HYROX DIARIES: Entry Eight

They say abs are made in the kitchen, mine started showing up when I stopped making them the goal…

Which is deeply ironic, considering how much of my teenage years and early twenties were spent trying to get rid of my thighs, be smaller and figure out the magic combination of food rules that would finally give me the body I wanted.

A couple weeks ago I shared that I’d been increasing my calories, eating a lot more to compensate for the volume of training and support my recovery. In all honesty, that is my primary focus right now. How to fuel for my training (and considering the volume that it is, I am enjoying the odd serve of ice cream after dinner on a weeknight)! 

Yet, the funny thing is, I’m eating so much more food and my physique is honestly starting to feel and look incredible. My abs are starting to pop, I feel strong, I feel athletic all the while my body is doing things that 19-year-old me, working her ass off to get the body she wanted, would have called me crazy for.

Not gonna lie it’s a nice little added bonus, especially with summer just around the corner here! 

Which got me thinking about why abs are often ‘the goal’ or why we find them attractive in the first place. I mean, obviously they look nice (I do personally like my men to come in that flavour, with muscle hehe), but I think there is something else in it too.

Psychologically, defined muscle is a representation of discipline. We know it can require sacrifice, strong habits, a daily choice and commitment to put in the effort and maintain it consistently… and to me that is a very attractive quality. Think about all that can represent outside of just a physical result. 

Don’t get me wrong, having abs doesn’t tell you everything about someone’s health, habits or discipline, and I am absolutely not saying that people without visible abs are somehow less disciplined. Bodies are far more nuanced than that.

However, as my body changes and my abs stay locked in, this little bit of muscle definition feels like a reflection of the standards I’m building and the athleticism I am stepping into. The fact I am fueling my body right, the core strength I am developing doing all the HIIT circuits, the lightness I get to feel when I run which I never used to have. A reflection of me showing up for my body and sticking to something really challenging when it would be much easier to make excuses. 

The discipline is no longer about trying to eat as little as possible or force my body into being smaller. To me now, it looks like packing enough food for a full day. Eating the extra snack when I am hungry. Prioritising recovery. Getting up for the run. Keeping the promises I make to myself, even when nobody else would know if I didn’t.

The irony is that the aesthetic I used to chase so hard has started to show up while I’m focused on becoming stronger, fitter and more capable. It’s also ironic that the thighs I spent years wanting to get rid of are now strong enough to carry me through circuit training, runs and sled pushes. The body I once spent so much time fighting is becoming the body that is showing me what I am capable of.

That is the version of discipline I want more of, the kind that builds a body you feel proud to live in, the abs are just the bonus! 

Yours in Health & Happiness,
Sheree xo