How I Learned to Love Exercise

For most of my life, I've hated exercise. The mention of the E word gives me flashbacks to PE lessons being yelled at for incorrectly passing a ball, or not being able to run further than 100 metres. One particular image that comes to mind is the look of shame on my mother's face one Sports Day where the physical exertion of the sack race was too much for me, so I decided to drop to the floor and roll to the finish line.

It's just always been easier not to try. I saw myself as the bookish nerd, rather than one of the sporty girls who went to football club or loved going to the gym, therefore it never seemed to be an important part of my lifestyle.

But slowly my attitude started to change. I moved to London and gained weight thanks to my desk job and the constant stream of office treats that came along with it. I dabbled with gym memberships and classes but nothing ever really stuck. I felt intimidated going into a gym environment where everybody was fitter and just generally cooler than me. I never managed to stick at it long enough to see a difference in my body, so without any real incentive I gave up.

However around 6 months ago I found a new motivation. I struggled with a bout of depression and anxiety and despite going to group counselling and trying a variety of dfferent methods, I was still feeling lethargic and miserable. I went to my GP who explained the link between exercise and mental health, and advised I should be doing some sort of physical activity around 4 times a week. At this point I was willing to try anything to feel better so I decided to give it a go.

I headed back to the gym, starting with running on the treadmill as this was the activity I'd always preferred in the past. I immediately noticed a difference. It was a great release for my anxiety and despite feeling exhausted afterwards, I'd wake up the next morning feeling more alert and with a sense of achievement.

That was great, however I was finding it difficult to get beyond my 20-minute-run comfort zone which was no longer challenging me. I chatted to my gym bunny friend (we all have one) who coerced me into a free trial of ClassPass. For those who don't know, it's a great membership which gives you access to hundreds of boutique gyms and classes around London. The kind of places I never would have dreamed of setting foot in with my Primark gym gear. However going with a friend made me feel braver and she was really encouraging during the classes when I felt like giving up.

Since then I've been more adventurous in trying out a variety of new classes and testing what works for me. Mentally I have noticed a real difference and miraculously got to the stage where I crave exercise if I haven't done anything for a few days. Physically, I've seen a significant improvement in my fitness levels and my body feels more toned.

Within a few months, I've overcome my lifelong aversion to exercise and boosted my mental health at the same time.

Here's a few things I've discovered along the way to help other fitness phobes get started:

Set a Goal

Until you start to enjoy exercise, there's a billion reasons to avoid it. My personal armoury of excuses consisted of 'I don't have the right shoes', 'I'm too busy' or simply 'It huurts!'. The only thing that is going to force you to go to a circuits class after a busy day's work or keep pedalling when you're certain you're going to take your last ever breath on the spin bike, is motivation. Have a clear goal in mind, whether it's getting toned for your upcoming holiday, reducing your stress levels or challenging yourself to run a 5K for charity.

Experiment

There are so many different ways to get your fitness fix so make the effort to try new things and find what works for you. Before I started running a few years ago, I thought I would hate relentlessly pounding away on the treadmill, however after my first few attempts I realised I loved being able to zone out and listen to my music. Also- don't be put off by what other people dislike. I was terrified by the idea of spin classes after hearing people say how challenging they are, but when I finally braved a class I really enjoyed it and was able to comfortably keep pace.

So get out there! Perhaps you'd prefer high energy cardio classes, self guided weights sessions or maybe yoga is more your bag. Swimming is an often overlooked activity but provides a great full body workout. Or think outside the box- try indoor climbing, 80s aerobics or Tai Chi. Remember, any exercise is better than no exercise.

Get a Routine

A common obstacle to exercise is a busy lifestyle. For years I could never seem to find a convenient time in the day to head to the gym. I'm an early bird so I tried the 5am wake up but I found it too much of a rush to wash and dry my hair before heading to work. I then tried dashing straight home from work to a class but either missed it due to having to stay late at work or felt lightheaded as I hadn't eaten since lunch. I've come to realise that my ideal workout time is around 8pm, giving me enough time to get back from work and have a light dinner. I then get back from the gym, have a nice shower, wash my hair and snuggle into bed.

A weekend morning is also a great time for me as it gets my energy levels up and then I head off to brunch or my day out with a sense of achievement. Everyone's routine and lifestyle is different so work out when your peak energy times are in the day. Where can you find a window of time (even if it's 20 minutes) to do a brisk walk? And once you've found that time, try to create a habit of doing something at least 3 times a week. Put it into your diary and make it a priority.

Don't go it alone

If you're intimidated by the prospect exercising, a gym buddy is a great way to start. Everyone has a fitness friend so ask them if you can tag along to a class with them, or if they'll give you a mini personal training session. I was terrified of the weight machines which are mostly occupied by muscle men, but after my boyfriend gave me a demo I realised they're not the contraptions of torture they intially appear to be. Remember everyone started somewhere. Exercising with others can also be a great way to meet people, build up a support system and having a group of people expecting to see you each week will give you external accountability for your fitness. You could try joining a netball team, an outdoors bootcamp or Parkrun.

Treat yourself- We all love a bit of a treat. When I started going to boutique gyms using ClassPass, I pushed on through the class by visualing the luxurious rain shower I was going to jump into afterwards, complete with the complimentary luxury toiletries and heavy duty GHD hairdryers (they dry my long hair in half the time!). By linking your workout to a post workour treat, you've got a great incentive to drag yourself off the sofa. Other treat ideas could be a bath and face mask, grabbing a coffee from the fancy cafe on the way home or settling down to watch your favourite tv show, knowing you've done your workout for the day.

So get out there! Happy Exercising!