Cherie Lewis

My time training with Jeremy & the beginning of my powerlifting journey has changed my world. Here’s how…

Nutrition

My relationship with food has changed a lot!

• By tracking my food it has made me more mindful of how I feel after a meal & I have gained insight into what foods give me the most energy & help me perform better at the gym but also just in life, which ones satisfy my hunger & which ones are just full of shit. 
• I see food as fuel & that encourages me to make better choices in my meals.
• There is room for flexibility, you can still have a social life, but keep it balanced throughout the week.
• I was much happier eating 2815 cals a day than 1320 cals but now understand the importance of those numbers when you are aiming towards a specific goal.
• I’ve always enjoyed food but it always came with so much guilt. I thought the only way I could have a body I was happy in was by eating salad for years & doing lots of running, powerlifting & Jeremy’s guidance has shown me that almost everything I thought about food was a lie. I don’t guilt myself over food anymore & mentally that is extremely freeing.

Distraction

• I was newly single after a LTR, it gave me a positive avenue to direct my attention & help me focus on myself, also it was a positive place to let my rage out in a healthy way. I always feel better walking out of the gym, and some days, I didn’t even work out, I’d stretch in the corner for 30 mins, but I got myself there & I did something for myself, it was the place I learnt to be kind to myself again.

Mental Gains

• Proving to myself that I can follow through with a goal, that I can be disciplined enough to show up on the days I don’t feel like it, that has been my biggest gain of all. The only reason I want to do cardio & run is because every time I finish I feel like I won, it is a mental challenge, I spend that 30mins telling myself “you’re good, your legs are strong, your breathing is fine, it’s just your head wanting to stop because your uncomfortable” every minute sucks, but knowing it’s temporary & the feeling I get after, knowing I proved to myself again that I am capable if I just get out of my own way, that shit’s gold!
• I rebuilt my self-talk and started backing myself. I now have faith in myself & my abilities. I have very little self doubt.
• I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to be “fit”, but despite trying I always “failed”. Mentally I was losing faith in myself. Now, I have never felt stronger mentally or physically. And it’s only 10 months into the journey! 
• Accountability. because powerlifting is not a team sport, you can’t fall back on your team mates & let them carry you through, you have to do the hard work. I didn’t realise how badly I needed that in my life because it forced me to be accountable, it forced me to build the mental skills to just turn up & get it done. Excuses would only hurt my progress.
• Before I was a confident person on the outside but I wasn’t confident or happy in myself, in my skin, in my abilities. Now, I know I’m strong because I’ve proved it to myself over & over in my training.

• Powerlifting has completely changed how I perceived fitness, nutrition & gyms. I genuinely look forward to walking into the gym every time & saying hi to the Hobart Powerlifting Club (HPC) fam. Everyone’s just in there working hard, working through shit, trying to do better. Other gyms are clinical or intimidating, especially as a women, & especially if you are a women wanting to lift heavy weights, there’s more toxic masculinity flying around than there is chalk, and that’s just not how powerlifters roll!!

• In January I wrote my goal was to squat 100kgs & I remember feeling quite hesitant to write such a huge number. But we hit it! & with months to spare!
• After starting out wanting to lost weight & get lean, (thinking then i would finally be happy in my body & men would find me desirable & women would envy me, how fucked up is that! but not uncommon I’m sure) I soon realised, or actually you realised how unmotivating that was for me, and that actually the people I had in my life loved me regardless & the powerlifting community is so diverse that it just doesn’t matter what you look like, the focus became about strength & that is my beautiful self love story

• 100kg deadlift at the Mid Year Rumble competition, last lift. that was awesome! I feel like that was a key moment & just solidified that I was capable that more than I gave myself credit for.
• 100kg squat. possibly the only time I’ve followed through on a new years resolution.
• Jeremy saying I was consistent!
• the banter