For many of us, the idea of exercise can feel more like a chore than a joy. We’ve been told to push harder, do more, and fit into a one-size-fits-all idea of fitness—and it’s exhausting. But what if the key isn’t doing what you think you should do, but instead discovering what you actually want to do?
Specialist personal trainer and former exercise hater Becky Hughes believes that the path to loving movement starts with changing how you think about it. Her upcoming workshop at Harriet’s of Hove isn’t about handing you a pre-made programme—it’s about helping you understand what’s holding you back, challenging unhelpful beliefs, and creating a kinder, more sustainable relationship with your body.
We caught up with Becky to learn more about her unique approach to fitness, why she believes enthusiasm beats guilt, and what you can expect from her workshop.
How did your attitude towards exercise change, and was there a moment that made it click for you? There isn’t a specific moment that everything fell into place for me, there were various lightbulbs during a period of a few years that made me realise I’d truly changed. I can’t overstate how anti-exercise I was: I lived with a fitness fanatic (whose parents were PE teachers) whilst I was at uni and she couldn’t wrap her head around how sedentary I was; nor could a colleague – who wanted to be a PE teacher – when I worked in London a few years later; a couple of years after that, I was teaching horse riding in the US and my fellow instructors went through a phase of doing HIIT workouts during our very brief breaks during the day and I used to lie down and nap instead!
Fast-forward a few years and, having very anxiously set foot in the gym, a few months laterI noticed that I was lugging a lot of shopping around one day, car keys dangling from my teeth as I powered up several flights of stairs without getting out of breath. I could spend far longer on my feet whilst on city breaks too. And, predictably, I started lifting some bigger numbers at the gym. The fact that I got more excited about gyms reopening following lockdowns than pubs made me fully realise I’d embraced fitness!
Have you seen similar breakthroughs in your clients? Funnily enough, a client brought up the idea of sense of belonging in fitness spaces recently, and I was incredibly flattered when they said that they first accomplished that feeling when they started training with me! I’m pleased to say that there have been many breakthroughs in the years since I started coaching people. It’s different for everyone, because what’s meaningful for us varies, but whenever someone is pleased with their progress or something that they’ve noticed about themselves, I’m pleased for them (and proud of myself).
Why do you think so many people have a negative attitude towards exercise? For women in particular, it tends to track back to our childhood. The vast majority of us who’ve pulled on a pair of gym knickers can relate to the often-hideous experience that is PE. And if, like me, you think that PE IS what exercise is, and you hate it… there’s an obvious direction the thought pattern goes in. We’re not taught to like it or enjoy it, we’re taught to get through it because we have to. We’re also not really coached to become more proficient, we’re quickly given up on if we don’t pick things up quickly, and that’s disheartening – we’re being given the direct message of, “you can’t do it”. We hold those beliefs to be true until something changes our mind.
What’s one common mistake you see people make when they decide to “get fit”? Too much, too soon. So many people think that they have to go from inactive to exercising several times per week. Some of that is down to guidelines from organisations from the WHO, and I often hear from people that they worry about “not getting in the habit” or “losing motivation” if they don’t train every couple of days. I know that starting slowly works partly because I did it that way myself. I began with going to the gym once per week – it was all I had the opportunity for (I often tell people that you don’t HAVE to hit the slippery slope as hard as I did!), and the momentum built over a period of months as I began to enjoy it and see the benefit. If you try to go from zero or one session per week to two or three straight away, you set your body and mind up to fail. I promise you that one session per week – at a gym, class, or at home – is plenty to get started and feel a difference.
Can you share an industry myth or lie that frustrates you? So many! There are some really common answers that would be given here, but I’m going to give two that chime more with those I’d like to speak to – that women shouldn’t lift heavy weights, and there’s such a thing as too late to get started. Nobody should start off lifting heavy, and not everyone will get there, but you must step away from the 1kg pink dumbbells. Please. And the ankle weights (unless you’ve been advised to use them by someone who has good logic for them). Lifting weights is fantastic for our bone health, which is critical as we age. You can start lifting at 20, 40, or even 80 years old if you’re in a position to! There are some great inspirational stories out there of women who started later in life and are flourishing in their 70s and 80s as a result.
What do you want people to take away from this workshop? I’d love people to leave this workshop understanding that they CAN find a style of movement that suits them and is at least occasionally enjoyable. Another popular myth is that those of us who are consistent always love our workouts. We don’t. We often or mostly do, and sometimes we tolerate or even dislike them. Seeking to adore every moment again sets you up to fail, but that doesn’t mean you have to suffer either. Exercise should be a celebration of what your body can do, and that will show up in a variety of forms.
Exercise doesn’t have to be about guilt, pressure, or doing what you think you should do. Becky’s approach is about challenging old beliefs and finding movement that works for you—without the overwhelm. Whether you’ve struggled to enjoy exercise or just want to build a healthier, more sustainable relationship with it, her workshop at HOH is a chance to rethink fitness on your own terms.
If you’re ready to change how you feel about movement, join Becky at HOH and take the first step towards a fitness mindset that actually works for you.