Get up (hours before the sun, usually), bust my ass at work, get off (feeling exhausted), and drag myself to the gym for a workout. The last piece was the part of my day that I used to dread!
As a lot of the population is, I was a member at a chain gym at that time. You know-one of those that you pay $10, go lift some weights, hop on some random machines (spend time waiting in line for them to be free), and hope for great results. I had no direction, no motivation, and I wasn't really that confident in myself. Having sub-par confidence made the task of going even more difficult. There would definitely be tiny, fit women there, walking around in their sports bras and little pants, and giant muscle-men strutting around begging to be stared at. Yuck. Not my scene! But, I went anyway- not as often as I "should" be going, but I went and suffered through the uncomfortable environment, awful music, and people that were just there to say they went, or that were there solely to reenact scenes from the bachelor.
Now, this climate does work for many people. There are a lot of people who enjoy going for the social atmosphere and the small talk about nothing- I am just not one of them. I liked my solitude when I was working out. I hadn't really hit my work out stride yet, but I made every effort to try to get there.
At that point, I knew how to work out. I went to school for physical education, I was around athletes all my life, hell, I was an athlete. Working out was not necessarily the hardest part. My surroundings, and lack of change was what was hard for me. I found it hard to go in, and have the same general cookie-cutter work out day in and day out. Looking back, there were variations I could have made within my routine to make my work outs more enjoyable, but I just wasn't really confident in straying away from what I knew, and the comfort of the machines. That was until it all changed.
One day, someone important in my life stumbled upon an boxing gym. The thought of walking into a boxing gym was terrifying. I have never boxed, I knew very little about the sport, and I was very scared to be judged on my lack of skill. But, despite my fears, I went to give it a try. I dragged my sister with me because hell, if I had to suffer and look like a fool, so did she!
As it turns out, that morning we took the plunge, it was the morning after a fight night. There was literally no one in the gym other than the owner. None of the fighters or coaches were there because they were all still sleeping from the event the night before, and at the time we went, the morning class was over and people had cleared out from that as well. This immediately helped calm my nerves. I got some basic instruction from the owner of the gym, and then he had us get in the ring to work mitts with him. Want to feel like an instant bad-ass? Climb in a boxing ring! Now, it did take some coaxing to get me in there...it seemed intense and aggressive at first, but from the moment that I climbed in, I knew that I had found my fitness sweet spot.
I became a member that day. I looked around the gym and saw endless work out possibilities. There was a variety of equipment. There were lots of things I had always wanted to try (sledgehammer, giant tires to flip, battle ropes) and they were all now at my disposal! For me, this was what I never knew I was missing! Not for nothing- I also got to go, strap on my gloves, and punch bags and work mitts! What was not to love!? After a long day at work, it is nice to go hit things in a safe and supportive environment.
Once I found my gym home, I also found my gym family. The people I met here were people I wanted to talk to. They were there because this was also their work out safe-haven. Connections were easy to make here. I wanted to go to the gym to work out and be healthy, but I also found myself wanting to go to see my gym family members. Even some of the professional fighters and their trainers welcomed us, and gave us pointers on how to throw punches more effectively! I found myself there 5-6 days a week! Who was I becoming?
As I continued to go, I started to realize that I am strong. Not just strong physically, but mentally as well. This realization began to grow my confidence. I started seeing results with my body that I had not ever seen before. But, it wasn't even all about the outside appearance that made me better. It was the mental shift that I was able to make. I was able to transition from "I have to go work out", to "I get to go work out". I began to see that working out is not something that I need to do to punish myself for food I have eaten, or for a lazy week- it is something that I now see as a reward. I am rewarding my body every time I step foot in that gym. I am saying "Look at what you can do! Look how strong you are!". This mental shift has made a world of difference for me.I still hear friends and family saying that they have to go to the gym. I know it is ingrained in us to think fitness is something we have to do to maintain health, but for me it is so much more than that. It is a mental health saver too. I am more confident and mentally strong. I am able to handle things that are thrown at me in a better manner, I am not as stressed (punching things helps that piece), and I consciously use my time in the gym as my therapy time. Fitness as therapy is a beautiful thing.
If you have not found it in your soul to see exercising your body as a privilege, maybe you are also in the wrong gym or in the wrong work out routine. Actively search for your sweet spot. Find your fitness tribe; your gym/fitness family. Find that place where fitness becomes your life therapy session and your body reward each day.
With my new challenge of becoming a personal trainer, I hope that I can be that safe and sweet spot for my future clients. I hope that I can help others to see that with the right environment and support, fitness is super fun! Please join me on my journey, and I would love to support you in yours!
