What is Ironwild Fitness?
What is Ironwild Fitness and who is the writer behind the site? Learn all about it here!
Hi, I’m Chantal.
I’m a homemaking mom, personal trainer, nutrition coach, gardener, and farm girl trapped in a city girl’s body.
I started this website, Ironwild Fitness, while pregnant with my secondborn. I had every intention of it being a postpartum fitness site while using it to chronicle my postpartum weight loss journey.
However, as my life has changed and my babies have grown, this site has evolved into something much different than what I’d originally thought it would be.
My fitness philosophy has grown and evolved just as much as my life has changed, and the content on my website is a reflection of that.
If you sift through some of the older posts on my website, you will see a huge focus on fitness, clean eating, and the more superficial aspects of health & wellness.
But over time, my fitness philosophy has developed into something much deeper and more profound.
I found that while exercise science and general nutrition tips are very much needed, there are many people who can already offer them to the world.
For many years, I struggled with the messages I wanted to put forth.
It felt wrong to speak about weight loss and fitness without addressing the many, many other issues in our society.
You see, I believe that health is much more than a number on a scale.
But my message is significantly more complex than that.
As I dabbled in the world of fitness blogging and online personal training, I learned that many people in the industry were failing to address a number of other factors contributing to our unhealthy lifestyles.
Mental health is one area that comes to mind, as does hormonal health, along with a number of other issues.
It felt as though there is a much bigger problem we are facing as a society, and though it is hard to pinpoint, I believe that it has something to do with our overall lifestyle and values.
Americans are lonelier, sadder, and fatter than ever.
It’s not just that we’re eating too many calories and sitting too often.
It’s far deeper than that. In my opinion, we are putting far too much value and time into all of the wrong things.
We value convenience.
We value speed and efficiency.
We value technology.
We value independence.
We glorify busyness and stress.
We glorify the hustle instead of slowing down.
And it also seems that we value quantity over quality.
The result is a stressed-out, lonely, self-medicating, over-indulging human being.
We aren’t cooking enough of our own food.
We’re no longer growing some of our food in the backyard.
Community is no longer a priority for many.
Sitting around or staring at a screen most of the day is normal.
Hiring someone to do the physical things we don’t want to do is quite common.
Living in a constant state of stress is good because it means we are “hustling.”
We want to appear to have many friends, but very few of our relationships are true and meaningful connections.
We don’t ask for help and live independently because relying on someone else is seen as weak or risky.
Family is hit-or-miss, and being close to family is optional. Family values are weak because of our desire to be independent.
I really could go on.
In short, I believe that we are living in the unhealthiest time period in history due to a number of factors.
It’s no longer just about physical health. That is all just a reflection of what we feel inside.
And what we are lacking is community, meaningful relationships, hard physical work, local and homemade food, and family.
P.S. Did you know that I have meal-planning printables, a nutrition course, a high-protein cookbook, and more helpful tools in my shop? Check them out if you’re investing in your nutrition habits this year!
It took me a long time to come to the conclusion that we are missing the mark in so many ways.
And that is what Ironwild Fitness aims to address.
Fitness and health are SO much more than counting calories and exercising until you are too depleted to go on.
Everything I do with my website addresses one of the aspects that I believe we are missing.
In my personal opinion, one of the best ways to fight back against everything that is wrong with America’s health is to opt out of as many mainstream societal norms as possible.
I feel really strongly about this, but it can look different for everyone.
In my life, that means that I am trying to become more self-sufficient with my food.
I have backyard chickens and a small vegetable garden, and I am always trying to cook more of our meals from scratch.
Opting out of societal norms also means that I have chosen to be a homemaker and loyal wife.
I value my family time over the hustle of being a career woman. That doesn’t mean I don’t make my own money or that I’m uneducated – it just means that my life revolves around family above everything else.
Another societal norm that I opt out of is having every single social media platform and staying indoors all day.
While I do use a few platforms for my blog, I don’t have personal accounts for Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, etc. They just aren’t healthy for me, mentally or physically.
I mow my own lawn, pull my own weeds, scrub my own toilets, and do all other housework on my own.
I go for walks outside, spend time hiking and camping each year, and would love nothing more than to live and work on a large farm in the middle of nowhere.
My desire is to have two or three meaningful friendships rather than be friends with a hundred people on a superficial level.
I’m focused on keeping my life slow and low-stress, and I do all of that for my own health and that of my family.
This website is a reflection of everything I’ve learned about life, fitness, food, family, farming, and everything in between.
It’s my way of encouraging you to do what is right instead of what everyone else seems to be doing.
A call back to your roots, if you will.
Think back to what made you feel healthiest and happiest. Think of what’s missing in your life.
It’s likely no earthly possession.
It’s probably something more meaningful, more personal, and super simple.
So the message behind Ironwild Fitness is that slow and simple living might just be the answer to all of our health problems.
Slow and simple food.
Simple hobbies.
Simple lives.
Simple love.
It’s all about going back to the basics of human needs.
We need better connections with other humans, a better connection with the food we’re eating, and a better connection to who we are and what makes us happy and healthy.
I don’t know about you, but this hustle and bustle just isn’t doing it for me.
I’m not asking everyone to go live off-grid in a commune, but I am asking you to take a much deeper look at your life in terms of what you value.
Do those things really matter? What matters more?
Are the things you’re spending time on helping or hindering you?
What healthy hobbies did you have as a child that you no longer do?
When was the last time you had a phone-free conversation with a good friend over coffee?
Have you gotten out in the sun lately?
When was the last time you got sweaty working out in the yard or going for a run?
It can seem so trivial, but it is the simple things that we need the most.
That is what Ironwild Fitness is all about…reframing this whole “fitness” thing to be more profound and meaningful than it is now.
I really could go on and on about this, but I’ll leave you with a few articles to read instead.
Here are a few that really illustrate the essence of Ironwild Fitness and the message I hope to spread:
- What Is Rewilding? + 7 Easy Ways to Rewild
- Dear America – It’s Time to Run Back To Our Roots
- 41 Homestead Skills To Learn While Still Dreaming
- Is Gardening Good Exercise? The Surprising Health Benefits of Gardening
Until next time,
Chantal
Click here to find me on Instagram.
