Want to get fit but don’t have the motivation to join a gym? Getting started is intimidating and sticking at it is hard. Especially if you struggle to find the time. But it’s never too late to start your fitness journey and transform your body! I did it and so can you!
Three years ago I had never even stepped foot in a gym! During my twenties, I was lucky enough to stay lean.
No matter how much stress I was under, or how much junk food I ate, I was always fairly skinny. So starting my fitness journey and sticking to a fitness routine was not high on my list of priorities. I’d always aspire to be fit and picture myself leaving work at 5pm to hit the gym on my way home. The reality, though, was me chained to my desk all day. Ultimately I was skipping breakfast, eating lunch whilst replying to emails and surviving on 8 shots of coffee!
When I got home, around 8pm, I would eat whatever I could find in my fridge (usually leftovers) and fall into bed. Then, I’d repeat this routine again the next day and I’d spend the majority of the week living for the weekend. On Friday nights I always got takeaway or ate out. My friends would drag me off the dance floor after a Saturday night out and I’d spend most of my Sundays in bed recovering from the night before.
It was far from a healthy lifestyle. Fortunately, for the sake of my health, this changed when I quit my corporate career to become a Flight Attendant.
Initially, flying was even more exhausting! My work schedule made it seem impossible to fit in any sort of fitness routine. I found myself over-eating in the early hours of the morning. Or worse still, ordering fast food very late night at night on my way home from work. I’d step into the shower the minute I got home and then, within half an hour, I was in bed asleep. Mainly because I was exhausted from waking up to my alarm, as early as 3:30 am and working a 12-hour shift. And as my body battled the adjustment to shift work, I was also entering my early 30s.
Suddenly, I noticed my metabolism slowing down and I realised that I had become skinny fat!
My body started storing excess body fat and I had little muscle definition. I was on my feet all day but barely getting enough sleep and this left me feeling lethargic all of the time. So I began doing cardio-based fitness to counteract this and immediately noticed that I had a lot more energy! The frustration continued though. No matter how much I hit the pavement I couldn’t seem to tone up or gain muscle definition like the fitness models that I aspired to. So, determined to see a change, I signed up to a gym and completed an 8 Week Body Transformation Challenge.
Walking into the gym was intimidating at first. But I quickly got to know the girls in my group fitness class and they quickly became my best friends!
This kick-started my fitness journey and over the first three months, I followed a strict nutrition plan. This involved weighing my food and following precise macros. I quickly became very motivated to learn more about my body and how I could nourish it to get the best out of it. With a few adjustments to my diet and a new fitness routine, the excess body fat I’d gained since turning 30 literally fell off me!
I also found my passion for lifting weights, building strength and transforming my body composition. Group fitness training sessions at the gym are now something that I look forward to. I train at a powerlifting performance gym, PTC South Melbourne, three times per week with my fitness coach.
I’m now 34 and in the best shape of my life, both mentally and physically!
Exercising really is addictive! And strong is the new skinny. So I’m not really all that surprised that I’ve now become a gym junkie! However, getting fit is a personal challenge. So you need to set yourself some goals.
This will help to keep you motivated and allow you to track your progress! It’s rewarding to see yourself improving. Yet, results can take time. So the hard work you put in may not pay off straight away. This is all part of the process and through personal development you can gain the strength required to persevere. After all, fit bodies require hard work and determination.
Throughout my fitness journey, the biggest challenge I’ve faced, though, was actually getting started in the first place!
For me, the financial commitment of signing up for a challenge was the motivation I needed to actually make myself stick at it. The exercises were difficult at first and I did wonder what I had got myself into. But it didn’t take long for my body to adjust and for my confidence to grow as I started to see results!
So if getting fit and starting your own fitness journey is something you keep putting off, then stop making excuses. Make the commitment to get in the best shape of your life and sign up yourself up now! You can join a gym, take a pilates or barre class, or even just do a HIIT training session a few times a week. It truly will be the best thing you can do for your body. And once you’re underway, you’ll wonder why you didn’t get started on your fitness journey earlier!
