By Loise Machira

Dear Reader,

It is now summer time in many parts of the world which inspired me to make this ‘hot’ topic my first post. I started working out when I was 20 years old, that’s about 6 years ago… well there you have it, you can now guess my age! When I first travelled to the UK where I did my university studies, I indulged in all things unhealthy without really thinking about what was going into my body. I came back to Kenya having added a little weight but I didn’t feel heavy until my dad pointed it out; he humorously exaggerated it.

Having felt a little insecure about it, I went back to Leeds and decided to try the ‘fitness thing’ with my housemate who was really into it, and still is. Shout out to the Leeds Fit Fam, and most importantly, the amazing trainers at the Edge gym in Leeds (For the readers still based in Leeds, please try out the Body Weight Conditioning Classes) Its life.

My first experience in a gym was very confusing, I wondered why everybody was making faces, groaning in pain, and almost limping because of squatting heavy weights. I wondered why anyone would go through that discomfort; was it ever that serious? I was not feeling that gym story and I decided to try outdoor running as a way of staying fit, at least this way, I didn’t have to spend my student pocket money for membership and I was avoiding embarrassing myself at the gym. I also loved catching the sunsets along Arena Way & Bedford drive which made my evening runs even more enjoyable. Eventually, I decided to financially invest in getting into shape and joined the gym. Major Key Alert.

I then started to realise that I wasn’t making any progress and since it was almost summer time, I invested more time into learning about nutrition because I didn’t know that your body is 80% healthy options and 20% fitness. It also got to a point where I asked myself, what happens to my summer body after summer? Does one simply go into hibernation like a bear? Well, believe it or not, but most people simply work out only for summer and we are back to square one by December, which is annoying and to most people, they end up becoming demotivated and completely get off their fitness journey.

The whole pressure of getting a summer body is detrimental to your fitness journey and you end up getting so frustrated because you probably won’t see results in one month. Unless you are Gal Gadot training for the Wonder Woman role (I love that movie), or you are Simone Biles training for Olympics (black girl magic), it’s never that serious, trust me. If you want to get into great shape, it has to begin with your mind-set. I had to change my attitude and tell myself that I want to simply live a healthier lifestyle; the benefits of that would be a healthy mind, great body, glowing skin e.t.c, would come naturally. So again, don’t pressure yourself.

Don’t worry yourself about getting abs or chiseled shoulders, or apple shaped booties. If your main goal for working out is to look good, that’s still okay, but the truth is that you will lose motivation after one month. I have seen so many people come to the gym and disappear because they felt their waist line hadn’t reduced significantly. I am sure the people who vanished from the gym would come back every other month if they had the right mind-set.

Moderation is key; and am sure you are wondering, what is the right moderation if I want to stay healthy?There are so many benefits to starting the journey now, it doesn’t matter your age or health condition. All you need to do from this point is to subscribe to Tizi Talks and make sure to read our articles with simple and applicable tips you can incorporate in your daily life.

Yours in Wellness,

@TiziTalks

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