As a lifelong dancer, I’ve always considered myself relatively fit. In my first year and a half of college, I would go to group fitness classes at least 3 times a week and loved the Zumba, yoga, kickboxing and barre classes I went to, since they were often the highlights of my day.
This semester, however, the only fitness classes I could go to were cycling classes and since I prefer working out in the morning before I start the rest of my day, I had very limited options. While the cycling instructors were wonderful and the classes provided a great workout, it wasn’t something I loved. I also knew cycling wasn’t working out all the parts of my body that I wanted to strengthen.
A few weeks after returning from Spring Break, I realized I wanted to get strong and take care of my body. And so, I decided to start going to the gym regularly. I was terrified by the idea, because it was not a familiar environment to me. I even considered not going. But then, I thought about the benefits of working out, and got inspired with some Fitspiration and knew I would regret it if I didn’t take that first step.
After a bit of planning, deciding what workouts exactly I was going to do, and how long I planned to spend there, I set my alarm for 6:00am so I could make it to gym, shower and eat breakfast before my class. I also thought it would be emptiest when it opened at 6:30am.
I felt a little off the first day at the gym. But, since it takes time to get to the body you want, and I didn’t want to quit when I barely even started, I kept going. From taking fitness classes 2-3 times a week, I started going to the gym the other days, working out at least 5 days of the week.
I might not see results yet, but I feel stronger than before, and know that I am not dependent on fitness class schedules coinciding with my class and work schedules anymore. I might not make it at 6:30 in the morning every time, and it’s not a scary place even if I go a little later in the day.
Now, when I snooze through my alarms to get those extra few minutes of sleep, the thought of going to the gym and getting a good workout gets me up. I’ve started enjoying going to the gym and I look forward to it, because I know that no matter what else happens during the day, at least I’ve taken care of my body. I’m even more motivated to eat better, because if I’m going to work hard at the gym, I have to work just as hard if not harder at making sure I only put good stuff in my body.