Our Bodies Were Never Meant to Be on the Go All the Time

Jan 11
3 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

A Sunday CEO Journal on rest, self-trust, and redefining strength

On Becoming — A Sunday CEO Journal

By Amanda Matos — StrongSelves Studio

Why Rest Is More Powerful Than Pushing Harder

Most women I know — including myself — were raised to think strength means persistence, drive, and a very long to-do list.

We’re told: “More effort, more hustle, more pushing.”

But here’s what I’ve realized in the last few years as an athlete turned coach and business owner — our bodies were never meant to be on GO all the time.

This shift — from performance mode to self-trust mode — is one of the hardest parts of health and transformation. It’s not something that happens overnight. It requires unlearning deeply ingrained messages that tell us rest equals weakness.

From Athlete Brain to Human Being Brain

I’ve lived in performance mode most of my life.

As a lifelong athlete, my body was a tool to perform:

Push harder
Train longer
Ignore pain
Keep going

And in many ways, that served me well — until it didn’t.

What I didn’t realize at the time is this: A body that never rests eventually stops responding. And a nervous system on constant alert loses trust in itself.

This is especially true for women. Our hormonal cycles, recovery needs, and stress responses are different than a one-size-fits-all narrative often pushed by mainstream fitness culture.

Softening Doesn’t Mean Giving Up — It Means Rewiring

Softening is not a weakness.

But learning it often feels harder than running intervals.

I still wake up in the middle of the night with my brain firing on all cylinders — ideas, tasks, thoughts that have nothing to do with sleep.

And that’s okay.

Because what I’ve learned is this: Consistency doesn’t come from force — it comes from integration.

It’s the daily practices — the small habits — that truly change how we relate to ourselves over time.

Here are the rituals that anchor me:

Regular movement (consistent workouts)
Nutrition that fuels instead of restricts
Breathwork and meditation to calm a running mind

These things aren’t quick fixes. They’re long-term rewiring tools for the body, brain, and soul that took me a while to figure out and integrate into my life on a consistent basis.

What the Fitness Industry Doesn’t Tell You

Here’s a truth that isn’t talked about enough:

What worked for you in your 30s might not work in your 40s or 50s. And that’s okay.

The mainstream fitness industry is built on cookie-cutter plans, quick results, and one-track measurements like weight loss. But women’s bodies are not one-size-fits-all — not externally, and especially not internally.

We change with:

Age
Stress
Life stages
Hormonal shifts
Identity changes

And because of that, your fitness path must be yours.

Ask yourself:

If the scale didn’t exist…If society’s standards didn’t exist…What makes you feel happy, vibrant, light, and alive?

That question holds more truth than any fitness trend ever will.

You Drive Your Health — You Decide the Meaning

This isn’t easy work.

It requires:

Reflection
Patience
Testing & re-testing
Listening
Adjusting

You’re the only one living inside your body. Only you can interpret how she responds to stress, rest, movement, food, and recovery.

At StrongSelves, we give support, structure, tools, and community — but you drive the car.

You are not a passive participant. You are the decision maker, the tester, the observer.

And once you step fully into that role — not trying to perform but to understand — transformation becomes sustainable.

Why This Matters

You have one body and one life.

Why wouldn’t you want to know and love her deeply? Not just what she looks like — but what she needs, responds to, and thrives with.

That’s real health.

That’s real strength.

That’s Softening + Strength + Self-Trust + Consistency — all woven together.

And that’s what this studio is all about.

— Amanda