Mindset, positivity, and focusing on yourself is a combination for success when working on your fitness. Joe Bird has it all and has a laugh on the way too.
He might just be the most positive and funniest person on our Instagram feed. You might know him as @cptruths. Joe was born with Cerebral Palsy, and he uses his Instagram as a place to raise awareness in a very light-hearted way.
His Instagram is full of positive quotes:
“Cerebral palsy has never been a burden, but a gift. It’s empowered me, inspired me and motivated me. Our perceptions of the world influences how we react to it. But in my reality, having a disability has made me stronger, more resilient and empathetic. We all must learn to celebrate people’s differences.” [instagram url=https://www.instagram.com/reel/CUQCDItjvZh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link hide_caption=true;]Some posts provide an insight into his sense of humour:
[instagram url=https://www.instagram.com/reel/CUkqlSoDUGC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link hide_caption=true;]
We caught up with Joe to gain more of an insight into his positive outlook and how exercise has helped him.
“Fitness has always been a big part of my life”
Growing up with Cerebral Palsy, Joe started physiotherapy at the age of two, in fact it was the “main focus” of his day.
“This reduced the spasticity in my muscles and allowed me to reduce the symptoms of cerebral palsy.” As Joe grew up, he started to adopt exercises into his workout routine.
“Bodyweight exercises came later and putting a focus on core exercises was very important for me. By having a strong core at a young age, it allowed me to drastically improve my balance and quality of life.” Through exercise Joe has been able to understand how cerebral palsy affects his body and develop a deeper understanding of how his body works.
“Ultimate concoction for success.”
Joe’s understanding of his body is something a lot of people crave. How to effectively workout to benefit yourself is a difficult journey.
“I have a good understanding of how strength, training and physiotherapy, when combined, is the ultimate concoction for success.” What works for Joe?
“I ensure that I stretch before every workout to reduce the risk of injury and reduce existing tightness in my muscles. I then lift heavy weights and try to achieve hypertrophy and progressive overload.” “Physiotherapy is then completed after my workout. This is essential for me to avoid injury as the increased tightness in my muscles make it more likely for me to become injured.” “Captivated by change”
“My favourite exercises are bench press, tricep dips and lunges. I am captivated by change in my physical abilities and being able to notice differences in my physical appearance, as well as a reduction in my cerebral palsy symptoms.” This is what motivates Joe. A lot of people head to the gym to alter their physical appearance, but for most it is entirely cosmetic. Joe works to change his life.
“I’m motivated by my goal of being able to walk with minimal visible differences in my walking pattern. I believe I will achieve this through my workouts and strict physiotherapy regime.” “I’ve always tried to avoid comparing myself to others”
A lesson that everyone should live by. Why does it matter what anyone else is doing? You do you.
But why is it important for Joe to focus on himself?
“Role models have always been hard to come by, due to seeing myself as a unique person. I find comparing my abilities to others demotivating and have always focused on my own specific goals, challenge myself living with cerebral palsy.” Take Home Message
Joe has never compared himself to anyone else, he’s never needed to. Instead, he puts all his energy into focusing on himself and working towards his goals. The mindset of not needing to compare ourselves to anyone else is the key to success in and out of the gym.
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After completing an internship with Myprotein, Emily returned to university to finish her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Marketing.
With experience in lifestyle writing, Emily aims to entertain and educate through her work. Her focuses include recipes, real and inspiring stories, and working with writers to help provide easy-to-digest evidence-based research.
Her work on recipes has been previously featured in The Supplement magazine, with a particular focus on high-protein, nutritious meals, plus advice on how to properly fuel your body.
Outside of work, Emily’s top priority is food. She’s a self-professed star baker and a connoisseur of all things baked. In her spare time, she’s either cooking up a storm, our looking out for the opportunity to try out Manchester’s newest restaurants. But as a huge fan of carbs, if it’s not pasta or pasta-adjacent, she’s not interested.
If she’s not in the kitchen, she’s tucked up with a book for an early night, or you’ll find her in the gym working up a sweat. Afterall, all those carbs require quite the appetite.
