Edited by Megan Cambruzzi
When you’ve been out of shape for as long as you can remember, it’s hard to imagine an alternative. It can be easy to tell yourself that you’re doing okay as is, that you’re busy and stressed and don’t have the extra time to work out. Maybe you just see yourself as the type of person who doesn’t work out. I know that it can feel difficult to move forward because for as long as I can remember, I’ve been that person too. But as lockdown lifted, I took steps to slowly get into shape on a whim and haven’t looked back since.
The Unexpected Benefits of working out
Let’s be real: everyone knows that working out makes you healthier, but when you’re not in shape, those long lists of health benefits can feel like an exhausting record of misaligned priorities and failures. Yes, working out will undoubtedly improve your health. But as I slowly became more active, I was also pleasantly surprised by other unexpected benefits.
Stress Relief
Between assignments, never-ending course readings, non-academic commitments, and ridiculous amounts of caffeine, stress has become a staple of my daily life. Unfortunately, many university students are in the same boat. However, working out can be a major stress reliever. Rather than worrying about your next assignment, you’ll get a break as your body produces tons of endorphins. Even if there were no other benefits to working out, this alone would make the exercise worth it.
Increased Focus
After working out, I found myself excited to take on tasks that I had been procrastinating on for hours. While I initially chalked this up to the endorphins eliminating stress, I ultimately found it much easier to get work done when I sat down after a fitness class. Even though it has been tempting to skip workout classes so I can finish an assignment, I’ve realized that I’ll get a fun break and be much more productive if I give myself a chance to work out first.
New Muscles
Most of the fitness classes that I’ve been taking are full-body workouts that seem to have an emphasis on the glutes and legs. While this can make it difficult to commute home at the end of the day, I’ve noticed that I can now feel new muscles as I walk. With each step, I have a small reminder of how far I’ve come that encourages me to keep pushing forward.
My Journey
Although my fitness classes are now one of my favourite parts of the week, I always used to hate the idea of working out. As a kid, I was always uncoordinated and felt out of place in gym class. In high school, I dropped gym as soon as I was able to. When I started university in the fall of 2019, I started to get slightly back into shape by constantly running across campus, but the onset of the pandemic put an end to my little physical activity.
By the time fall 2021 rolled around, I was in terrible shape. But when I saw that the University of Toronto was offering free fitness classes to students, I signed up for a barre class on a whim. Since barre is low-impact, I was able to get through the whole class with the help of a few modifications. To keep the momentum, I signed up for another class. Then another. Fast forward a few months, I now go to 3-4 workout classes/week and couldn’t be happier with the results.
Of course, fitness is a journey. I still have a long way to go before I achieve certain goals and am nowhere near the epitome of health. At the same time, most of my goals were set after seeing (and being amazed by) my progress so far. When fitness becomes a self-love practice, you’ll be inspired to keep pushing forward.
Taking Baby Steps
Thanks to social media, it can be easy to feel like the ideal healthy lifestyle requires a million unattainable changes: get up at 6:00 am, drink a smoothie with every meal, squeeze in a pilates workout and a run before starting the day. However, most of these supposedly helpful changes can be intimidating, unrealistic, and may ultimately discourage you from starting your fitness journey. Instead, it’s best to take one baby step at a time—before you know it, you’ll be running that marathon.
Make it Hard to Quit
While the idea of getting into shape can be appealing, your biggest hurdle will be getting to your first few workout sessions. To keep yourself accountable, try to sign up for a fitness class or two in advance. By registering, you create a commitment that is much harder to skip than a vague “I’ll go to the gym later”. Alternatively, you can find a workout buddy who will keep you motivated and build pressure to work out.
Opt for Low-Impact Activities
If you’re feeling particularly inspired at the beginning of your fitness journey, you may be tempted to sign up for an intensive workout class. While these can be a great goal to work towards, you want to be careful not to pick something so difficult that you lose motivation. Looking for an alternative? Low-impact classes like pilates and barre can be a great way to ease into the fitness world without getting injured or discouraged. Feeling intimated by the gym? Why not try a brisk walk or jog to get your heart rate up?
Progress, Not Perfection
Getting in shape can feel like a massive goal. But if you focus on constantly making progress rather than trying to achieve perfection, half the battle will already be won. If you want that second cinnamon bun or miss a workout, that’s okay: you are simply striving for progress. If you can’t run 5 km, that’s okay too: you are simply striving for progress. When you free yourself from the demands of perfection, you give yourself permission to make mistakes, take breaks, and be human. Any other path can lead to disappointment or burnout; progress is what will lead to fitness.