069: 5 Years as a Strength Coach: Lessons in Becoming Stronger

In this episode, Carly celebrates 5 years as a strength coach and reflects on the lessons learned along the way.

From the importance of starting where you are, to understanding that strength training isn’t a race – Carly shares her insights on what it truly means to build strength for life.

Tune in for practical advice on finding the right support, building consistency, and embracing your own journey to strength.

Are you ready to begin your journey to feeling strong, capable and confident but not sure where to start?

Join me for a free Clarity call: 30 minutes 1:1 focused time where I support you to create the steps you need to take to gain clarity on supporting your menopause journey.

Book here: https://carlykillen.com

Thanks for listening to the Strong Bones Coach Podcast

If you'd like to get in touch to ask a question about today's episode or to find out how you can get support from my coaching, reach out on the following links:

hello@carlykillencoaching.com

https://www.instagram.com/thestrongbonescoach

Thanks for listening to The Strong Bones Coach Podcast!

If you’d like to get in touch with a question about today’s episode or find out how I can support you with coaching, here’s how to reach me:
📧 Email: hello@carlykillencoaching.com
📱 Instagram: @thestrongbonescoach

Do you crave unshakable confidence in your strength from midlife and beyond? Would you love to achieve your goals without sacrificing family time or self-care?

Ready to take your strength to the next level? Start building a stronger body and healthier bones with my Strong Bones Starter Kit—your step-by-step guide to safe and effective strength training at home.
👉 Click here to learn more and access today

🌟 Stay connected and inspired with daily wellness tips on Instagram @thestrongbonescoach.
🌟 For tailored advice or personal queries, email me at hello@carlykillencoaching.com.

Thank you for being here, and I look forward to supporting you on your journey to strength, health, and confidence! 💪🦴✨

Transcript

Carly: 0:37

Hello and welcome to the Strong Bones Coach podcast with your host Carly Killen. Welcome back everybody if you are a regular listener and if you are new then welcome. I'm so glad to have you with us. So today is a bit of a special day and this week I am celebrating quite a milestone, five years as a strength coach. So that's five years working for myself since I took the leap to leave my previous role as an NHS dietician. So it feels like a big thing to me. And if you've been listening along to this over the last year or so, you know, I'm all about celebrating those milestones, regardless of how big or small, this feels like a big one for me. So, over the last five years I've learned so much about strength. Not just in the gym, but in life. I've been many ups and downs, moments of doubt, but some incredible wins too. So today, I want to share five key lessons I've learned along the way. These lessons have practical elements, some personal touches, and maybe some universal laws as well. Who knows? So whether you're just starting your strength journey, or you've been training for years, there might just be something here for you. So let's get started. So let's start with lesson number one. Something I find myself saying over and over again, one of my favorite phrases. It's never too late to start, but now is always a good time. So when I first started strength training it wasn't until my mid 30s and I worried that I might have missed my chance. I was far beyond the years of peak bone mass building so I thought I really had missed out on that opportunity and that my fate of getting osteoporosis was set in stone. But that wasn't the case. I thought that strength training was something you had to start young to build those bones and yes it is, they are the key years. But I quickly learned that that's not exactly true at all. Our destiny is not predetermined or finite. We still have so much control over our decisions. We still have so many opportunities to create a future that we want. And in my coaching career so far, I've worked with people who have started in their twenties, thirties, fifties, even seventies, and every single one of them has seen progress. The most important thing isn't when you start, it's when you start. It is that you do start. So if you are hesitating, take this as your sign. Your body will thank you, not just today, but for years to come. Now let's dive into lesson two. Go your own way, but find the support that aligns with you. So I've always highly valued having coaches and mentors throughout my whole coaching career, and also throughout starting my strength journey too. Taking the advice of somebody who is just a few steps. ahead of you is so valuable and it saves so much time from trying to figure everything out by yourself. But what's still important is that you stay in touch with what feels right for you. Because sometimes not everything did work for me. It was all about trying and sometimes failing. And that's where the value of having a coach or a support or a mentor really comes in. Because We need that freedom to try new things, whether they work for us, whether they don't, whether they work for a time. And that changes as the twists and turns of life take us in different directions. Having someone walking that path with you is so valuable. A lot of the time. That's what gave me the courage to try that new thing. So let's remember that guidance is so important, but still stay aligned to your values and goals. I've seen so many clients to try and follow programs that don't feel right for them. And it's no wonder they struggle to stay consistent when they try things that just don't fit within their lives. So if you are looking for a coach or a mentor to support you, find a coach that resonates with you. Don't be afraid to adapt as you go. When you find a good coach, they will be able to adapt as you do too. Strength training is just like life, it's not a one size fits all thing. Lesson number three, consistency does not mean perfection. So one thing I've learned is that consistency is about showing up, but it doesn't mean you have to give 100 percent every single day. And what I mean by that is that your 100 percent will look different from day to day. One day your 100 percent might be getting out for the walk, other days when you feel better it might be hitting that personal best in the gym. There have been many times I've pushed through, I've pushed hard and felt amazing progress. But there have also been seasons where I've needed to slow down, focus on recovery and just adjust to life's changes. Both of these things are part of the process. So give yourself some grace, listen to your body and remember that progress happens over time, not all at once. Lesson number four. Strength is about connection to yourself and your goals. So for me, strength isn't just about lifting the heavy weights. Of course, it's a big part of it. But it's about finding and building a deeper connection to yourself. When you start tuning into your body, you realize that strength is about more than just the numbers. It's about how you feel, how you move, and how close you feel to your goals. How aligned these goals feel to you. And I've also learned that softness and sensitivity are also signs of strength. Allowing myself to feel the full range of emotions has enabled me to care for my physical body better too. Instead of always feeling the need to tough it out or pretend I'm not affected by things like hormonal changes or how I feel on the day, I've allowed myself to acknowledge that these things do make a difference, but they're not a sign of weakness. So embracing all parts of who I am, and if you embrace all parts of who you are, it truly is key to developing yourself on your strength journey. And it's not just about pushing through, it's about listening to your needs and honoring your body, mind, and emotions as part of a whole. So check in with yourself and ask, what does my body need today? That simple question can change the way you approach training and life. And finally, Progress is not always about more. So early on in my journey, I thought progress meant always lifting heavier, running faster, doing more. But over time I've learned that progress can look different for each stage or phase of life. And for some of my clients, progress is feeling confident in their bodies for the first time. For others, it's about having the energy to play with their kids, or improving their balance and flexibility. So your progress is personal, and that is worth celebrating, no matter what form that takes. So there we have it, the five lessons I've learned in my five years as a strength coach. I hope they resonate with you and give you some inspiration to approach your own strength training journey. With curiosity, Grace. And commitments. If you want to feel strong, capable and confident, but you're not sure where to start, then head over to my website, CarlyKillen. com, where you can book a free clarity call where I'll help you find a sense of direction and focus. You can find all the details in the show notes or on the website. So for celebrating this milestone with me. Here's to many more years of strength and growth, both for me and for you. So until next week, stay strong and take care.