Move with Cecilia

When you train — focus on your own progress.

This is about you. Only you.

You are the one who shows up. You are the one who builds the routine. You are the one who decides how far this goes.

And if you're not seeing results — and I'm not talking about the next day, I'm talking weeks or months — here's what to check:

🍛Are you eating enough?
Starving yourself or jumping on the intermittent fasting bandwagon — sorry to disappoint, but it isn't for everyone. Your body needs fuel to perform, recover and grow stronger. Don't shortchange it.

🥵Are you overtraining?
More is not always better. Rest is part of the program. Recovery is where the magic actually happens.

😴Are you respecting the foundations?
Whether your goal is to swim your first kilometre or cross a triathlon finish line — foundations are everything. They prevent injury. They build the strength and confidence to take you where you want to go. Skip them and you'll pay for it later.

Progress isn't linear. It isn't always visible. But it is always happening when you show up consistently and train smart.

So come back to this: it's about you. Your journey. Your pace. Your goal.

Show up for yourself . The results will follow. 🌊💙

Night changes. Life changes. Everything changes.☺️

But the one thing that is always important is Movement.

Movement is the one constant you can come back to — no matter what life throws at you.

And here’s what most people don’t realise: moving your body isn’t just about fitness. It’s biology.

Physically:
When you swim, cycle, walk, workout— you are doing so much more than burning calories.

You are strengthening your heart, protecting your joints, building the muscle mass that keeps you strong and independent for decades to come.

Move it or lose it. It really is that simple.

Mentally:
Movement regulates your nervous system.

It releases cortisol — your stress hormone — and triggers endorphins that genuinely shift your mood.

It is one tool for anxiety, overwhelm and mental clarity that exists.

I have cycled through change.

I have swum through doubt.

I have walked through moments where I didn’t know what came next.

Movement didn’t solve everything.

But it gave me the strength to face it.

Because when everything around you shifts — your job, your relationships, your plans, your heart — your body is still there.

Ready. Waiting. Asking you to show up.

So keep moving. Through the joy, through the hard, through the in-between.

Especially through the in-between. 🌊💙

What does movement do for you? 👇

You shouldn't start ocean swimming with me. And here's why.

There are several risks you need to be aware of before you take the plunge. 🌊

Where do I even start?

There is a very high chance you will develop a habit of waking up early — voluntarily — just to jump in the ocean. I know. Terrifying. 😅

You may start realising how genuinely capable you are. Because ocean swimming isn't always easy. Some days it challenges you in ways you didn't expect. And when you push through? That little voice in your head says *"dang… I actually did that."* And nothing is ever quite the same after that.

The salt therapy will probably make you feel annoyingly good. Sorry about that.

You will most likely end up laughing with complete strangers at 6am and wondering why you didn't start sooner. Side effects may include wanting to come back. Every. Single. Day.

Unfortunately — and I really am sorry about this one — you may also become stronger and fitter. Completely unavoidable. 💪

And the last risk. Perhaps the most dangerous of all.

You may develop an uncontrollable urge to travel the world just to swim in different oceans. 🌍

Don't say I didn't warn you. 😄

So — are you willing to take the risk? 👇

If you could go back and tell your younger self one thing — what would it be?🤔

I think about the little girl I was.

Growing up in France, dreaming small because the world felt big and scary and far away.

She would never have believed me.

That one day she would pack up her life and move to the other side of the world.

Learn a new language.
Build a business from scratch.

Clip into a road bike for the first time — terrified — and somehow end up crossing Ironman finish lines.

That she would create swim retreats and take women to swim in oceans around the world.🤩

That she would become “this”.

And here’s the thing — it didn’t happen because everything went perfectly.

It happened in spite of the doubt.

In spite of the fear.

In spite of every moment I wondered if I was enough.

I tried anyway. I believed anyway.

Because mindset is everything.

Not the absence of fear — but the decision to move forward regardless.

To trust that something bigger is possible even when you can’t see it yet.

We are so much more than we give ourselves credit for.

We are, truly, magical. ✨

So whatever that thing is that feels too big, too far, too impossible right now — try anyway. Believe anyway.

Your future self is counting on you. 💙🌊

Put the Garmin on your wrist and forget it exists. ⌚️

I see it all the time — swimmers constantly checking their watch mid-swim. And I get it. We're data driven. We want to know our pace, our distance, our heart rate.

But here's why checking your Garmin while you swim is actually working against you.

🏊🏻‍♀️1. It destroys your body position.
Every time you lift your wrist to check your watch you disrupt your stroke, drop your hips and create drag. That split second of checking your data is costing you more time than the data is saving you. Your body position in the water is everything — don't sacrifice it for a number.

🏊🏻‍♀️2. It pulls you out of your feel.
Swimming is one of the most technical sports there is. Every stroke requires presence — your breathing, your catch, your rotation. The moment your focus goes to your watch it leaves your body. And that disconnection is where bad habits sneak back in.

🏊🏻‍♀️3. In open water it can be dangerous.
When you're focused on your wrist you're not focused on what's around you — other swimmers, surf, currents, buoys. Sighting and awareness keep you safe. Your Garmin doesn't.

Use your data after the swim. Analyse, learn, adjust. But in the water? Trust your body. Trust your feel. Trust your training.

The watch can wait. 🌊💙

Rule number 1: Impress yourself.

There is something we don't talk about enough — the real reason why we do what we do.

From my experience, a lot of us start a challenge to feel proud of ourselves. To feel worthy. And that is a beautiful reason to start. But when we attach too much importance to the result — the time, the place, the number on the scale — we give up at the first obstacle. Because the goal starts to feel out of reach.

This is why coming back to your *why* is everything.

Your why is what carries you when you doubt. It's the voice that gets you out of bed when motivation has gone quiet.

So why do I focus so much on mindset as a swim coach and personal trainer?

Because I've seen too many people who want to move — who genuinely want to change — activate self-sabotage mode at the first wave of difficulty. And by working on the why, the confidence, the trust — they achieve what they didn't think possible.

The drills, the skills, the stroke correction — yes, they matter. Absolutely. But the belief? That's what makes you stronger. That's what makes everything else work.

For me they go hand in hand. When I give you an exercise, I need you to believe you can learn something new. Because that belief is what turns practice into progress.

So come back to rule number 1.

Not to impress them. Not to prove a point.

To impress yourself. That's the only finish line that never gets old. 🔥💙