‘My school PE teacher gave me a medal for being inactive so how did I end up gymming?’
I really really wasn’t an active or sporty person growing up. I had terrible aim, zero hand-eye coordination and ,according to my friends, I ran like a penguin. None of this changed until I finished high school. I had about 6 months of free time before I started university. This free time somehow prompted various researches on how to get fit and eat healthy.
Unfortunately this also led to some really unhealthy diets and restrictions, where I would eat so little in hopes of losing weight. These always left me feeling lethargic and sick. It wasn’t that I was significantly big, but I had a certain size and figure I wanted to be before I began Uni. Somewhere during this time I started an aerobics class, which I attended diligently, trying to follow the fast exercises my inflexible body couldn’t even keep up with.
The aerobics coupled with the fad diets did indeed give me quick results and I was somewhat lighter by the time I entered uni. Regardless, my views on food and fitness were very, very wrong. Getting into shape meant reaching that specific number on the scale. There was a gym in my new place so I started going to the gym, for the first time ever. At first I was only doing days and days of cardio because of course cardio makes you lose weight (duh!). For once I had complete control over everything I ate and I would obsess over the calories in the food, but I really wasn’t eating enough.
However, as I read more on eating healthy and researched on workouts, I slowly incorporated different exercises into my gym sessions and started eating more adequately. I felt much more energetic and started enjoying gym so much more.
It was definitely a slow process but I am finally satisfied with my health and fitness now. I eat now to feel full and fuel my body, not just to survive. I workout regularly to de-stress and clear my mind. I still workout 3-4 times a week (look forward to a post on workouts) and eat reasonably healthy, but I don’t count calories or say no to dessert. I feel much stronger and confident in my body. And personally, I don’t think I’ve ever felt or looked better.
My point is, finding what’s right for you doesn’t happen overnight. But don’t be too hard on yourself. Even when you’re trying to improve yourself, if it doesn’t feel right, figure out what needs to be changed. In the end, no change is worth it if it destroys your happiness in the process. A fitness journey is not a weight loss process. It’s about feeling stronger, healthier, more confident and most importantly, happier.
Lots of love,
Nethmi
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