“You’re just weak”, Ash said to me 5 years ago in 2020. It was probably one of the most offensive things anyone could say.

I had always prided myself on being a strong, capable person. As a kid, if I wasn’t smart in academics, at least I was athletic. If I couldn’t recite all the capitals of the US, at least I could get on a horse and figure out how to ride one. 

So when he told me that the reason why I couldn’t do an exercise was because I was weak, it was a total affront to my emotional wellbeing. Yet, he was right. I just didn’t want to admit that I wasn’t strong somewhere, because then my sense of self might collapse. Well, it didn’t. 

Becoming stronger requires being vulnerable to your weaknesses. Every single person who comes in for the very first time to a personal training session at our studio must be confronted with the fact that they have physical weaknesses. We all do. Some of us know better than others how to work on them. This is what we do at the studio. We work on what we need, not what makes us feel good about ourselves. That comes eventually with time anyway. The crucial part of starting down the journey of personal training at BK ROOTS Fitness is to be able to trust the trainer enough to allow the weaknesses to be strengthened. 

It takes a certain amount of trust for a new client to be vulnerable in front of someone they don’t know. It’s scary being vulnerable. You don’t know if that person will take advantage of that weakness or not. After living in NYC for 8 years, I had learned not to show any kind of weakness. NOBODY SAYS “I DON’T KNOW” in NYC. It’s not done because the culture is shark-like. If you let your guard down, someone will take your job from you. It’s a cut throat culture. So coming from NY, I was shocked that my personal trainer husband wanted me to accept and work on my physical weaknesses. Getting strong physically, is also a mental and emotional exercise. 

I knew my core was weak when I couldn’t push an IKEA cart. One side of my body wasn’t working the way it was supposed to. This was shocking to me and also eye opening. If one part of your body isn’t functioning the way it is supposed to be (most of us have weak glutes and hamstrings) then the chain of command won’t track. If one link in a chain is broken, the whole chain is broken. Same goes for the body.

The pandemic lockdown forced me to confront my fears of vulnerability and I became stronger as a result of addressing those imbalances. I learned how to listen to my husband. 5 years later our relationship is stronger than ever and so is my body. 

Having an open mind at your first Initial Session at BK ROOTS Fitness is the best approach. We are here to learn and expand ourselves in our flexibility, find more stability in our joints and strengthen the muscles for better output.