Use Fitness to Create Your Dream Identity

 In this episode of Fitness With Jade, we dive into the powerful connection between fitness and personal transformation. Fitness isn’t just about looking good—it’s a tool for self-growth, confidence, and stepping into the best version of yourself. 

 Whether you're starting fresh or refining your routine, fitness can help you embody the confident, empowered woman you aspire to be. Tune in for actionable tips to build self-trust, overcome limiting beliefs, and embrace transformation through movement. 

Transcript

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Fitness With Jade podcast. Today's episode is all about how to use fitness to create your dream identity. 

If you ever felt stuck or unsure about yourself like you just are not fully stepping into the person you want to be? This episode is for you. 

Fitness isn't just about getting strong physically. I feel that it's a tool for personal growth and it is your absolute key essential to becoming that person you've always wanted to be. It is the base, like when you're baking a cake, your base is usually flour, fitness is the flour to your base. 

Through training you can build confidence, resilience and it grows a mindset that allows you to step into the best version of yourself. And I'm going to break down exactly how you can use fitness to become the woman you've always envisioned. 

For growth to occur, there's usually a catalyst of something negative or something life changing that occurred to make you want to see this change in yourself. 

I feel the most common reason as to why people do this is usually a break up. You see people have those revenge bodies and thy get super fit after someone dumps them. But we don't want to focus on that because we're not that basic and if you're focusing on the revenge body you're still focusing on that other person who you're seeking revenge from. So it's not really helpful and we need to be doing it for you. 

So why exercise? 

Exercise is something that any person can do, whether you're a stay-at-home mum, a busy career one, or a bit of both. No matter what your socio-economic status is, this is a tool that you can use at any time, by any one, anywhere. It is something that really allows you to build confidence within yourself because it forces you to keep those promises. Unless, you know, you're Julie on the couch just saying "I wanna go to this F45 class" and then Julie cancels last minute. Julie, pull your head in okay. 

So that's not keeping a promise to yourself, you need to keep the promise, you need to go to the class is what I'm saying. Every time you complete a workout, you are proving to yourself that you are disciplined and capable and it gives you a sense of accomplishment. If you respect yourself and if you feel accomplished, other people will feel the same way, they will think the same about you. 

Other women say that they don't have time to exercise or they need to do something for their children first and then they can go out for their run, no. No, no, no, no, no. 

You need to treat the promises to yourself as seriously as you treat the promises to other people. If you promise your husband that you'd make dinner for him after work and you've carved out this precious time to give to hi and not yourself, but then you don't do it for yourself. It's  just not on. So tell your husband Harry I'll cook dinner after I've gone to pilates class or ask him could you cook dinner ad watch the kids because I've been at home with them all day, so I can go to my HIIT class.

The promises you make are important. If you wouldn't bail on a friend or partner, do not bail on yourself. You are more important. You are the most important person. It is literally as simple as telling yourself, instead of rotting on my coach, watching The Real Housewives, which is a stellar show by the way, I am going to go on my run first, then treat myself to some Beverly Hills screaming matches. 

On top of putting ourselves second, women often struggle with self-doubt. but training gives you this tangible proof of your strength your capabilities what you can achieve it shows progressive results constant growth and improvement and even when there's plateaus you you always come back up there's ebs and flows but there's always that steady incline of improvement if you're consistently training keeping promises to yourself also allows for that internal personal development because you were constantly learning and evolving and allowing yourself to flourish through this experience as well the first time you ever step foot in a gym you will feel extremely overwhelmed with the free weights the cable weights it's a daunting experience for most women than going to a gym for the first time once you've been going consistently for months it becomes second nature and you've learnt this new skill you tell yourself I show up for me just as I show up for others
and move my body because I love it not because I hate it this is not a revenge ploy this is about keeping promises to yourself.

The second way that fitness will allow you to develop this dream identity
is to break free from the sunken cost fallacy meaning it's never too late to start over and training can really show you this and most athletes have actually experienced this for instance athletes need to change their train program
because it's just not working do you think in Thorpe when his training plan wasn't working he was like oh I'm just gonna keep doing it because I've already stuck it out for this long no he would have changed it gotten better and then he won all those gold medals that's how it works it means that just because you've been sticking to something so so long it does not mean that if you change it you're gonna be at a loss because you put so much time in it the change is good so a huge step to putting yourself first is acknowledging that the sun cost policy exists
and to remember that it's never too late to start over I feel like many women and people in general are stuck in unhealthy habits toxic relationships or self sabotaging patterns because they have this fear of starting over and it can be whether you're in a friendship group that you're just not clicking with but it's more comfortable to stay in this group than break free and try and find friends elsewhere even though in reality those new friends that you find or even spending that time alone would be a hell of a lot better than sticking with that toxic group.

It's disbelief that I've already put so much time into this it keeps you from making the necessary changes to then create your dream identity it is holding you back girls it needs to stop one really stellar something cost to fallacy example is a gym membership so if you paid for a 6 month gym membership up front but a month in you like this is horrible I hate myself I'd rather just go for a run outside then be stuck on this treadmill if you continue going to that gym could you spent the money for it rather than running outside it's not a rational decision and it's a something cost fallacy another example be for those that haven't even began their fitness journey they think I've always been out of shape so I may as well not even try like I've always been fat I may as well never try I've always been dumb,
I may as well not try and learn it's it's ridiculous it is not a growth mindset
it is not what we want stop it stop neglecting yourself stop being a pudding get off from that couch and go for a walk and change your thinking just because you've invested years and years of shoving chocolate biscuits down your throat it doesn't mean that tomorrow you can't have a salad instead it doesn't mean tomorrow you can't go for a walk it doesn't mean tomorrow you can't go and do the Pilates class
the micro adjustments create the future you it creates the dream you diving into fitness and wellness teaches you that every day is a new opportunity it's never too late to redefine yourself you could literally be in your 70s and you can pick up a new hobby or type of movement you enjoy you could try golf yoga just give something a go the moment you let go of your old patterns it's when you make space for new growth and a fresh start if you keep doing the same thing you'll be stuck forever it is literally as if you're stuck in limbo  in Dante's Inferno
like the first level before you get into hell you've got limbo you're stuck there
get out of it instead ask yourself is this leading me closer to my goals?

if the answer is no it's time to pivot
spin around and go the other way
every decision you're making
should be serving your future self
not your past self your past self does not exist
she is gone she is a shadow
Peter Pan shadow how it disconnects from his fortune
then when he has to sew it back on
don't sew your shadow back on
it's gone it's flown away okay
training fitness
literally beats the sunken cause fallacy out of you
because if you're doing something
such as you're doing a strength
you're doing strength training
let's say
and your strength training splits aren't working
you then swap them to something else
something that's going to increase that muscle
muscle growth you don't just keep doing the same thing
cause your muscles won't grow
you won't get stronger
it's not going to work or running
you running and it starts hurting your knees
for instance a lot of people complain about that
you just keep running and running
and it makes it worse and worse
you could just try swimming
you could go to an osteo try something different
fitness allows you to pivot
it teaches you to cut your losses and to keep moving
and like I said
the best athletes and trainers know when to drop in
effective methods and move forward
girls learn when to drop that boyfriend
learn when to drop that diet
learn when to drop that toxic best friend
who's just bitching about everyone in your ear
your worth isn't tied to previous investments
just because you spent years doing something a certain
way doesn't mean you're stuck with it
if you were once a vegan
which I actually funny enough was
and you decide not to be
doesn't mean you're gonna have to be a vegan
for the rest of your life yeah
you can change your views
keep getting educated keep growing and you will change
the things you believe in will change
and that is a good thing if your belief system
and your values and mindset do not change
you will literally
you're basically just a rock like you're nothing
you're an inanimate object
don't be an inanimate object okay
fitness teaches you that improvement is always possible
and to go with the flow
another big part of creating your dream identity
is to love not just your inner self
because remember I said in the last episode
you need to literally be obsessed with yourself
but you need to also love your outer physical self
and the easiest way to do this
and I know like you know you're like Jade
you're so biased because you train so much
but the easiest way to do this is through exercise
as a teen I literally thought I was chubby
and I guess I kind of was
now don't take offense here
but in reference
I'm now a size 6 and I have been for quite some time
I'd say about 10 years but around the time I was a teen
I was around at size ten and I just
I don't know I hold hold weight in my belly
that's all I look like a log at the time
and as a teen I was like ugh
like I look chubby
and the reason I was the way that I was
was because I was binge drinking every weekend
underage eating whatever I wanted
huge favourite was Woolworths MUD cake with ice cream
shout out to that still a classic
and I wasn't really doing any exercise
except for some hungover
Les Mills classes and yoga classes with my mum
I feel like once you start training
the rest including your diet starts to fall into place
and when you have a good diet
you start glowing you start loving your outer self
and you just start looking better
and it helps change the way that you identify
and love yourself once you start pushing your body
seeing what it's capable of
you naturally start making better choices
in other areas of your life
for instance if you're running a lot
you know that you need to eat a lot of carbs
simple carbs carb yeah
honey on toast banana
some Weet Bix with some almond milk
so when it's light low fat and carb heavy yeah
but simple carb when you start looking at food as fuel
you start eating differently when you're just training
in general across the board
if you're really committed to something
even things such as alcohol start to drop off now
I haven't drank in over a year now um
it just cause it wasn't fitting in with my lifestyle
and I find that a lot of people that are in
the health and fitness space
don't drink too much so they don't drink at all
or they don't drink too much
because you start choosing sleep over late nights
hydration over your hangovers
and just feeling good
to do the things that you enjoy during the day
rather than drinking yourself into oblivion
and then wiping out the rest of your weekend
and not achieving anything
like I said it's the micro habits that create yourself
it it
it's the thing that makes you become that dream woman
so if your micro habit is
having a glass of wine every night
or two or four or a bottle yeah
maybe it's something that you need to look at
and it's not about
even just cutting things out in your restrictive way
it's about genuinely not wanting them anymore
because they don't serve you
like exes
you check in that never commit or nail biting
yeah we need to stop
stop biting those nails stop it
I don't like eating things that make me feel heavy
and sluggish because if I've got to go for a run
or do a physical activity later that day
I can feel it bouncing around in my belly
and it makes me want to gag
so that is a reason why I try and eat quite healthy
during the day if I know I got training coming up
and it's not about being like
oh you cut this out because if I eat this
like I'm become so fat it's about no
if I eat this
I'm gonna feel terrible and it's not going to serve me
instead of asking yourself
how do I look when you look in the mirror
think what is my body capable of
training and sports helps you appreciate your body
for its power not just its aesthetics
you are a woman you literally can grow
and create another human being inside of you
your body is capable of anything
and I can say from my own personal experience
that I have never ever
ever ever
ever
ever experienced pain like childbirth and labor before
I'd like labor especially um
when I was in labor with my daughter
I yeah
I can't even describe the feeling
I didn't even know your body could feel pain like that
I remember saying to her father that I wanted to die
and that I needed to die
and he was literally crying next to me
because I was so messed up
but here we are my body has never looked better
I didn't die and I got a daughter
so when you focus on what your body can do
even the gnarly stuff like that
you naturally develop a stronger
more confident self identity
embrace your imperfections
and use your own natural look to your advantage
so don't start spot training for example
don't be like oh
I'm only going to do an AB workout
because I wanna get the fat removed from my stomach
train doesn't work like that
you can't remove fat from areas that you select
your body naturally breaks down fat
or where it wants to when you're training
so if you wanna
completely change the way that your body is shaped
so if you've got an hourglass shape
and you wanna become a pair
it's not really going to happen
you need to embrace your natural beauty
your natural curves
and the same can be said for your face
you need to start loving the way that you look
naturally okay
I don't mean like the way you look when you got
you know your hair's disgusting
out and washed
and you just not putting any time into yourself
you still need to put time into yourself
you still need some self care
you need to wash your face yeah
just whatever you wanna do
to make you kinda feel that you look nice
but you need to embrace your natural features
and not try and look like someone else
and doing that will create your dream identity okay
true
feminine energy comes from owning your natural beauty
and moving with confidence
when women find something that they
are passionate about within themselves
it changes our air it
changes the way we hold ourself
and the way we move through life
so if this is an area that you're struggling with
journaling is a huge help
whether it's written on your phone
simple gratitude does work
and one thing you can try every morning
instead of focusing on how you look
write down or say out loud
something that your body does for you
so for example you could write like
my legs carried me through run
or I carried all the bags of groceries in at one
it shifts your mindset from criticism of being like
ugh I wanna be thinner or ugh
I look ugly to gratitude the third way that fitness
helps you create your dream identity
is embracing discomfort
because growth comes from challenges
often people avoid discomfort because you know
it doesn't feel good
people don't like it when you're feeling uncomfortable
you wanna leave you don't wanna do it
but that's where your growth comes in
you gotta look it in the eye and be like
look I'm gonna make you my bitch okay
I'm gonna grow one thing that I found
specifically with training for endurance sports
and this includes Hirox
and the Half Iron Man I'm currently training for
so you can use the theoretical concepts
created through them
for your own growth and development
so the concept you can work with
through discomfort in endurance training
so the first one
is creating a personal narrative and growth
so endurance sports allow for leveling up
outside of your family life
and your usual 9 to five your training schedule
and events provide for exploration
outside of your norm
this is through participating in things such as running
cycling swimming
lifting weights whatever tickles you fancy
it's possible to work towards aspects of life
such as commitment and dedication
setting goals
and coping with both successes and failures
and the reason this is uncomfortable
is because you're doing something that
it is hard it's not easy to slot in
um especially when you have a family
and you have other commitments
it is something that is difficult
and your training sessions themselves
they are difficult so
when you push through
and you create this personal narrative
like this is you now it allows for that growth
I definitely found that Hirox
and doing the half Iron Man
has formed a huge part of my identity
and it has allowed me
to become a completely different person to what I was
over a year ago over a year ago
I definitely my focus was more on how I looked
in terms of wearing pretty dresses and my weight
and it wasn't on what I could actually achieve
and now I feel that my focus is on what I can achieve
rather than how I look your current identity
is shaped by your past experiences
your future identity is shaped by the now
the habits you are doing now
so growth happens when
you're consciously rewriting this story
you're changing your personal narrative
so one thing to do is to reflect on your current self
versus your ideal self and list qualities
habits and mindsets that both of these selves have
so another concept
to embrace discomfort within endurance sport
is having a sense of purpose
so getting out of bed on a chilly
winter morning at 5:00am
in order to complete a track run
demonstrates a very good example of commitment
and sense of purpose and pushing through discomfort
no one wants to run in the cold
no one wants to run at 5:00am yeah
no one wakes up and goes yes
this is amazing I wanna be here and freeze my tits off
no one no one likes it
but you feel better afterwards
you feel great you've achieved what you set out to do
you've created that sense of purpose
creating purpose is not something that you just find
you have to do it through action
and I'm not saying you have to wake up at 5:00am
but you gotta find something that
puts you into that discomfort
to create a meaningful pursuit
and to stick through it even when you wanna quit
to do this
I would recommend identifying a big goal that excites
or challenges you
whether it's running your first 5K
or running your first you know
half Marathon
and then break it down into smaller milestones
including daily and weekly actions
and then once you start these actions
pushing through that discomfort
and committing to your sense of purpose
then that leads onto our next concert
which is immersion and risk
when you train for endurance sports
you become literally consumed by its world
like the amount of people I've met
and friends that I've made from Hirox
and also training for the Half Iron Man is insane
and I'm so thankful for that
it's amazing okay
since it is it's a whole other world
and this is because your weekend activities
are planned around your training
with your obligations in mind
and this is because
you've immersed yourself in this world
you're learning these new things
you're learning about gels and when to fuel your body
you're learning about your rest and recovery days
and how important they are
you're learning about training plans and overtraining
sometimes it's like
you're wearing one of those virtual reality headsets
and you're in a completely different world
so you got your immersion and risk
so you've got your training plan and you fully immersed
you're you know
saying I can't go to this rave tonight
because I've got to run tomorrow
and with that comes a sense of risk too yeah
you could do all of this training
you could do all of this hard work
and then break your leg on the day
you could do all this training
and do all this hard work
and not even start the race
be sick you know
so there
is a sense of risk that comes with this immersion
but it forces you to level up
if you refrain your struggle as growth
rather than science to quit
cause you're keeping promises to yourself
even when your motivation paid
is giving you that purpose
you'd be training anyway
regardless of this event or not
the training plan itself may not work
but you follow through the plan
because that is the plan they're the micro habits
and the final concept is self identity
we're trying to create a dream identity
enduring sports helps with self identity
a good example of this is those that are runners
and they identify as runners
and they think that
people that can't do a certain paced joggers
and they're not real runners
like that's a little bit of a toxic example
but you know
you've got this self identity that you need to create
and enduring sports helps with that
I definitely identify now as an amateur athlete
because of all the training I do
and yeah like I love it
one thing you can do to immerse yourself
and create that identity
is to join communities that tickle your fancy
follow mentors and then engage in hands on practice
so engage in the running you know
try it out give it a go
take that risk that's what you want
you want your dream identity
just try accept that risk
uncertainty is a part of growth
there are no guarantees only progress
the fifth way that fitness
can help create your dream identity is
it reduces anxiety
and allows you to gain mental clarity
anxiety thrives on the certainty of lack of control
training and exercise
gives you a tangible and structured focus
it gives you that control
gives you a break from the KS within your head
if you're an anxious girly and you know
you're constantly worrying if someone's texting back
you're
constantly thinking about the worst case scenarios
or over analysing fitness
and training
shows you're capable of overcoming discomfort
and when you're actually training
it stops your brain from thinking about it
within the moment
movement also is a form of emotional regulation
training
helps you process your emotions in a much healthier way
so if you're really angry
going for a run can really help
like
I feel like my angry runs have been some of my best
but then sometimes
my angry runs are completely blown up
and then I pushed you hard and couldn't run anymore
but I felt better after it
and a woman who trains consistently
learns to regulate her emotions
rather than letting them control her
and we wanna be that girl
don't we we wanna be our dream identity
we need to be unbothered
and what's gonna help you become unbothered
it's to emotionally regulate
and what's gonna help you
it's just one of the ways
not all the ways
but what is gonna help you emotionally regulate
exercise training when you're feeling overwhelmed
instead of shutting down a lashing out run
box swim
create that solution orientated mindset
like I mentioned before when you train
it creates mental strength
it's creating those circuits within your brain
it's rewiring your brain
when you're pushing through physical discomfort
it shows yourself that you are able to handle life
discomforts it teaches
you how to tolerate discomfort without quitting
and you can become someone who doesn't back down
when things get tough you are a goddess
you thrive within chaos
physical strength creates mental strength
that creates calm in a storm
so yeah feel like
those are just five solid points on how
fitness can help you create your dream identity
with him that dream girl
and I want you to ask yourself
what is one small
fitness habit that you can commit to this week
to start stepping into your dream identity
how can I use fitness as a tool for growth
in other areas of my life
so what areas I feel like are lacking
and how can fitness help these
and am I showing up as a woman I want to be
or am I just waiting for the perfect moment to start
your dream identity isn't something you wait for
it's something you build through action
and it needs to start today
to wrap up here's what I want you to remember
build confidence by keeping promises to yourself
you need to break free of the sunken cost fallacy
cut it away get rid of it
shift your focus from body image to your ability
and what your body can do for you
and embrace your individual beauty
thrive on discomfort growth comes from challenges
and use movement to reduce anxiety
and gain mental clarity
if this episode spoke to you
I'd love to hear your thoughts
so please comment below
also feel free to share this on Instagram
tag me Jade underscore Palmer
and let's continue the conversation
I would love to engage with everyone that's listening
and if you enjoyed today's episode
please drop a 5 star and leave a quick review
it would mean the world
and it helps more women be able to find this podcast
and step into their power
until next time keep training
keep growing and keep stepping into your dream identity