Tuesday 9 August 2016

The Reluctant Gym Bunny

I joined the gym last weekend, after almost a year without a membership and a few months filled with half-hearted attempts to work out at home.

I'm not a natural gym bunny by any means. My favourite things to do are to sit and read or write or knit or crochet. Sure, I might like a walk every now and again, especially now we're by the sea, but you won't ever find me citing 'working out' as one of my favourite things to do.

But, in a terrible case of Catch 22, I like how fit feels. I feel much happier about my body when I'm working out and really enjoy the feeling of strength.

About a month after Rich moved to Portsmouth, I quit the gym. The expense and time spent on travelling to visit each other was starting to take its toll and with Christmas and masses of overtime coming up, the gym felt like the only thing that could give.

Once I moved to Portsmouth, I tried running. But I hate running. I have always hated running. It just feels so pointless to me - where am I running to? Wouldn't this be much nicer as a stroll? I tried yoga and Pilates videos at home after work, but they didn't stick either. So I headed down to my local gym and signed up.

What a revelation! Why on earth didn't I do this as soon as I moved?!

I'm still not into the gym as a thing to do for love, but it's a damn sight easier for me than working out by myself. In my first week I attended four classes - spin, Insanity, legs bums and tums and abs and core.

And it was easy.

Well, not the classes themselves. They were sweaty and knackering. But the doing of them was easy. Getting myself out of the door to run when I can go any time I like is hard. Getting myself home and changed and out of the door for an 8pm spinning class feels easy by comparison. All I've got to do is get myself out of the door, then I just do as I'm told.

I think that's why the gym works for me - it's an hour of blissful nothing. Go faster you say? Ok! Turn up the resistance? Sure! Do one more circuit? Hold it for 30 more seconds? Well, it's not the most comfortable thing in the world, but ok, if you say so...

If I ever were to use the word love in relation to working out, then this would probably be where'd I use it because I love switching my brain off after a long day, but knowing that I'm getting loads out of the experience.

I think I'd like to share more about my attempt to get really fit here on the blog. I don't think I'm quite at the before/after shot stage, but I think it's a positive thing to share. Especially as I'm no die-hard gym-bunny, just a craft-making, cake-eating knitter trying to make healthier choices.

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