How I Got Into Fitness
My whole life has involved exercise in some way shape or form. I was an avid horse rider from the age of 4, and when I turned 14, I got my first horse: Kwintus. We rode competitively (kinda, I hate competitions) for 4 years, and then I went off to university in the UK, and he went into retirement. So you can imagine when I got to uni, it was a bit of a shock to the system. I went from riding every day, to no exercise at all. I felt miserable, I didn't yet know anything about food or nutrition, and I was getting sicker and sicker as the days went by.
I started to do a bit of yoga after my mum suggested I give it a go, and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't enough for me. I'd never set foot in a gym in my life, and I wasn't about to go to one on my own. Then one day, some girl friends of mine called me up saying that they were going to go down to one of the local gyms for a bit and wondered if I wanted to join them. Hesitantly, I agreed. I threw on some yoga pants, a (less than supportive) sports bra, a horrible old t-shirt, and off we went. What a revelation I had! I was hooked, immediately. For the first time in ages, I felt exhilarated. I was running, getting extremely sweaty, and I loved it.
I carried on going to the gym with and without my friends. I spent a LOT of time on the cardio equipment, but the important thing was that I was happy. I didn't yet have any goals really, I just wanted to run. I wasn't particularly good at it either! I just enjoyed the feeling so much. I noticed it began to help me feel positive in other areas of my life. I carried on being a cardio gym bunny for probably two years or so.
It was also at this time that I began to really look into health, fitness and nutrition. I became fascinated with how the body is affected by food, influenced by the fact that I was suffering so badly from my IBS. Little by little, I began to change the way I was eating in an attempt to fuel my body better for my running, but also to try and heal my gut. Needless to say, I definitely got a bit better. After about two years of running on treadmills and pavements, I was going further (woah there don't get any ideas, I was never running marathons or anything), but I was getting frustrated, a bit bored, and shin splints were now a thing.
The thought of lifting weights is scary. It's seen to be a very masculine thing to do. But when I joined a new gym (my current gym) last year, I noticed a class full of women: Body Pump. They were all lifting weights! At this point the most "lifting" I'd ever done was use the odd of the machines in the gym, but never anything serious. I was nervous, but I was also desperate to give it a go. So one evening, I went to my first class. I was totally lost at first, and lifting the lightest weights possible because I had no idea how to do any of the exercises. I don't think I could move for a whole week after that first class, my body was aching so much. But I was addicted. I had felt benefits from the class immediately. I felt empowered and strong. I loved it!
Fast forward a couple months, and I was really enjoying myself. I was doing roughly three Body Pump classes a week, as well as spinning and my own gym sessions. When my birthday approached, I wasn't sure what I wanted. Everyone kept asking me, but I didn't need anything! Then, as I was driving home one evening, it hit me: all I really wanted was to further improve my fitness. So I asked for some personal training sessions.
I began training with my PT, Steve, the weekend after my birthday in May, and I have been ever since. It's highly addictive, and the increase in my fitness levels has been dramatic. I deadlifted 60kg the other day, and there was no way I could have done that a few months ago. We're starting to focus my training on much more heavy lifting now, and I'm SO excited about that because I think thats what I'm most curious to learn about at this moment in time.
I think that fitness is a journey that you're always on. Right now, I want to feel strong. I'm sure that in a few months, those goals will change again. Maybe I'll wake up one morning and decide I'm going to train for a marathon (I already know I want to do that one day). But right now, I'm really enjoying myself, and that's what I think working out should be for everybody: loads of fun!
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