30/05/2024
“Your fitness journey is unique to you.” Here's apart of mine I would like to share with anyone needing support and encouragement on theirs 💜💖
I was 16 years old when I joined Goodlife, now this was 12 years ago and back then the fitness industry wasn’t as big as it is today, so there weren't many 16 year olds working out.
I felt out of my comfort zone and my own internal judgment of being the only 16 year old at the time in a gym environment made it challenging to go by myself. I knew of two guys that were going to the same gym, they were a little older and knew what they were doing so that helped with the discomfort of having to go on my own. Not long later they had things come up in their lives and no longer went so i was back to the drawing board having this desire to go but terrified at the same time.
I remember getting up really early and going, hoping that it would be quiet and no one would be there, but boy was I wrong! The before work rush was in full swing, so I would stick to doing cardio, eventually I got bored of it and stopped going to the gym altogether.
A year and a half later I signed up to a different gym, something a lot smaller as those fears and insecurities were still holding me back.
One day I was in the gym working out and I had someone approach me. I was doing some exercise on the smith machine and now that I look back at it I have to laugh, I was doing it incorrectly and it was just a pointless exercise but hey I was trying “new things”. This person that came up to me was just asking what I was doing, and if I wanted some feedback, I was open to it and even though what felt like my biggest fear was actually a turning point in my fitness journey. I went on to learn and train with him 2 to 3 times a week for a few months and learnt a lot about technique so the fear of doing something incorrectly wasn’t holding me back as much.
I spent many years going to the gym on and off and I was constantly struggling with my body weight. I wanted to be thin and toned, so I spent hours at the gym, trying everything from different diets, pills, restrictive eating, meal plans, programs but nothing really made a difference. I said to myself as I brought this online “12 week fat loss” program, If i don’t see changes then I was going to give up, a bit dramatic I know but I was losing hope. I committed to the program, and lost 8kg yet gained insight into the unhealthy relationship I had with my body which changed everything for me. I stopped restricting myself and slamming my body at the gym 6 days a week and learnt to be kinder to myself.
Throughout my fitness journey I have encountered many mistakes, setbacks, discomfort and personal growth. I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn’t for those experiences and lessons that brought me to now be able to guide other women on their journeys who also experience their own personal challenges.
Keep going, your fitness journey is worth every moment 💖
