Middle school wasn’t kind to me. I didn’t have many friends, and one of the few that I had did her very best to make me feel bad about myself. According to her, my nose was too big, my arms were hairy, and, in general, I was just too skinny.
I picked up other insecurities from other kids in my grade. I had chicken legs. I was weak. I remember staring at my reflection in the mirror after school with disappointment and shame.
In high school, I started running cross country. I hadn’t been active in middle school, and the transition from couch potato to athlete was often brutally challenging. My coach had to tell me that it wasn’t acceptable to skip practice on my birthday, and I almost cried. I had worn Velcro-shoes to middle school PE—how was it possible for me to play sports?
I was persistent, and I stuck with it for four years.
Little by little, my physical fitness improved.
Little by little, my relationship with my body improved.
When I look in the mirror, I don’t feel shame because I’m not pretty enough. Instead of seeing big thighs that easily meet in the middle, I see thighs that move me through box jumps, hill repeats, and squats. Instead of seeing scrawny arms, I see arms that can now bench 55 pounds–an accomplishment for someone who was not naturally muscular. When I look in the mirror, I see someone who has become strong of her own accord–and that, to me, is empowering.
Physical fitness shouldn’t be about a size or a goal weight—it should be about feeling healthy and confident in your own skin. I work out because I want to feel healthy—not because I’m trying to lose twenty pounds.
I also want to emphasize that physical fitness is not just for those it comes naturally to. I am terrible at lifting weights—while all the buff bros at the gym are benching double plates, I am the skinny little thing trying to look serious while I do my curls with 5-pound dumbbells. Once, during a lifting workout in high school, I got stuck underneath the 45-pound bar after three reps and the bar had to be lifted off of my chest because I wasn’t strong enough to lift it off of myself. I might be laughing at myself as I write this—but it’s important to remember that working out is not just for the natural athletes.
So how do you get started? How do you start working out when you’ve never exercised in your life, except for high school PE when you were lying on your chest during push-ups as soon as Coach’s back was turned? How do you move past the unavoidable procrastination that occurs when you have to choose between hitting the gym for a half hour or letting Netflix play your next episode? Read on for tips on how to start working out as part of your daily routine.
Start Slow
The most important thing to remember when starting any fitness plan is to start slowly. Like, really slowly. Someone I once knew told me that in order to go from 220 to 180 pounds, he started working out by playing basketball for ten minutes a day. That was it. The man said, at the time, that playing basketball was all he felt he was capable, and by starting slowly, he was motivated to keep going. If you go full speed ahead into a workout plan that’s too difficult, you’ll lose motivation and it’ll be harder to keep going.
Make Working Out Work With Your Schedule
Another mistake people make when they start a workout plan is they choose to do something that creates a dramatic lifestyle change. While it might be a good idea to start living a healthier lifestyle, making a drastic change too early in your workout plan could lead to burn-out. The best way to create a lasting lifestyle change is to start by looking at your schedule. Pick a time to work out that actually works with your lifestyle. If you hate mornings and stopped signing up for 8 AM lectures after your first semester, maybe you shouldn’t plan on working out at six every morning. By picking a time to work out that’s cohesive with your schedule, you’ll have a better chance of sticking with your work out plan.
Pick Workouts You Enjoy
Picking workouts that you enjoy is a key secret to success. It might seem like kind of a no-brainer, but if you hate running, don’t make yourself run for fitness. I have tried swimming a few times, and I absolutely despise it. Because of this, it would be very hard for me to design a workout schedule around swimming. It’s important to challenge yourself, but don’t make yourself do something you absolutely despise.
If there’s any workout I absolutely would not recommend, it would be any of those “30 Day Challenge for ___” workouts on Pinterest. Don’t shackle yourself to one of these plans in the name of physical fitness. Not only will you not know where to go with your routine in 30 days, but you will get burnt out quickly on a plan that is so inflexible. Sometimes you might have a rough day at work and get home too late to workout…and sometimes you have a really good week and you want to skip your Friday workout. It’s called balance.
Find a Friend
I probably saw this in every fitness article I’ve ever read, but that’s probably because it’s such good advice. When you’re starting a fitness plan, find a friend to workout with you. This friend doesn’t have to have the same fitness goals as you—they just have to show up when you want to work out. And “working out” doesn’t have to mean hitting the gym or going for a run—sometimes it’s nice to just have friends who are willing to go hiking with you or go on a walk.
Learning to love your body doesn’t happen in one day, one week, or even in one year. It is the kind of thing that happens little by little. Hopefully, these tips help you start loving your body little by little through fitness.