Anxious to join your first fitness class alone? Are you worried about being judged by others? You're not alone. Trainer Cheryl Coppa shares her fitness journey which started rather late in her life, and how she overcame her fear of being an absolute beginner to directing and leading fitness programs
Trainer Cheryl Coppa Before and After
By Cheryl Coppa “Allow yourself to be a beginner. No one starts off being excellent. - Wendy Flynn
Being a beginner in fitness is hard. Especially if you think it’s something you should already have going for you. Then we find ourselves in the downward spiral of doubt voices in our head saying:
“I’m too old”, “I'm too overweight”, “ I’m too tired”, “I’m too late”, “I don’t have the energy”, "I don’t have the courage“, “I don’t have what it takes”.
We could go on and on with this negative talk of all the reasons and excuses why we can’t begin.
I see you, the beginner, wishing you started a long time ago.
👉🏽 I see the fear of trying something new and not knowing where or even how to start.
👉🏽 I see the doubt, all the what ifs.
👉🏽 I see that your goals seem so far off.
👉🏽 I see you are tired, how could you possibly have the energy to do this?
👉🏽 I see you are busy. How could you possibly make time for this?
👉🏽 I see you are stiff and your body aches. How is it even possible to move my body this way?
"I see you, the beginner, wishing you started a long time ago. Most of us don’t even know what it feels like to feel good, feel confident, and pain-free in our own skin.", Trainer, Cheryl Coppa
FLIP THE SCRIPT!
What if you looked at being a beginner as an amazing opportunity? An opportunity that does not come with limits? Not in age, location, or ability? Let me share with you my beginning.
I did not start my fitness journey until my 3rd pregnancy. Dabbled into fitness while 6 months pregnant wanting to be healthier than my previous pregnancies. The moment I got the “go-ahead” from my doctor after my delivery, I jumped right in. No guidance and I cringe now thinking of the things I did! I'm so glad my pelvic floor survived that time (barely). I remember I went for my first 1-mile run. I had a babysitter come watch the kids, so I could go for a run around the neighborhood. Oh my gosh, it took me 13 minutes to run a mile! But I was so proud. I came home and I told my babysitter I did a mile in 13 minutes. When she told me her mile time, I lost my joy, lol. But now, I have something to work towards - Increasing my speed and cutting that time down even just by 10 seconds at a time. So I started to do that!
Now, I felt I could try an insanity class that a good friend convinced me to try. OMG, need I elaborate on this?? The class was FULL, the instructors were so fit, it was so intimidating, and I was terrified. I chose the deepest corner in the back, so far back that I could not see myself in the mirror and that is what I wanted.
My workout clothes were layered because I was so self-conscious about my mom's belly. Everything was SO HARD, I could hardly do any of it. My feet were like bricks. I could not jump like the class was jumping. But I chose to keep going, show up scared and my heart racing with anxiety about how hard it was and thinking about what an idiot I must look like and much I sucked at it. I did it scared, I did it afraid, but I still showed up to practice and do my best whatever that meant. So now I had 2 challenges: cutting time off my run, and facing the fear, the terror of going to class.
This is seriously what it was for me in the beginning. But I had a solid measuring point. As time went on, my run started to get faster, even just 10 seconds at a time, and my body started to adapt to the demands I was putting on it. Small little improvements were measures of SUCCESS. I kept at it. I was able to get my mile to 7 minutes and 22 seconds. I made my way from the farthest back corner of the class to the front of the class, to then the instructor. to then a trainer. and then a program creator! I would have never imagined this would be me in a million years. My family as well would have never imagined it. I was the shy girl, you never heard from me. Fitness became my drug and unlocked pieces of my true self. Fitness empowered me, it was my antidepressant, my drug of choice for anxiety, unlocking a new layer of creativity, confidence, and opportunities.
The health changes and the body changes of course happened, they always will if you can draw more of your focus to other measures of success.
My message to you, DO IT SCARED, DO IT AS A BEGINNER! “ Never give up on a goal because of the time it will take to get there, time passes anyway.’ You are NOT TOO OLD, you are not too late. If you don’t have the energy, if you have the extra weight, if you don’t have the courage then you NEED to be a beginner, embrace this!
"In the first HIIT class, I was terrified. I chose the deepest corner in the back, so far back that I could not see myself in the mirror. Everything was SO HARD, I could hardly do any of it. My feet were like bricks. I could not jump like the class was jumping. But I kept going and little by little my body started to adapt to the demands I was putting on it", Trainer Cheryl Coppa
Opportunities for health and deeper parts of yourself await, more energy, more confidence, less pain, fewer meds or NO MEDS, longevity, reversing the aging process, better sleep, better sex, better skin, brighter smile, YES all of this and so much more!
Most of us don’t even know what it feels like to feel good. Feel good, confident, and pain-free in your own skin. Being able to move your body the ways they were designed to be moved. There really is so much power and healing in movement.
FLIP THE SCRIPT!
There is power in being a beginner and you have a solid measuring point, you can ONLY succeed in SO MANY WAYS! The best part is, are you ready for this? There is a place for you, there is a community of women just like you, that are in this SAME situation. With professional guidance, there is no guesswork. There is a plan that can be made just for you. You are not too old!
I read this amazing study recently where these women were in their 60s and were able to reverse the age of their heart function by decades!! Incredible! Read it HERE for yourself! I have often fallen into that thought process of “I wish I started this sooner “. I immediately have to FLIP THE SCRIPT and be grateful that I DID find it regardless of when it was. Here comes another quote, lol “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” C.S. Lewis. Let me be your trainer, as a beginner, let’s take small successful steps at your own pace and your own ability and BE EXCITED for what the journey will bring you. Feel free to contact me anytime with any questions or concerns you have: cheryl@olakaola.com Yours, Cheryl
About Cheryl Coppa
✔️ A certified Core Confidence Specialist (Core and Pelvic Floor retraining)
✔️ A certified Personal Trainer specializing in women's fitness over 40
✔️ Low-Pressure Fitness / Hypopressive certified by creator Dr. Tamara Rial
✔️ Pre/postnatal corrective exercise specialist
✔️Instructor of the Pelvic Floor Health program, Ola Ka Ola
✔️ 41 years young, wife & mother of 3