Lockdown took its toll. I knew I needed to take action to improve my wellbeing and physical fitness. Both are connected, with exercise being a fantastic help for mental health.
A few months ago, I entered a Facebook competition to win some personal training sessions courtesy. I didn’t win. However, I was offered a discounted rate for showing interest. Being completely candid, I wasn’t expecting to actually grab that with both hands and go for it. But I did.
A weigh-in revealed my BMI was too high. No surprise there. I gained too much weight between March and June. The initial session also measured the amount of fat and muscle in my body. As much as I really want to change those figures (and I have the latter two!), there is far more to this than the numbers on the scales.
When I was around 15, I remember being shocked at how inflexible I was. I’m not sure how the topic arose, but it did, and I was there trying to touch my toes from a standing position with straight legs. This man, who was also in the room, was able to do it without any problems. I just couldn’t fathom it. Without seeming rude, he was enormous. If he could do it, why couldn’t I? I was a slight thing back then weighing it at around eight stone.
At the age of 20, I moved to France as part of my degree. I spent my year abroad there, and I did my ‘best’ (read that as I got bored after a couple of months!) to get fit. I joined the gym Le Moving and also started jogging (at the time, it definitely was more that than running!). My induction at the gym was an interesting experience. They described my flexibility as très faible and suggested I see my GP about it. Of course, I wasn’t willing to make an appointment simply to discuss my inability to touch my toes.
Years passed, and I still couldn’t manage it… in 2011/12, a pupil in my class even offered to support me, and our aim was that I would be able to do it by the end of the year. I fell pregnant, so that put a stop to that!
So, here we are… two rainbow babies and a global pandemic later. I could feel my fitness and motivation improving by attending PT sessions three times weekly with Jack. One of my personal goals was to be able to finally touch my toes. I had a photo taken at the start of April to show me just how far I had to go.
This week, I was doing an exercise with a kettlebell. It struck me that I was getting much lower with the weight than before. So, I straightened my legs, put down my weight, and tried to touch my toes. And I did it! I call it an accidental achievement as I certainly wasn’t setting out to do it that day! While some people may be disappointed with the numbers I’m seeing on the scales, I’m not actually. I have gained some weight, but I have also gained the ability to touch my toes. I’m enjoying exercising at home with Zumba and Rockfit in addition to my PT sessions and running a mile a day throughout August. Onwards and upwards (just not with my weight, I hope!).
Enjoying the Little Things in Life
October 1, 2020 at 5:03 pm[…] partner and I have done some running together over the past few months, but it has really been the PT sessions with Jack where we have done the most. Although both of us sweating and swearing because of the […]
Trying To Stay Fit While Pregnant
January 2, 2023 at 5:58 pm[…] Having said that, I am doing my utmost to be as fit as possible while pregnant. When I had my first daughter, I did Zumba to 20-something weeks and then did weekly aqua natal yoga. With my second, I did Zumba to 37 weeks pregnant. While neither labour could be categorised as easy (can any ever be?), I must say that both were fairly speedy compared to what I was expecting. Exercise is said to have a positive impact on a woman’s ability to birth a child, o what greater reason to focus on fitness? […]