Sara Silva Coach

I know this reel is a little longer than what social media likes these days and probably won't get as many views as a shorter video with a stronger hook.

But lately, I've made a decision.

If I'm going to keep showing up on social media because of my business, I want to do it as MYSELF.

Not as a version of myself designed to please an algorithm.

Just me. The same person my clients, friends and family know.

And in many ways, that's exactly what this reel is about.

Because whether it's social media, your body, your fitness journey, or your health, it's so easy to get caught up in external validation.

To keep asking:
"Do I look different enough?"
"Am I lean enough?"
"Am I successful enough?"
"Am I enough?"

One of the biggest lessons I'm learning and one that I try to teach my clients every day is that your worth cannot depend on what changes from one day to the next.

Bodies change.
Health changes.
Weight changes.
Swelling changes.
Circumstances change.

But you still deserve your own kindness through all of it.

Maybe that's the real challenge:
Learning to stay on your own side, even on the days when things don't look, feel, or perform the way you hoped they would. ♡

It's Lipedema Awareness Month, and over the past year I've learned so much about this condition, its comorbidities, and how many of the symptoms I thought were unrelated were actually connected to it.

One of the biggest differences I've noticed, now 7 weeks post-op, is that stairs, hills, and lunges no longer hurt.

Seriously... is this how people live? Pain-free?

I feel incredibly lucky that I never stopped moving completely, but do people have any idea how much pain many women with lipedema push through while exercising? It's not always bad, but when it is, it is BAD. And unfortunately, very few coaches truly understand it because they've never experienced it themselves.

Being pain-free feels surreal. I genuinely hope it stays this way forever, and I'm doing everything I can on my side with my conservative treatments and self-care.

I will be forever grateful to the Lipemedical Team for making my surgery possible and giving me the chance to experience movement without pain again. ♡

Spreading awareness is so important. My page won't become a lipedema-only page, but I definitely won't be staying quiet about it either. ♡

After almost 13 years working specifically with women, one thing has become very clear to me.

Not every woman needs the same kind of coach.

A lot of the women who come to me are intelligent, capable, and strong… but have never felt comfortable in traditional fitness environments.

They are convinced strength training is “not for them”.

Those women don’t need less challenge.

They need the right entry point.

They need someone who listens first, understands the fear, and then slowly shows them what they are capable of.

This has been my approach for a while...

Because watching a woman who once said
“I could never do this”
walk confidently into a gym and lift a barbell will never stop being magical to me.

P.S. The message shown in this reel comes from a friendly and respectful conversation with another coach that I admire and appreciate a lot.
The screenshot is taken out of context because it made me reflect on how I communicate my philosophy.
Please don’t direct criticism toward this great coach and person.

Today I did my first full body workout 1 month after lipedema surgery and it felt... weird.

I'm at that stage where I'm capable of moving again but I get tired insanely fast. Everything feels heavier than it should. I don't fully recognise my body yet. I feel weak in many ways but also incredibly grateful because I know a lot of people wouldn't even be able to do half of what I'm able to do right now only 1 month post surgery.

And honestly... this experience has reinforced something I've believed for years:

Strength training saves people in ways that go far beyond aesthetics.

Being strong helps you through LIFE.

Through pain.
Through surgery.
Through recovery.
Through fear.
Through uncertainty.

This has been the hardest thing I've ever done and the whole time I kept thinking:

"If my recovery is considered insanely good by doctors, how do people who never moved their bodies before go through this?"

How do they get out of bed?
How do they rebuild?
How do they cope physically and mentally?

And this is exactly why I will never stop talking about strength training, especially for people living with pain, chronic illness, fatigue, lipedema, endometriosis, hypermobility, absolute beginners, people of a certain age or bodies constantly labelled as "fragile."

I'm so tired of the narrative that strength training is dangerous, inflammatory, "too hard on the body" and that women with chronic conditions should only do Yoga, Pilates or walking.

We finally have scientific data showing that properly dosed strength training is one of the most beneficial things we can do for long term health, pain management, function, metabolism, bone density, recovery and quality of life.

The problem was never strength training itself.

The problem is that people think it has to be extreme.
Hardcore or nothing.
Destroy yourself or it doesn't count.

And that's simply not true.

Your body adapts.
You start where you are.
You learn.
You progress.
You adjust.
And over time you become more resilient than you ever thought possible.

DM me. I can help ♡