Because You Can….Can I really?

I am thrilled to launch my new website, complete with a new look and new name.  Because You Can Fitness was born from years of working with clients and realizing the incredible potential that we all possess.  It was also born from realizing that we often doubt and limit ourselves.  Sometimes we need a push from someone who can see beyond our self-imposed limitations.

“Really?  Are you sure?”

I’m a firm believer that we are capable of so much more than we think we are.  I was once a very underweight fashion model.  Who knew that lying dormant in that skinny body was a nationally ranked natural bodybuilder?

Many times when I ask a client to do a new exercise or to increase the weight on the bar, they ask “Really?  Are you sure?” And I respond “Yes, because you can”. And guess what? They can.

I think I can, I think I can, I know I can

There’s a term we use in psychology and personal training called “self-efficacy”.  It’s defined as “one’s belief in one’s ability to succeed in specific situations” (1).  This is a fancy way to say that the more you think you can, the more you believe you can, well, the more you can.

Research shows us that the higher our self-efficacy, the better choices we make with our physical activity.  On top of that, research clearly shows that having someone (for example a trainer) reinforce our efforts and progress, provide us with instruction and an action plan as well as set  graded tasks (ex: increasing the difficulty of an exercise), significantly increases a person’s self-efficacy and physical activity behavior (2).

I have seen this time and time again with my clients.  Here’s an example:

“We started working with Lynne Sept 2015, and have been working with her weekly ever since.  She works with us together (we are sisters), and tailors our workouts to our individual needs.   Lynne is exceptional at challenging us to strive to push our personal boundaries (even when we think we cannot do something).  She keeps us motivated, and we swear it is the fastest hour of the week!”             – D.Trenchuk and C. Gorsline

 

The more you work at something, the better you get.  In training, the stronger and more capable you are, the more you want to do.  You start to realize that you are able to push through your self-imposed barriers and to reach new heights.

#becauseyoucan  

You can hashtag just about anything these days.   Try #becauseyoucan and you’ll be inundated with posts about people trying new things, going further and expressing an immense pride in the fact that they’ve accomplished something they once thought impossible.

We all start somewhere.  The important thing is to start. Then keep going.  It’s not always easy.  In fact some days it’s downright hard.  But you’ll reap the rewards in the end.

We’re designed to move.  Find something you love to do and get started.  If you’re not sure what type of movement/exercise would suit you best, give me a shout and we can discuss some options.   Because I truly believe that you can.

1.Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. (2013). CSEP-PATH Physical Activity Training for Health. Ottawa, ON. Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology.

2.Williams, S.L. & French, D.P. (2011). What are the most effective intervention techniques for changing physical activity self-efficacy and physical activity behaviour—and are they the same?   Health Education Research. https://academic.oup.com/her/article/26/2/308/583895/What-are-the-most-effective-intervention

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