🟣 What if "normal" is broken?

I was 14 when it first happened.

Someone pointed out my cellulite while I was sitting by the pool and suddenly something I hadn’t even noticed became something I was meant to feel ashamed of.

For years, I would cover up to hide my thighs

If only I knew then that cellulite was literally just read “you glorious fucker” in nature’s brail

But honestly, I consider myself one of the lucky ones when it comes to teen body-image trauma.

I’ve loved movement my whole life. Up until 18 I played sports 5 times a week before I found the gym. Exercise came naturally. And even though I ate like a fully grown shire horse, my body still blended in with what society considers “acceptable”.

But after coaching 100s of people 1-1, and speaking to 1000s in emails and DMs, I know that wasn’t the case for most.

Gym-class PTSD runs strong for anyone who didn’t take to sport, anyone whose body wasn’t celebrated, anyone who learned early that exercise was “punishment” for food.

It fucking sucks.

Because it’s created a world where feeling shame about your body is treated as normal

And that shame has been weaponised by diet culture.

From stepping on scales in a cold village hall only to be called out in front of everyone because you didn’t drop a pound

To influencers flexing their lean bodies before pushing a bullshit supplement, magic meal plan, or some drainage massage (I wish I was joking).

As much as it makes my soul sad, shame sells.

For so many people, fitness has always been about punishment. Not being enough. Earning food. Burning off “mistakes”. Constantly trying to compensate for who you are right now.

And of course that bubbles over into exercise feeling like a chore and every food choice feeling like restriction.

But it shouldn’t be that way.

It should be about building a life that feels good. A body that feels ready.

Ready to go away for a weekend with mates without struggling to keep up.

Ready to play with your kids without your back crapping out.

Ready to wear whatever the hell you want without having 7 outfit changes and a Menty B.

When your routine is built on compassion, consistency and the vision of the life you want, instead of shame for where you are… that’s when real change happens. And that’s when you get to keep it.

That’s exactly what we see inside our coaching program.

Helen will be the first to tell you. She’s just wrapped up working with Katie. Not only did she build a weapon of a back:

But she said this:

“It’s a big claim but this year has changed my life and Katie has been such a big part of this! I now eat well, exercise as a habit and I feel (and look!) better. Also shout out to the community that Rachel and the team have build - the group & zoom calls really help to know that you’re not alone and are so encouraging.”

If you’re ready to stop letting shame bugger you over and actually start building the life you deserve? We’ve got spots open in our 1-1 coaching team.

1-1 COACHING AT HENLEY FITNESS

You can jump straight in and get started today, or if you want to make sure we’re the right fit first, you can book a call with one of the team. 

We’ll walk you through how we work, what support you’ll get, and whether our approach matches what you need. No pressure. No salesy nonsense. We only take on people who are genuinely excited to build their next chapter.

But a quick heads up: our 1-1 coaching prices increase in January, but only for new customers. If you want to lock in the current price, let us know you’d like to start before then 🙂

Big love,

Rachel