What Coco Chanel can teach us about fitness.

Coco Channel was driven and ambitious.  Her vision and designs created a business, then a brand, then an empire.  She did this all in a time when society did not associate women with traits like ambition, creativity and competiveness.  What would it look like if Coco Chanel was a performance athlete?  Let’s look at some of her quotes.

“Women have always been the strong ones of the world.”

-Don’t let dudes rule the weight room.  Women have a place there too.  You have real strength.  The greatest strength you can have is your attitude. You have a courage that is more important than the number on the side of the dumbbell.

“Nature gives you the face you have at twenty; it is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty.”

-That is kind of harsh! The point I like to focus on is that when you are younger, natural physical gifts make you feel healthy and strong.  I had a bad diet when I was younger, and did not really have to workout. Younger people at the gym seem to be able to really pack on the muscle quick.  I feel the difference from 20 to 33.  The idea is, if you keep going, keep working you can fight rapid ageing and have a healthy body regardless of you number. I have seen fifty-year-old ladies in some fitness classes that are in great shape and are doing about the same work as me.  Their secret, they have kept working out after nature’s gifts have left. These women have worked passed the gift and have the body that merit creates.

“Success is often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable.”

-I was talking to someone about my attempts to train for a half-marathon.  I am not sure if I will be able to pull of a half-marathon.  She immediately said, “You can do it.”  She had no idea about my flat feet and my troubles with my hip and back.  Just, you can do it.  The point is I was talking myself out of even trying.  I can run a half-marathon, and end up having to walk part or even aborting the run all together and quit if my body disagrees.  I can still train for the half-marathon, and if I feel like my body is just not up to it, I can change my plans.  I am not thinking about “winning” the race.  How much do you think you can do in your life if you did not know that you would fail at some point? You will always fail at something. It is the effort, tiring and experience that make you who you are.

 “Gentleness doesn't get work done unless you happen to be a hen laying eggs.”

-I talk a lot about being gentle to your body to prevent injury.  Always keep in mind that you want to be safe.  But, to get results, you have to kick your butt a little bit.  Work hard, give it your all safely.  If you have been doing low reps, low weight and have not been sweating, you are being too gentle.  Your efforts will produce results.

“Hard times arouse an instinctive desire for authenticity.”

-I feel you learn the most about yourself on the bad days.  The days when you are not into what you are doing but still press on.  The big goals and big dreams are the authentic you.  The days when you want to quit or give up and don’t, when you dig in deep and work harder are examples of your authenticity. You forget what others are doing and find out who you really are.  Some days I have really crappy workouts, everything goes wrong, I had a bad week, I am way too busy; but I do what workout I can anyway.  Anyone can do a great workout on a great day, but overcoming the bad day proves how strong you really are.  Don’t you feel so much more accomplished when you overcome adversity?

“How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone.”

-This gets concept gets lost so much in the gym or on the track.  We all focus on some superficial goals from wanting to look a certain way or accomplish some fitness feat.  Do not let this confuse or stand in the way of the person you really are.  Your goals support the person you are and are becoming; don’t let them over take you.  You are a whole person, mind, body and spirit, not just going to weigh 130 lbs in 6 months.

So if Coco Chanel was an athlete, I don’t think she would “do fitness,” she would “be fitness.”