My Fitness Journey

Fitness has been a part of my life for decades. I thank my parents for instilling in me the discipline to lead a healthy life. Seeing them take a morning run while we played catch up with my elder brother evokes timeless memories. But as soon as I was done with my academics and soon became a marketing executive at a local tannery, I ditched my fitness routine to focus on my new profession.

I soon realized that as I was concentrating on my career, my love handles started developing. And for the decade that followed my first appointment, I was not happy with myself. I knew I had no time to waste, and regaining my fitness could have been a tough call had I waited any longer. And on 14th January 2014, on a Tuesday morning, I set forth for a morning run. This marked the start of a healthy future. It was through lots of hard work that I realized how powerful a tool fitness could be.

By moving my body in the cold mornings or at an aerobics class, I learned, bit by bit, how to take care of my body through fitness. Along the way, I also chose to switch careers and become a personal trainer (like the ones at Generation Fit) to share the fitness lessons I picked up along the way.

Where It All Began

Besides the early morning runs, I can say that my fitness journey began at home. Not many people know that I was not a fitness enthusiast forever. It all started when my sedentary lifestyle started causing physical health issues. I developed neck and lower back aches, which, honestly, were excruciating to the point that I had to think about hiring an adelaide low back pain chiropractor. Overwhelmed by this and other personal struggles, which suddenly sprung up from nowhere, I found my passion for fitness and an intrinsic calling to help anyone who shared similar issues – by empowering others using fitness.

Everything about my fitness was insanely personal when I was getting started. The small space in our garage was my sanctuary. It was important to start slow, doing exercises to relieve my back pain rather than to build any kind of muscle. I followed fitness blogs and websites such as Gravity-Magazine and others in order to find the best equipment, workouts, and more. Although at first I usually started my day with negative fears about my body, I knew that I had to soak in sweat and endure the pain. And slowly, I endured the struggles – and here I am, feeling positive and looking at myself differently.

Although I was engaging in intense workout sessions, I felt that I was still missing out on something — something important. But it took me some time to figure that out. I am talking of sound sleep. I did not know that it could make a difference in my health until I started practicing good sleeping habits, such as avoiding the use of electronic gadgets before going to bed; drinking alcohol; and consuming caffeine. Surprisingly, I also learned that mattresses can impact the quality of sleep. Mattresses that are extremely hard can be uncomfortable to lie on and become the reason for backaches, joint pains, and waking up tired! I noticed that I had a few of these symptoms and decided to replace my existing mattress with an option that is firm and more comfortable. I rummaged through the articles on the Web — searched keywords similar to Best Mattress Australia, UK, USA, and whatnot to find the best option. In the end, I did find my match! My dear fellow readers, if you feel moved by my words, then I would suggest you follow my footsteps, at least in regard to sleep. I can tell you that I feel more refreshed in the mornings for my workout routines; hopefully, you will too!

Small and Consistent Changes

At first, after I was done jogging around the neighborhood and doing some simple stretches in the garage, I started incorporating some weight training aspects into my daily routine. I almost called it quits after I discovered that I could not do a single pushup.

I pushed hard and stopped many times, and I almost felt like fitness was becoming too much for me. During these low moments, I got the strength to accept myself and my body rather than focus on my shortfalls. This meant that I had to work on the small things first. Therefore, I only focused on making small changes in my routine and stuck to them until it became a routine. ==

I Ditched the Scale

At first, the only way I would measure my progress was to keep weighing myself whenever I felt lighter. At times the numbers were positives. Nevertheless, in most instances, they kept affecting my motivation. I started by setting weight goals based on emotions that had nothing to do with how I felt on the inside, and nothing was forthcoming. I remember at one point when I cried in frustration when my weight stagnated for a month, although I was feeling closer to fitness.

Wary of what the scales would show, I began weighing myself less often. And this was a real boost for me for many weeks. And over time, I stopped weighing myself. Instead, I focused on measuring my progress by how I felt inside (physically, mentally, and emotionally).

Sharing My Love for Fitness

As I continued with my fitness and empowerment journey, something inside was telling me to be a personal trainer. Although I shelved my ambition for some time, mostly because I felt inadequate, I finally decided to try it.

I was well aware that I was not the fittest out there, but I desired to help others as we learned together. So I decided to enroll in personal training classes to understand better how to help individuals with different fitness needs get better. The long and short of it is that I started a gym, with my wife’s assistance, where I offer science-based fitness solutions to persons of all fitness levels.