One of my lasting memories was attending an assertiveness training course, during which I learnt that one could come across more assertive when speaking on the phone standing up. At the time, getting out of my seat for heated discussions about credit extensions whilst desperately flicking through the Business French Dictionary was pretty much my only form of exercise.
Whilst my desk neighbour Amy enjoyed my wild gesticulating against the receiver, I felt I very much had my own back when laughing at her account of trying to ride a bike after years of abandoning it in the garage. Her story of getting out of breath and aching legs the next day assured me that this would be her one and only escapade into the world of sports. Surely it wouldn't be long until we next overate on pizza to the point of feeling sick, only to suddenly feel revived at the thought of chocolate ice cream?
I couldn't have been more wrong. Instead of giving up after one attempt, like I would have done, Amy started an entire programme of getting her fitness levels up. Not long after that, she started blogging as a "This girl can" ambassador... you can read more about it here.
There are many things that I admire about Amy, but the thing that is most inspiring to me is that she was bad at stuff - but kept going. She went running, and would tell me about it the next day, laughing at how much she struggled to get to the end of her road. She would drag me along to stuff like bounce classes (I alluded to them here), and tell me that it was really hard but that I should definitely try it.
I don't mean to say that she was particularly bad at sports (maybe I should just stop digging...), I guess it was just news to me that people weren't either really sporty, or really not. Amy showed me that - by sticking with something - you can become good at it. Nowadays, I'm not sure if I'm more inspired by the fact that she has her own personal gym in her garden, or that she cycles to work through crazy London streets. Not because it was easy and just "kind of happened", but because she just kept going with something she wanted to do, until it was her new normal.
In a similar way, I have been inspired by my husband. Despite not being keen on heights, he did agree to accompany me to the climbing hall for this blog post. I'll be honest, I was surprised - I know he usually allows my crazy, mountain climbing, high tower scaling family to drag him along to lofty heights outside his comfort zone. But I didn't expect him to agree willingly to scramble up fake boulders, just so that I can write about it. The fact that he has now bought his second loyalty pass (and the shoes... and the chalk bag... and watches ALL the YouTube videos...) belies his discomfort. However, rather than letting that stop him, he has decided to just keep going with it.
And there are many, many more such stories, of the friends who did Couch to 5k after nightfall so that they couldn't been seen struggling along the road, to those who volunteer at sporting events despite injuries to keep a foot in the door. Those who struggle at the back of the group / class / room, but don't give up after one tough session that might have left them believing it was just beyond them.
I'm not quite that brave. I had known for a long a time that things had to change, but I was simply too embarrassed to actually do something about it. Going to the gym, seeing myself in a mirror, knowing that other people could see me being bad at stuff? Why would I do that to myself? And so, to the rescue, as always, came the TV.
That's right - on the days when I simply could (and can) not deal with the embarrassment of being me, I'd YouTube exercise clips. Ideally with the big curtains closed, when Matthew is out, and only choosing the videos with titles such as "super easy for the unfittest beginners EVER with no actual work involved". But I do them. (Since the embarrassing / uncomfortable carpet burn experience, I do also use a mat, thank you for asking.)
After a while I realised that I needed something slightly more progressive to ensure that I keep pushing myself, and I downloaded an App that would encourage me to spend a few minutes daily getting sweaty.
My first attempt was the "7 minute workout App". That worked quite well for me initially, but the difficulty levels increased steeply and I lost interest when I had to skip most exercises because they were beyond me. I have since changed to the "Female Fitness" App - this too is getting more challenging as time progresses, but at a rate that I can keep up with. Both Apps rely on body weight exercises such as crunches, squats, jumping jacks... Initially I used to put them on as soon as I got in from work, but I found that all too often I had an excuse. It was later than expected, I should really pop to the shop for dinner, I just want to put on my pjs... I realised that - if I wanted to stick with it - I'd have to create a routine that would enable me. For me, this now means getting up 20 minutes earlier in the morning. In return I feel justified to be in bed by 9pm. Win!
Are there any benefits to exercising at home?
1. Massively! The main one for me is that it removes my key barriers - shame & embarrassment.
2.It's free...
3. It's the most flexible thing to do - no matter the time, weather, what you're wearing... and you can be super creative with it. We've bought some weights and a jumping rope, so that those minutes wasted staring at the boiling kettle can be used to get our heart rate up. Running up the stairs, doing squats when brushing my teeth, planks during adverts (well.. one advert) - small things that don't impact on your day, and no-one needs to know.
4. There is an unlimited variety of intensity levels on offer, as well as a broad range of types of exercises. Want to focus on your arms, or is developing your core the goal? There will be something tailor-made for you online. Just look for it. I have a vague recollection of practising Salsa steps guided by YouTube, there really are no limits.
5. You're in control. There are days where I simply can't complete the entire video. So I just press pause, have a drink, give myself a talking to... all without anyone else having to get involved and possibly judging me.
6. For me, this was a stepping stone. Sure, I still use the app and there are still weeks where working out at home is the only thing I do. But to me, knowing that I was able to complete a 20 minute video, has helped me to have confidence to attempt a lesson. More than just building my resilience and strength, working out at home has build my courage to exercise in ways and places where people could see me. I still don't like it - but I know I can do it.
