will make it work.
Hi Marianne,
I hadn’t caught up on your blog in a while but popping on today and finding this post – the timing was perfect! I am so encouraged and inspired by your wisdom and insight. Thank you. I really needed someone to commiserate and say those words to me today and here’s your lovely face on video doing just that!
Since deciding to follow my passion and become a fitness professional, I’ve really put the pressure on myself to look perfect (the more I learn about how I should be exercising and eating, the harder it seems to get) – and it’s taken me back down a self-critical road I thought I’d moved past! It’s nice to hear that for most people this is a fight much like what they say about success or happiness: it’s not something you arrive at. We have to do our best at living life as it is and appreciating what we have right now. Mentally, I get this, but a part of me wants to scream in frustration: WHY does it have to be a constant battle?!
I’d also like to put in a plug for a visit to the Pacific Northwest! You just might fall in love with the beautiful scenery and people over here 🙂
That’s what I said! It’s a pretty beautiful place!
Love your workouts. My husband is out on his bike this morning, toddler is still in bed so I am confined to the house. But do I have to forgo exercise? Oh no, cos there’s a fabulous KB workout to do! And so if I achieve nothing else today, I have done some good solid training. And this one was perfect for checking on the sleeping toddler – do a 6 minute round, check on toddler, do another round, check on toddler etc. LOL.
I have to laugh (in a good way) at your comment about feeling like a fraud. I feel EXACTLY the same. I have competed in triathlons for years (I hesitate to call myself a “triathlete” cos I feel like, you know, a fraud!) and every time I turn up at an event I feel like one of the event organisers is going to go “hey you! Yes you! You’re not a triathlete, you’re a fraud. Get out of here!”. And yet, I have performed pretty well over the years, if I do say so – I have placed high in my age group and even won my age group at a number of events.
As I have gotten a little older (I am now 40), I have started to realise that I will never be “done”. I will never sort my issues out and go “there that’s finished”. It will always be a work in progress and progress will never be linear. Progress will be two steps forward, one step back, turn around in circles, go sideways, and then maybe a little bit more forward. Fitness is the same, its never “done” and you can sit back and relax.
Your own expectations of yourself are always the highest (mine certainly are). Rationally you know you are your own worst critic, but I know its hard to change. But as many of the others have said, no one expects you to be perfect. As a matter of fact, people that come across as perfect come across as unreal and unattainable – like a face that has had extensive plastic surgery and can no longer move naturally. It looks lovely, but…
But take it from me, and many previous commenters, I LIKE your humanity. I can relate to it. And in a way it will make you a better trainer as you can relate to others struggles with their issues. Naturally when you are under stress these things are going to be made worse. Its easy to be happy when everything is going well!
Be kind to yourself and just keep heading in a general forward direction. Maybe not the best advice, but its what I am trying to do.
Hope you had a great time in the US.
Lori, thank you 🙂 You sound just like me! I’m glad I am not alone in this 🙂
I am ssssooo excited for you to finally be making the trip to the US. I hope you have a wonderful trip and get to meet lots of great and amazing people!!
Good luck Marianne. I’m leaving to go to Oz at the end of this year. It’s a hard decision but the market is bigger for your job and you know there’s a good chance of happiness. You should be proud that you are helping people in both of your jobs. Some of us can only hope that are jobs make some kind of impact!
Hi Marianne,
I have followed and loved your website for the past 2years. I’ve made incredible gains over that time. More importantly, they’ve been very healthy gains as I too have had issues with my body and unrealistic goals for it. So now that I’m in a healthy place with my body, I’ve also discovered that I’m 5 weeks pregnant!!! Ecstatic!!!!! However, where does that leave me with my kettlebell training? I’ve continued training but eased up with the weight and HIIT. I take my time through my sets. Any advice for an expectant mom who loves kettlebells and does not want to give it up during pregnancy ;))
Thank you
Kristy
Congratulations Kristy!!! 😀 I’m so happy for you!
It’s not my area of expertise, but if you have already been training, it’s usually fine to continue to train during pregnancy. However, run it by your doc 🙂
Hi Marianne,
First time commenter here 🙂 however, I have been doing your workouts for some time now. I did this routine this morning and I really enjoyed it. I tend to write down the routines I decide on and I showed it to my husband, his response “Good luck with that one”. Well, I did it and it was awesome 🙂
Now, about your blog. My dear, you are far, far, far from a fraud. You are an inspiration to others. Just the fact that you have yourself out there for the world to critique, is awe inspiring in itself. The fact that you have been so honest about this topic has helped me immensely and I am sure others. I, too, feel as though I am beating myself up or sabotaging myself at times. As I have gotten older I realize I am not as hard on myself but it is still there to some degree. I am not sure if you have children but I have 4 daughters and this in itself has changed my way of thinking. For me I had to take the focus off my appearance and put the focus on health. So, I guess what I am trying to say is, as you go through life things will come up, things will change, which in turn will change your way of thinking to some degree. I am not saying what you are going through will go away completely because, for me, it didn’t. Just how much I focused on it changed. Not sure if me commenting will help in any way but I was so inspired by your honesty, I just felt the need to comment 🙂 So, just keep doing what you are doing girl. Your true spirit does shine through in your videos. To me, you have always come across as a sweet, lovely, strong, young lady.
Cheers
Violet
Violet, firstly I want to say that you must inspire your daughters so much by your attitude 🙂
Secondly, thank you for your encouraging words. I appreciate it very much. I am slowly learning this 🙂
Thank you Marianne. I have noticed my daughters picking up on things I do in workouts and recognizing the importance of what we all eat. I do believe they learn from what they see not from what they hear because I am sure, most times, they are not really hearing me 🙂
Truth be told my dear, we are all slow learners 🙂 but the way I see it, if we are learning, we are growing. Chin up girl, I think you are amazing.
Btw, I recently got my husband on board with your home workouts. Now he comes to me and asks what his routine is for the next day. They are challenging for him but he is loving it.
Haha, LOVE IT! 😀
You’re impossible !!!!!!! But really okay. A tip for your bikine problem in fitting…. just do less squatting, swings and hip-trusts.. The curves will get less… with a deminishing butt-muscle. And, watch out for to much sunburn.. Irisch woman. Maybe avoid the sun in bikini,.. because it gives you a big white ass !!!
Only go for a short time at the nudist-beach.
Hey Marianne,
I feel like the luckiest person for stumbling onto your blog etc. You are so refreshing! I real woman,super talented too! I hope you realize some day how many lives you’ve touched just being you:) BTW: Please move to LI NY!
Thank you for your honesty, I personally am weary of people trainers who are peppy happy and perfect 100% of the time, that is what I would consider fake.
We are always our own worst critics.
In terms of you moving to the US I wish you luck and really don’t think you will find it difficult to find work as a nurse.
Keep us posted.
Marianne – you got this. Let the things you can’t hold on to go. And hold on to the things you know that are TRUE. Your faith. Your personality. Your qualities that make you YOU. Everything will come into place with patience, hard working, and trust.
Always have been a fan,
Heidi
Thanks, Heidi, your comment means a lot to me 🙂
I’d say that most of us are in awe of you, as you have a gorgeous body, you’ve made tremendous progress in the last 18 months AND you are incredibly honest.
However, I have been using the Get Glutes program plus some ab work, almost exclusively since it started, and I have to say that the conditioning workouts are not nearly as demanding as your HIIT workouts, and I feel I have lost some endurance and yes, my clothes are a little tighter.
I think I’ll have to sub your HIIT workouts for the conditioning phase. So saying, I loved this workout, and it was surprisingly difficult.
Glad you are back, and I hope you move some place close! Good luck
~ Gillian
PS. Get Glutes does seem to have made a difference: I worked through bad Piriformis pain, and now it’s gone. I think it was mostly glute weakness, and despite being limited to Kettlebells ( tough for hip thrusts), I know I am stronger.
Hey Gillian. Glad that you are seeing results from GG. We deliberately designed the conditioning workout to be short, and not crazy, because we want women to get better results from the strength side of things. There will be people who respond well to more conditioning, but generally, women tend to believe that more conditioning, more sweaty cardio type workouts, get them better results, which is not the case. The size you have gained is probably muscle. Is it mostly in the legs and butt your clothes are tighter?
If you find that you need more of a conditioning challenge, then feel free to do my workouts maybe twice a week, along with 3 strength workouts from GG. The strength gains might also be from doing less intense conditioning. Often you have to sacrifice strength for conditioning and endurance. I guess it all depends on what you want more 🙂
Good to see you commenting again. Missed you around here.
I hope we’ll get to meet some time 🙂
You look absolutely fab in your top photo.
Dont stress and focus on the positive. 🙂
I own a kettlebell training facility and constantly feel guilty about my own fitness imperfections, inability to say no to “bad” foods, and lack of energy when it comes to my own workouts. I preach that the scale doesn’t matter, yet I know that at 120lbs I’m lean and confident, but at 130 I feel like a slob. It does make you feel like a fraud, but people like you are so important because it allows others to see that some of the most respected people in fitness have the same issues. There are people in the fitness world who are able to live 100% on plan, but the number who actually do it versus the one who pretend are few and far between. Thank you for helping me maintain my sanity today and inspiring me to be better tomorrow.
There is an immense pressure on fitness professionals to be “perfect”, but I reckon most of that pressure is self-imposed. We are so hard on ourselves, and it’s the same for everyone. I’m sure you do an amazing job, Nicole 🙂
Oh and Oregon and Washington don’t have any shale rock so they will never be fraked for gas! A huge plus. And the gorge is the windsurfing hubbub of the states. You might take that up, lol!
Thanks for everything you do!
Hi Marianne,
To hear you say that is quite something. I don’t think you’re a fraud at all! You do the work and you have the results. I don’t see a flaw on your body! If I had your body physic I would not have a problem being in a bikini. But as I say and think that, I bet if and when ( hopefully) I get there or close to it, I would likely say they same thing as you are. My husband once said, there is not one woman who does not have issues with her body! I’m think that’s true!
You are inspiring though, I have followed you for awhile now and you do get me going to do another workout. Although I have not changed much in my body I keep on going, one day I will figure it out! I just bought the Strong Curves book and have started it, I still have to read all of it, but have started the workouts but I have to say I miss yours, so I will keep on adding them to my cardio days cause they are much more fun! And I am getting a bench and 265lbs of weights this week to get moving on strengthening more. I do feel a difference in my glutes, I just can’t wait until you can see a difference.
I get in the lulls like you but then someone bring my back to reality that I look good and not to fret. And I am healthy, really healthy, that is so much to be grateful for.
So exciting you are moving to the states! Let me tell you , I’m from Canada, not quite as far as you ,but my husband is a nurse and that is how we got here. That is a good way to go. We live in the Gorge, such a beautiful place, take a look out here for jobs. That is near Portland Or, there should be jobs in the Portland or Vancouver WA, gets harder to find rurally , which is where we are, but the cities are nice and only and hour away from us, with tons and tons of hiking and skiing, and biking, it’s pretty awesome.
Nursing will get you your visa , then you can get your green card, and after 4 years you can be a citizen, if you want. We have just become citizens last week! Pretty exciting, but we did not have to give up our Canadian citizenship.
Have fun on your visit. Pheonix is only a 3 hour plane ride I think.lol
Take care and good luck.
Sorry this was so long
Sue
Well if someone who is clearly fit and strong can feel like that I don’t feel quite so bad about kicking my own arse about not being rid of my belly yet : )
Seriously though it takes a lot of strength to be that honest on so public a forum ,you have my respect
Another fabulous post! It is your honesty and transparency that draws people to you and for the to seek you out. God knows that I have on many occasions! 😉
And if everyone else is like me, they don’t get in touch for advice so much as for a supportive and understanding ear (or eye in the case of email). I am sure that I can say all of your regular readers more then appreciate your candid posts especially on the journey to self love. We all struggle. We all fall. We all can rise up – and a little support never hurts.
I think that there are many situations in all of our lives where we feel like a fraud from time to time. I think it goes to show that our message IS getting out there and when we meet those people face to face, they are so grateful to use for sharing that they don’t ever judge us the way that we judge ourselves.
Thank you for all that you do.
Lesley
xoxo
Thanks, Lesley. When I think about it, I do know that understanding and support far out-weigh anything else. Because who does have everything sussed anyway? We are all imperfect and we are all “struggling” with different things, so if I can help in some small way, then it’s worth being open about these things. There are many more things I have to be grateful for, and I do thank God for them every day, but there are lows too :/
Thank you for commenting and I hope you are doing well xoxo
Your honesty in itself is inspiring. Of course we all struggle, and being someone who aspires toward a professional career in the fitness industry, I know very well how difficult it is to always keep our own practice aligned with what we are asking others to do. While we may have lulls in our motivation and dedication to our own self-discipline, it is necessary that we always exude a strong and motivational air. It is hard. That you are honest about your own struggles inspires trust and it makes you someone that we can all relate to. Thank you for that.
Thanks, Megan. We are our own toughest critics, and I know that I am too hard on myself at times. Thank you for your kind words 🙂 I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Hi Marianne. . I have followed you for a while now and you have never claimed to be perfect. You are human just like the rest of us. It will happen. As you get older you will learn to appreciate yourself much more. Once you are in ☀California, let me know. I would enjoy taking a training session with you. Have a safe and fun trip to the states.
Oh, I can’t wait to visit Cali one day. I will definitely make it there!
Wow, Marianne ! That IS a big change ! Do you know where in the states you’re going to live yet ? I wish you good luck with all the exams and with everything else. This way my chances of meeting you increase a little bit :).
I have an idea, but I need to see where I can be placed as a nurse 🙂
All I can say is “choose a warm place”. This last winter seemed endless !
Tell me about it. The winter in Ireland is still lingering 🙁
I’ve been lucky with the weather so far! Hot in Phoenix and Kentucky. But Kansas is due a spell of cold over the next few days 🙁