I have been keeping a fitness diary for the last two weeks, yet for some reason I have not been able to post my thoughts and experiences until now.
I have gone through a range of emotions that have been as surprising as they were enlightening to me. From being embarrassed, to overwhelmed to super motivated and back again – I have only just regained my composure.
You see, I didn’t realise how unfit I had become in the last few years.
It was on my first visit to meet my new personal trainer, Ash, that I realised how much I had let myself slip from being pretty darn fit (no exaggeration) to sluggish, overworked and decidedly plump. This should have been no surprise, as I have not had any real exercise in months, actually it’s been years. Working longer hours online and eating later at night has of course taken its toll and I have put on weight around my middle, my thighs and even my back – not cute.
More than that, I had stopped looking at myself very much too. When you are busy writing articles, taking pictures of other people and sitting behind a computer screen, there is no real need to focus on ones appearance very much. It sounds weird, but I have spent the majority of the last couple of years going from one air conditioned place to another, either driving or being driven to destinations where I was always the observer – not the one being observed.
When an opportunity arose to join the gym I thought it would be a good idea. If nothing else it would get me away from the computer screen. What I didn’t realise is how much I really NEEDED it.
Over the last few weeks I have stood in front of floor to ceiling mirrors, squatted, lunged, stretched, sweated, screamed, had my diet analysed, been weighed (that was the most painful) and felt my body and emotions change during the process. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been a challenge – but it’s been a bloody good one. Having a female personal trainer has made all the difference. It takes a woman to truly understand what it’s like to wear leggings to the gym, only to realise (mid squat) that they have holes in the crotch, to understand the need for two bras when doing cardio, to know the reality of exercise bike chafing and premenstrual bloating…
At two weeks in, I am readier than I have ever been to beat the bulge and get myself fit. Stay posted for more from my #fitnessdiary, top tips on body sculpting exercises from Ash and information on nutrition and health!
*The Gym is open 24 hours a day, has a low-cost gym membership and does not require a contract.
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