One of the upsides to raising a child in a gym (and around the gym environment) is that they see it as a given norm.
That it’s normal to move your body, that it’s normal to make it routine and part of life just like going to school, brushing your teeth, etc.
Our son, Sebastian, has been completely exposed to the gym since he was born.
It’s the only job he’s ever seen me work and, on a given week, Marissa brings him with her for her own workouts: This is how Mama takes care of her body.
And ever since he was old enough to walk, Sebastian has played with dumbbells, kettlebells, weight plates, battle ropes, push sleds, you name it.
On a handful of occasions, he’s seen other children in the gym lifting weights as well. This, of course, sparks the interest that if they’re doing it, he wants to be involved too.
It is fascinating to watch children lift weights, even without cues of how it should be done.
Children are inquisitive, intuitive, and they’re learning how to move their body in space to run, jump, climb, fall, etc.
As Sebastian has grown, he’s tried lifting heavier weights on his own: from a 15lb kettlebell to a 30lb, and a 30lb to a 40lb.
Last week, when he was at the studio, he walked into our hex bar (we call it a trapbar) which, as it was loaded was 105 pounds, didn’t get it off the ground but he did get some play out of the right hand side.
I told him to step outside of it, so I could replace the 25lb plates with 10lb plates and he could give it another try.
After the switch, Sebastian stepped right in, wrapped his hands around the knurled grips, got himself set and pulled the bar straight up.
He was shocked.
I was shocked.
I grabbed my phone and opened up the camera: Sebastian, do it again.
We got footage on that one.
I’ve rarely seen him that impressed with himself. After that, he wanted to conquer every weight in the gym.
There’s a lesson I’d love for you to take from this.
Stay curious about how your body moves.
Find ways to move it.
Stay patient with weights you’ve never been able to lift before and start small to build your strength up.
This applies to how you approach your relationship with food as well.
Make small changes and watch them compound into big movers in your food plan.
Remain curious.
If something works, understand why it works so you can replicate it.
Shortly after Sebastian lifted 75 pounds (as pictured below), I loaded the bar back up to it’s normal 105 and he gave it another try. This time he nailed it.
There’s a lesson there about momentum and motivation too.
So, when you have motivation and you have momentum, stay the course.
Now, Sebastian can’t wait to get back to the gym. He knows what his body can do and he wants to repeat it.
Start small.
Build from there.
