When I first started at my gym, I had never used public machines, and I knew it was tough for me to find a place nearby where I would work out on the treadmill. It took some time before I found a space where I could walk up to the machine and spin. Eventually, however, after years of just doing this without ever having tried, I eventually started working out with weights on the counter in front of myself. At that point, I did almost every workout I could think of. The only thing I didn’t do on the machines was change clothes. Even if I did have something planned for when I worked out, I didn’t want to get out there or even sweat. (I know, funny.)
So now, a few months into my fitness journey, most people start to see how much better it feels to be on their own. This is especially true if they are trying to drop pounds but don’t quite know how to go about being more active and then actually stick to it. When I started working out, all I knew was that once I knew what I was doing I wanted to keep going. I now do nearly every workout out there and I try not to give up on it. But now, a lot has changed over the last year and in many ways, I can say I lost weight by working out by myself. For example, I no longer always feel like I need someone to lead the way since I am so comfortable in my own environment. So, let’s take a look at some things I did that made working out easier – and for my body and for your body.
Start Slowly and With What You Need If You Want to Stick With Weight Aids
I know that sometimes we just need to start small. We need to start getting in the gym and have a good reason or motivation for starting. Working out requires coordination and balance. So, if this is what you have, you might want to start off with strength training, for example, squats, running or swimming. Or if this isn’t for you, you should instead start lifting weights, for example, squats, push-ups, or rows. This may seem difficult to do, but that’s exactly why we are here – to help us move better for ourselves. Once I had worked out for several weeks, I realized that I actually enjoyed it. As a result, I ended up spending hours on the treadmill, especially during those two months when I barely finished each workout.
In addition to knowing that I could stop working out at any point and feel great again without putting too much effort into it, I also noticed that as I got stronger, I felt less stressed about it since it became second nature and became fun again and again. And once again, when I stopped working out, I usually felt less tired or sleepy because I was used to it and knew that soon I would be done just as well with the same amount of effort and time required. In fact, I often slept through the night before waking up, because it kept me sharp and focused on the task at hand.
In addition to these benefits, I realized that even though I worked out every day, I still managed to build muscle and burn calories and, in turn, I was healthier than I was before. That wasn’t really an exception and, by the time I stopped working out my weight loss began to plateau and even started to decrease. Now, after years of never wanting to lose weight, I finally did. My reason behind giving up was that I was no longer enjoying my workouts because it was easy and had been proven to be effective. On the contrary, I just didn’t want the exercise anymore. Not anymore.
So, while I was eating less and exercising less, I wasn’t getting any less exhausted and I didn’t feel bad about it. This led me to realize that I wasn’t losing weight because I wasn’t enjoying it, rather, it was due to the fact that I had gotten accustomed to only working out at certain times, and even when I stopped working out I wasn’t used to resting like that, so it just took me longer to recover from working out and to see results.
In terms of dieting, I have noticed that at the beginning of my healthy weight loss journey, I was eating very low-calorie, high, junk foods and I didn’t really enjoy them because I could hardly count calories or eat them. However, after years of not eating anything but fruits and vegetables, I learned to love vegetables and even low-fat dairy products. One thing I tried to avoid was candy or desserts since even if I ate them, I wouldn’t feel satisfied and the satisfaction would drain quickly. Nowadays, I don’t indulge in them as much as I used to and, although they aren’t my favorite, I still make sure to balance them out by making sure that I eat some protein and fats every day.
In other words, yes, I still work out but I only work out when the situation demands it. I would rather just sit down at whatever desk I’m sitting on because I know, first of all, that I will be able to keep working while I finish up some chores first thing in the morning. Since, with years of health issues, I haven’t felt happy about going for regular runs around 30 minutes each day, I also use a stationary bike and I train two days per week with interval sessions – one with 15 minutes of hard, fast cycling. Most people want to go for a run, but that means missing out on some quality moments and, as a result, I often end up skipping races. This is usually why everyone wants to run regularly.
In addition to not indulging in snacks as much because I don’t want to, I also prefer having breakfast every morning. Yes, that’s right, it makes sense if I can eat something as healthy as bread, pancakes, toast, or oatmeal. There is no better feeling and, after all, the rest of the day is waiting to use its calories and I am more likely to be satisfied. Of course, I have experimented with some tasty dishes or I like to cook my meals at home for me – but mostly, I just prefer having meals when I have already eaten three apple pies and four salads or pasta before breakfast or lunch. In fact, according to research, women who consume meat have higher levels of depression and anxiety and are considered chronic vegetarians. It seems like I have found a sweet spot between the eating habits I had been practicing and the comfort food I have eaten in a lifetime.
In terms of weightlifting and cardio, I don’t like doing any kind of sports or weightlifting at all. Not long time ago, I trained for hundreds of kilometers a year and I did everything within reach but even after that, I was still sedentary or couch-bound. But I know a couple of reasons that helped: I knew that I wouldn’t feel any physical exhaustion and that it made sense that I should rest; for instance, in terms of keeping my heart healthy, I needed to rest more than most people did; therefore, I didn’t want to miss out on my sleep. Moreover, I wasn’t ready from the start to devote my days to working out. Therefore, I wouldn’t want to go on a new adventure full of intense workouts in the middle of a pandemic which meant fewer trips or long time stretches of not seeing anyone or the lack of human contact.
Therefore, I knew that I would not like any form of exercise and I chose to stay away from anything that I wasn’t used to – sports and weightlifting included since it’s what I did on a daily basis for the longest time. I had previously begun drinking coffee or tea regularly but that habit was gradually replaced with water or smoothies. Furthermore, while I believed that coffee (and even tea) shouldn’t be consumed in excess of 5 cups a day, I have decided that I’ll never drink enough of both products so, my limit is 2 cups daily. This is probably why I tend to skip the gym workouts when I haven’t eaten and have never worked out. I am also thankful that coffee as such is much better than green tea or chocolate since I feel it is better than sugar or cream which I can’t live without and I don’t know what I am going to do to improve my body if I continue to drink either. So, it must be said I like all healthy lifestyle choices – I like tea but that doesn’t mean I want to drink it every day. Instead, I like to mix tea into my diet when I have to go to work or I have to wake up early and then drink some tea.
In addition to taking care of my nutrition, I like walking my dogs. I often go on walks with them on purpose, especially after I’ve been working out because it helps me release stress. While I do some of my training at home, I definitely spend a lot of my time going to the park since there are none of the usual crowds – I don’t know why I have become a pet owner all of a sudden and I hate crowded places. I usually find a spot close to work where I can walk over and have a little break for some extra fresh air.
In conclusion, I am glad that I started working out in the last years, mainly because it gave me a whole different perspective on health and fitness after years of eating poorly, and I was happier since I had a chance to improve my health and my overall mood
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