There is what is factually happening and your perception of what is happening. Being aware and managing these two situations will either lead you to suffering or not.
Check out this video to raise your awareness and help you move through your sticking points.
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What Are You Making It Mean?
There’s what’s happening—and there’s what you make it mean.
That difference? It’s everything.
Because whether you move forward or stay stuck depends on whether you respond to reality… or your perception of it.
Let’s dig into what that really means—especially when it comes to your body, your progress, and the way you approach challenge.
Your Body Speaks. Are You Listening—or Interpreting?
Anytime you start a new fitness or therapy program—especially one that’s truly holistic—it’s going to challenge you. It might expose weaknesses, bring up tension you’ve ignored, or feel “hard” in unfamiliar ways.
But most people don’t just feel that difficulty—they add meaning to it:
- “This is torture.”
- “My body can’t handle this.”
- “I’m not cut out for this kind of training.”
- “I’m broken.”
- “It’s too much.”
Those are interpretations, not facts.
The fact might be:
👉 “This stretch is tight.”
👉 “I’ve never moved like this before.”
👉 “I don’t yet know how to do this.”
That’s a very different experience.
Example: The Bicep Femoris Stretch
Let’s say I give you a bicep femoris myofascial stretch—a targeted stretch for your hamstrings in their full fascial chain.
It’s not “hard” in the traditional sense. But if your body needs it, it will feel tight or awkward or intense.
You get to choose:
- Will you experience it for what it is?
- Or will you pile on emotional baggage and make it mean something bigger?
The One Thing That Sabotages Progress
The #1 thing I see stop people from progressing is not the exercises themselves—it’s the mental meaning they assign to those exercises.
If your internal voice says “I shouldn’t feel this way” or “this means I’m broken,” you’re setting yourself up for resistance, frustration, and eventually—quitting.
But if you stay present with what’s actually happening in your body—without judgment—you stay open to growth.
What to Do Instead
Here’s how I coach clients to navigate this:
- Expect challenge. New experiences will feel weird. That doesn’t mean they’re bad.
- Create space. Journaling, breathwork, or mindfulness can help you separate your emotions from the facts.
- Observe your mind. Notice what stories pop up. You don’t have to believe them.
- Return to your body. Stay grounded in what you’re actually feeling—tightness, confusion, effort—not the meaning you’re assigning to it.
The Big Shift: Let the Process Change You
Doing something new isn’t just about gaining a new skill. It’s about letting the process change you.
You won’t get new results by staying the same person. That includes your body, your thoughts, your habits, your expectations.
So don’t just focus on doing something different.
Focus on becoming someone different—someone who can handle challenge without collapse, who stays present, and who grows through the experience.
This Is Holistic Fitness
At SolCore Fitness, I teach from an osteopathic model—where therapy and training are part of the same continuum, and the body is treated as a connected whole.
That means I don’t just give you workouts. I give you a framework that teaches your body and mind to adapt.
So when something is tight, you don’t panic.
You observe. You adjust. You continue.
That’s how long-term change actually happens.
Ready to Try?
Drop a comment if this resonates.
Have you noticed yourself layering meaning onto your experience? Have you ever self-sabotaged without realizing it?
Awareness is the first step.
And I’d love to hear what you’ve discovered.
See you next week.
— Ekemba Sooh
SolCore Fitness & Therapy
P.S Read more about my journey! It is filled with multiple moments of Ah Ha’s
Bbuilding a foundation for a better life.
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