Gym Journey #MovewithMe
Dear Friends,
After over four years away…
I got a gym membership! It’s weird to type that out, especially after my previous posts where I wrote how much I’ve been loving at-home workouts and pushing myself with HUSTL.ONLINE. I’m still vibing with HUSTL and home workouts, so those won’t be going anywhere, however, I’ve also been reflecting on my fitness journey and goals. I’ve noticed some subtle shifts in what I’m looking for during this season, but first, let me share the background of my gym journey.
Early days
Gym, Everyday
While I’d been to the gym on and off starting the summer after high school and throughout my university career, I didn’t get serious about it until I finished my degree and started working at the front desk of a World Gym. I’d been doing boot camps and group fitness through a local studio for a couple of years and it was not abnormal for me to take two or three classes back to back in a single day. The me of today would think twice before doing that, or at a minimum, strategize to find a balance between high-intensity work and active recovery, but we all start somewhere. Of course, coming from this place and starting in the gym, I went straight to a six-day-a-week training routine. I was consistent with this for at least a couple of years, dropping to five days at some points. My split usually included a variation of two leg days (one glute and hammy focused, one more quad and overall legs), chest and tris, back and bis, shoulders, and core/cardio.
Highway to Burnout
When I became a certified personal trainer and started taking on clients, I’d become so disciplined with this schedule and regularly making it to the gym, that I had a hard time understanding why clients couldn’t be equally disciplined with their routines. But, as a rookie trainer, the bad habits of overtraining and not prioritizing recovery and mobility, caught up with me within several months. The mistakes I made with my training, alongside the pressures of being in a commercial gym, while trying to grow my business and manage my client schedule, led me to physical and mental burnout. I stopped enjoying my gym sessions and dreaded or disengaged from my workouts. I also was struggling to lift my arms over my head and to get off the ground when kneeling beside clients due to some serious muscle imbalances and previously ignored injuries.
Therapy for Mobility
Amidst a dark place in my fitness journey, I stumbled across athletic therapy at a gym and sports performance facility nearby where I was training my clients. Working with the athletic therapist, we addressed the muscle imbalances and injuries that were contributing to my restricted mobility and pain. I also started training regularly at their facilities. Simultaneously, I adjusted the frequency of my training and my priorities. My training began to include more mobility, and compound and functional movements. I set a five-year goal that I wanted to be more mobile, able to do more and move better by my late twenties than I was ever able to in my early twenties.
Fluid training
My at-home training buddy.
Over the next several years, I introduced fluidity in my training schedule, which looked more like 3-4 sessions in the gym per week. This also allowed me to experiment when I wasn’t in the gym, and I introduced trail running, yoga, and dance. I achieved my goal. When the pandemic hit and gyms shut down, I transitioned effortlessly into the world of home workouts (it helped that in 2020 I lived with my brother who immediately invested in a rack set up and some plates he kept in the garage). 2021 was one of my fittest years and I felt good in my body. I also started to enjoy shadowboxing and several YouTube workout channels.
Ups and Downs
I’ve experienced ups and downs in my fitness journey, and the last few years have been no exception. While I’ve stayed consistent with making exercise a regular part of my routine, I’ve had a couple of setbacks. While working on my MBA and in a new work role as a leader, it became hard to give my workouts and myself the attention I needed. Then in the middle of these challenges, I was in a minor car accident which left me feeling unable to train at my desired level and intensity. 2024 has been a year of gaining back my strength and confidence in my body. As I built this back, I found I was missing the gym.
Pushing PAst Comfort
After years away, I’ve dropped into the gym a handful of times through 2024. I’ve been contemplating a membership, but I wasn’t sure how gym sessions and training would fit into my current lifestyle. I’ve grown comfortable with not leaving the house to workout or train. However, for the six weeks that lead up to Christmas, I signed up for the Reality Reboot challenge through the Raw Reality podcast. Seeing challenge participants posting about their gym sessions and looking at the included workout plan, was the catalyst that made me want to return to a regular gym routine.
Ultimately, movement these past few weeks has looked different than the past few years:
Back in the gym
As part of my challenge goals, I’ve committed to at least one walk per week. Even though it’s a bit damp and chilly outside I’ve been hitting that consistently, and a number of those walks have given me time for reflection and meditation, not to mention fresh air!
I’ve been in the gym 1-2 times per week focusing on back & delts and glutes & hamstrings. It’s amazing how much is in my muscle memory and my body know what to do despite years away.
I’m still getting in those home workouts, using HUSTL for Pilates, barre, HIIT, and circuit training with lighter weights and getting in some full body work. I’m also making plenty of time for stretching and mobility-focused work.
Through this season, my goal is to be more conscious of my steps, get to the gym and train with heavier weights at least 1-2 times per week, and keep challenging myself with my home workouts. I’m prioritizing finding a sustainable and empowering routine, but also pushing a little outside of what’s comfortable or convenient as I’m ready for the growth that comes with that.
Friends, whatever season you’re in, I hope you find growth and empowerment through movement <3
