#5 Impossible is nothing

Meet Helen...

Very often in life you do not know your own capabilities until you are put to the test. Helen shows us that sometimes you and your destiny can collide unexpectedly. It’s okay not to have everything planned out, but instead, take a moment to think about where you have been positioned. You might just be in the right place:)

I can still remember the very first day I stepped into the gym. However, I wasn’t there to exercise, instead I was just there to do admin and front desk work as part of my practical experience for my studies. I was so overwhelmed by the environment – big, burly, muscular men, lifting weights and knocking out reps on oversized resistance machines. Nope, I would NOT be exercising in this gym. I would stick to my running and just carry on with my administrative duties. You see, I hadn’t always been athletic or into fitness. I did play sport in high school, but I wasn’t the "sporty, athletic girl" by any means. When I left school, I decided to study Sports Management and Administration with the aim of eventually pursuing Community Sports Development. I joined a "Year of your Life" programme with my church, and when I needed to complete practical hours, I found myself walking into our church youth centre's community gym. I'm not exaggerating when I say that 8 out of 10 times I was the only female in the gym. Other than a late evening spinning class, the women shied away from the male dominated training areas. When the spinning instructor left for the United States of America (USA), I took over her classes. This was the starting point of what would soon become a raging passion.

I was no longer concerned with being the only girl in the gym, and rather enjoyed lifting weights with the boys. In 2015, I made a fitness move. We opened up a High Intensity Functional Fitness Gym in the other end of the building, and I moved over to help run it. I learned everything I could about this new style of fitness and became a CrossFit Level One Trainer that same year. My passion for training grew, but so did my desire to see people become the healthiest, strongest versions of themselves. I loved watching my body achieve new things that I previously thought were impossible, and wanted nothing more than for others to experience the same. I trained hard but had no way of testing my training, other than during workouts in the gym. I needed a competition. I needed to compete. And this was my turning point.  In October 2015, I entered the Genesis Strongman as the first ever female competitor, and competed alongside men. I flipped tyres, pulled cars and lifted heavy weights. This competition ignited something in me that would change my life forever. I achieved something insurmountable that day; proving that women are strong and capable, and that the idea of "a girl can't do that" was so far from the truth. I gained a tremendous amount of self-confidence, self-belief, determination and humility.

I really do feel that God placed me perfectly in this position, because it was so far off my original plan, but it so perfectly lined up. I am a firm believer in being a good steward of your talents, and believe that in this season of my life, my involvement in the fitness industry allows me to do so. Fitness has blessed me with so much more than just physical growth. It's easy to focus on the outward, but the inward has been the most phenomenal change for me. I have become so much more from than that shy young girl who walked into the gym 5 years ago. I am confident, determined, passionate and relentless. I have grown into a leadership role, and have become a woman who is told that she "inspires" others. I have learnt to love my body for what it is and what it can achieve. I have learnt to appreciate my ability to move on a daily basis, and that I get to experience the beauty and challenges of training hard and overcoming obstacles. I have learnt self-respect and self-love. I have learnt to love the power of a healthy, focused mind, and that something will always feel heavier if you approach it like it is. I have learnt to trust the process and believe in the hard effort I put in. I have learnt to honour my pace, not compare myself with others, and compete with the person I was yesterday. I am proud of my body, and I am proud of what it can achieve. My greatest desire is that people would learn the same. Fitness is a simple tool, but it has so much to teach us about ourselves. A big part of my heart lies in empowering women to see greatness within themselves, and in urging men to encourage women to seek out this greatness too, in spite of the societal convention and obstacles.

If I could go back and tell my younger self that this is what I would be doing one day, I probably wouldn’t believe me. I would probably laugh and say "you'll never be able to do those things”, and that’s where I'd be wrong. I would tell myself that I could. I would tell myself that if you put in the work, there is nothing that anyone can do that can take your effort away from you. I would tell myself to passionately pursue each and every goal as if it were the last thing you were going to do on earth. I would tell myself that I am capable and that no matter how many other people believe in you, you need to believe in yourself. Finally, I would tell myself to move. Every day. As often as possible.  Run, walk, swim, jump, and skip. Just move. Fitness brought me freedom – and that freedom is exhilarating.

- Contributor: Helen Jean