Happy Two Year Gym Anniversary to Me!

Today marks my second year of going to the gym consistently and it feels great to be able to say it!

My time of going to the gym has flown by and yet it feels like I just started my health journey yesterday.

Last year, hitting my one year gym anniversary was insane to me. This year, it feels even better, more than good. It feels like I’m finally doing something for myself. Me.

I continue give praise and glory to God. On days where I feel like I couldn’t show up or do one more rep, I feel like He has reminded me why I’m doing what I’m doing.

Even though I’m a few years in, my health journey has became an easier process.

Note, it hasn’t been easy, just easier.

You guys know we all have those days where we struggle to get up and get moving or even have difficulty not eating out of emotion. Take it one day at a time, right?

Within the last year, I’ve learned to train for my relay triathlon in between staying consistent with my regular training at a private gym in Dallas. And to be honest, God, Reidland, and now, Faheem, my trainers, are the reason why I have been going to the gym consistently for the last 730 days.

For #WellnessWednesday, I wanted to share with you updates on my journey and more lessons I’ve learned from the past 12 months. Please note these are real thoughts and experiences from my own personal adventures.

Everyone’s health and wellness journey is different.

Here’s what I’ve learned this year…

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE YOURSELF.

Like I said, there are times when you don’t think you can do something. I remember watching a video one of my firefighter friends posted of him flipping those huge monster truck tires and being in awe. Fast forward several years and now I can flip tires! How cool is it to know I can flip tires like he can?!

As you continue to train and get stronger, so will your mind. Keep showing up and your mind will get there eventually.

Lesson: Instead of underestimating yourself, shift your mindset. Remind yourself that you can do it, just not right now. And pay attention to how much you improve! Eventually, you’ll be able to do things you never thought was possible!

TALKING TO YOUR TRAINER IS ESSENTIAL.

Since day one at the gym, I’ve never been afraid to ask questions. “Wait, what? Can you show me that exercise again?” and “When I do this particular movement, this part of my lower back hurts. Is my form wrong?” are a few questions I’ve asked in the past. One thing I’ve learned is that a trainer can know a lot about health, but you know your body best.

Your trainer can push you, but only you can feel when something is wrong. Do not be intimidated to pause and ask questions. Sometimes you need to stop before an injury happens and that’s okay. There’s no way your trainer knows how much pain you’re in and how you’re physically feeling.

If you want to make sure you’re maximizing your workouts and putting your money to good use, talk to your trainer!

Whether it’s about exercise forms, how to ease pain, or how to recover better, talk to your trainer! You’ll learn that they love to teach you because they care!

Lesson: Whether it’s exercise-related or pain-related, speak up for yourself and talk to your trainer. They’re there to help you.

WORKING OUT CONSISTENTLY BECOMES A LIFESTYLE.

Let me preface by saying I do NOT feel guilty when I don’t go to the gym. If I have small group, a blogging event, a celebration to attend, I’ll text my trainer and let him know I’m not coming and when I’ll see him next. He still gets paid regardless if I come to class or not. However, I feel that letting your trainer know, especially if he has a small business, if you’re skipping is just being respectful of his time. I’d feel guilty if he didn’t know I wasn’t coming and he drove to an empty gym with no one to train!

What I am saying is that after going to the gym on a consistent basis, it just feels weird not to go. 

I’ve learned that working out no longer becomes a chore. Moving your body becomes a lifestyle. It doesn’t feel right when you don’t go. On top of that, you make a lot of new friends at the gym.

If you hate the gym, I get it. I’ve been there, done that. Just start small and give yourself some time.

Lesson: Consistency creates a habit. Habits turn into routines and your routine becomes your lifestyle.

GROUP WORKOUTS KEEP YOU MORE ACCOUNTABLE THAN YOU THINK.

Speaking of gym friends, our group has slowly grown within this last year. And it’s been so fun meeting new people from various backgrounds. Recently, we had a newbie join our group and she said to another friend and I, “When do you guys come to class? Because I’m coming when you guys are here.”

Oh boy.

This means that we are also responsible for motivating her to improve her health.

One of our other friends also texts me sometimes and asks us if my other friend and I are coming. If we are, she reluctantly comes to class anyway!

Y’all, it isn’t a bad thing to be the reason people take care of themselves. Just think that your time at the gym is about being a supportive friend. Iron sharpens iron, am I right?

Lesson: Once you make good friends with someone, you’ll learn that they’ll be looking up to you.

FIND SOMETHING OUTSIDE OF THE GYM TO WORK TOWARDS.

I know a lot of people get bored when it comes to working out, me included. Even when I have all the money in world and take up dance again, boxing, playing tennis, etc., I know that I’m still susceptible to boredom. So what do you do if you’re one of those people?

Find something outside of the box and work towards it. 

For instance, my friends and I did a relay triathlon this past summer. Training for my run was SO hard as I was doing it while injured. However, it felt good to work towards a goal (with friends, might I add) and complete it.

Does any goal have to be completed well? No. For me, the goal is to complete anything I set out to do. In the past, I’ve had a hard time finishing anything I started. Not this time. I told myself I would finish even if I was kicking and screaming along the way. And I did.

If I didn’t finish well, I considered it an attempt to fail forward.

Either way, I’m finishing and learning something at the same time.

Lesson: When you have a different goal besides weight loss, it’ll give you more of a reason to stay active. The point of having a goal is to complete it.

And that’s what I’ve learned during my second year of going to the gym consistently. Friends, you’re stronger than you lead yourself to believe.

As for other health updates, I’ve been improving on drinking more water! My bestie just gifted me this stainless steel insulated tumbler for my birthday yesterday, so I’m definitely going to get better at hitting my water intake, haha!

As for sleep, it hasn’t been as good as I want it to be. You don’t even want to see the stats on my Sleep Cycle app! I’m pretty sure I’ll be ordering a melatonin supplement (get $10 off with this code: 1665812), next month to help improve my quality of sleep.

It’s hard not to see progress especially when you focus on numbers on the scale.

Trust the process and believe in yourself even when you can’t see it right away.

If you don’t take before/after pictures, pay attention to how you progress on certain exercises. Are you doing a sit up now when you couldn’t before? Are you holding a plank longer than before?

If the answer is yes, you are still winning!