The Art of Letting Go: Beyond Discipline
In my last post, I talked about discipline and consistency.
But here’s the part no one really talks about:
There’s a fine line between discipline… and self-destruction.
When I started my fitness journey, I was constantly chasing dopamine. Faster. Stronger. Leaner. Better.
And yes - this can push you forward.
But it can also slowly take the joy out of everything.
I learned the hard way that pushing to the limit all the time is not the answer. Especially not for women.
Sometimes I would train twice a day. I wouldn’t skip the gym, even if I was sick, had a fever, or was dealing with menstrual pain. In my head, there was no option. I HAD to go.
Because that’s what discipline looks like… right?
But here’s the truth: discipline without awareness is just stress.
And my body felt it.
I was getting tired, under-fueled, and overtrained. My body was running on high cortisol, not strength. And when your body stays in that stress mode for too long, it stops responding the way you want it to.
Fat loss slows down.
Performance drops.
Recovery disappears.
And eventually - I hit a wall.
I wasn’t getting faster. I wasn’t getting stronger. I even gained weight.
That was my wake-up call.
I finally let go.
Not of training, but of the idea that more is always better.
I started to understand that balance and recovery are not optional - they are the foundation.
I began syncing my training with my cycle. During the luteal phase (the second half of women's cycle, after ovulation and before period, when usually energy drops).
More yoga, Pilates, slower runs. Less intensity, more awareness.
Some days, listening to my body means swapping a run for a walk.
Sometimes it means eating more, even when I feel like I didn’t “earn it.”
Sometimes it means stopping earlier, not pushing harder.
And instead of losing progress - I started seeing real results.
Because I stopped fighting my body, and started working with it.
Now I know when I can push, and when I need to pull back.
And that’s the kind of discipline that actually works.
Not the “no days off”, push-through-pain mindset.
But the one that adapts.
Because rest is NOT weakness.
Rest is part of the process.
HYROX is a fitness race that mixes running with functional workouts.
Right now, I’m combining running with strength and building toward Hyrox, but I’m doing it differently this time.
No rushing into competition.
No all-or-nothing mindset.
I’m building a base.
Let’s improve running.
Let’s improve strength.
Let’s understand nutrition.
Let’s respect the cycle.
This is what it really means to become a healthy hybrid athlete.
My training includes 2–3 Hyrox-specific sessions per week, combined with strength work and running, but the biggest change?
I do it mindfully.
Even though I’ve run a half marathon, I’ve gone back to basics. Easy runs. Aerobic work. Slowing down to get faster.
A lot of people skip this part, but it’s where the magic actually happens.
And here’s the truth we don’t say enough:
Women are not built the same as men.
We can’t train fasted and expect peak performance.
We can’t hit PRs when our body is already under stress.
We can’t ignore recovery and expect progress.
So let’s normalize a few things:
Being tired sometimes is normal.
Losing your period is NOT normal.
Not eating enough is NOT discipline - it’s damage.
Letting go doesn’t mean giving up.
It means choosing a smarter way forward.
Because real progress doesn’t come from doing more.
It comes from doing what your body actually needs
I fell in love with HYROX because it gives me the best of both worlds.
I can be a gym girl and still run, build strength and endurance at the same time. I do it for myself, for my health, and for the feeling it gives me, not for the numbers.
And yes, I’ll definitely see you at the competition soon, but I’m showing up there to prove to myself that my body can do more than I think, not to chase a score.
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