In middle school and early high school I wanted to start working out. I always wanted to look smaller like my friends did. So, I tried to get into the gym. I would stay on for a few days and fall off again. I hated my body and thought the gym would magically fix all my problems in a few days of going. But that was furthest from the truth. It took me almost 3 years of on and off for it to stick.
I started lifting consistently 3-ish years ago. I never know what should count as the start of my journey. I remember I was going on a school trip my senior year and for the first time in my life, I felt significant changes. Moral of the story is it took me years and years to finally fall in love with the gym. This didn’t happen because my physical appearance changed, it was because I noticed myself getting stronger.
My routine went from focusing on cardio to focusing on weightlifting. I learned everything from TikTok and YouTube videos. Now, people ask me for gym advice, which feels crazy! I absolutely love answering questions and talking to people about fitness. It took me a long time to feel comfortable in the gym, but my biggest reminder to anyone starting out is that no one is looking at you. It feels like the opposite, but I promise, everyone is more focused on themselves than worrying about what you are doing. A piece of advice I give people is that it takes time. Consistency is the biggest factor to chase any goal you have.
I used to not be able to do a push up. I couldn’t walk up a few flights of stairs without feeling out of breath. I felt weak and had low energy all the time. Now I can do 10 push-ups. I can do an unassisted pull up, which took me years to do. I ran 4 miles today, which is the most I’ve ever ran at a time. I’ve never felt stronger physically in my life.
This is all because I stopped chasing a physical appearance. Yes, I still have goals for myself, but they are mostly strength driven. I work out to lift heavier, not to look smaller. This flip of my mindset changed everything.
I now train 6 days a week simply because I love it. The gym has become my safe place. I get asked how I stay consistent and I never really have an answer. I just go. One, because I want to. And two, because it is so engrained into my routine that I don’t even have to think about it. The gym doesn’t have to be a chore, it can turn into something fun.