A foundation course at the gym; what could go wrong?
This was an induction like no other gym induction I have experienced before and there have been many over the years.
This was an induction like no other gym induction I have experienced before and there have been many over the years.
“What are your handstands like?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t tried one since I was about 11” I said.
“You are stronger than you think,” he said.
“I’m not so sure and you did not endure school gym classes in the 1980s,” I thought.
I have been seduced by the gym (again), and this time it will be different. I am not investing in the short-term gains of weight loss and the promise of a “beach body.” I don’t need one of those, but I do want a body that is not frail and prone to breaking when I get older.
I have had a love hate relationship with the gym since the 1980s when it appeared as a lesson in my timetable at senior school. There were many things to dislike about it. Regulation black leotards and the command issued at the start of every class “Jumpers off girls!” It was so cruel and exposed every pre-teen insecurity as we navigated puberty. The lesson was bad enough but then there was the compulsory communal shower as a reward for getting to the end of 40 minutes of torture. It was no mean feat to get through the shower as dry as possible but not so dry that you risked a second pass. The towels so small that getting wet would prolong the length of time you were naked in front of your classmates. Oh, the horror!
It was compulsory to do gym for a couple of years and then we could leave it behind along with the excuses to get out of showers after class. That was also a skill in trying to remember how many weeks in a row you had used your period as an excuse. Too many and you risked a letter advising your parents of a potentially serious medical issue.
The next time that I darkened the door of a gym was in the 1990s, when the object was to lose weight and get a beach body. Exercise was a way to achieve the correct level of thinness, not fitness, and cardio was the way forwards. Don’t bulk up whatever you do.
The same story went on repeat until I realised that every time, I joined a gym it became something that I ended up hating. It was also a false economy. As with most new gym memberships, you get your money’s worth for the first month and then it gets more expensive the less you go. Who in their right mind would pay more than £60 for an hour at the gym? (Clearly me!).
What is different this time?
My mindset has changed.
I have managed to make a new habit.
It is about building strength and my future gains.
I’m sick of the narrative around exercising to look good. I want to exercise to feel good. If the byproduct is that I can fit into some of my tighter clothes - great. If not, I can wear bigger clothes.
In my role as a doctor, I spend enormous amounts of time talking to people about wellbeing and health. I explain why it is important to reduce risk factors for chronic health problems. I never talk about looking good. I have listened to my own advice finally.
Making a new habit is hard. There are some terrific tips for how to do it in James Clear’s book “Atomic habits.” My key piece of advice is to experiment with strategies that suit you. We are all different and what works for one person might not work for you.
The things that worked best for me included:
Focussing on my “why,” and that included really working hard on the reasons that I always self-sabotage. I have written more about that in this post.
Community. I joined a group of people who meet each other where they are and then cheer each other on.
Accountability. The same community has a Facebook group and there is a daily post encouraging you to share what you have done. I find that super helpful.
I keep proving to myself that I can do hard things and that I feel better afterwards.
Walking not only counts as exercise but it is good for me in many ways. I try to walk every day and find that it is mindfulness in action.
I am focussing on the here and now, but I also have a future old lady in mind. I want to help her prevent frailty and falls. There are some amazing women lifting weights in their 70s and beyond – check out Instagram.
I practiced at home doing online classes until I thought I could hold my own as a beginner at the CrossFit gym.
On Thursday night I arrived at the gym for my foundation course feeling a little bit anxious about what was in store for me. I nearly didn’t make it to the start of the session when I decided to have a check wee beforehand. I went through the door of the ladies into total darkness, the door closed behind me, and I could not find a light switch or the door handle to get out. A few steps more and I would have triggered the automatic light, but I didn’t know that and fumbled around in the dark desperate to get out before I had to call for help. I was relieved that I didn’t have to demonstrate my terrible skipping skills with a full bladder!
The rest of the session was a mixture of panic and pride. The banded pull-up could have ended badly with my foot stuck in a band and me hanging from a bar. I did the five pull ups and then just as I thought I couldn't hold on to the bar any longer, I remembered the bench underneath me. I stepped down semi-gracefully, incredibly pleased that I didn’t flatten the coach!
I have been deadlifting two 8Kg dumbbells at home, so was nervous when the coach started to put bigger weights on the bar. I proudly lifted 35Kg. Maybe I am stronger than I think.
The next morning, I woke to muscles that were a bit sore and resolved that it would be an ARD (Active Recovery Day). I am learning new lingo too.
Will I go back? You bet. I’m doing “Learning to lift” on Saturday.
Hey Lucinda!
Loved reading this Blog.
Made me laugh and brought back horrible memories of doing PE in massive green knickers at school🤣🤣