Yesterday was my first day at the gym ( from 2018 ).

I have posted an article two weeks ago about how exercising more is one of my 2018 resolutions. In the article I have tried to motivate all of you to workout and treat your body right. Because our body is one of your most precious belongings. Now, you might say “Well, Alexandra, it’s easy to tell us to go to the gym, when you don’t even do it.” And that is partially correct.

The truth is that, in the past two months, I have been doing home workouts ( yoga, pilates, stretching ) almost every day. But it wasn’t until yesterday that I realized the fact that I was somehow tricking myself into thinking that I was actually working out. Why? Because my yoga sessions would never be longer than 15 minutes. Which is extremely little for a “wannabe” healthy body.

I hated the gym

I always hated going to the gym. It takes a lot of time to prepare. A lot of time to get there. And a lot of time to spend there. On the other hand, I wanted to look good, feel good, and have a healthy body. And that is when the idea of home workouts came to me.

The problem is, it didn’t work. Of course, at the beginning, it sounds perfect! You can exercise without actually leaving your house! How cool is that? But it is also a lot easier to get indulgent with yourself. You trick your mind into thinking that one 10 minutes home workout is enough. And it definitely isn’t. Because our bodies are designed to move a lot throughout the day. 10 minutes of mild sweat in the morning do not compensate for the other 23 hours of stillness. Therefore, as expected, a few weeks ago I completely stopped exercising at home. So for me, it totally didn’t work.

It is extremely easy to find excuses. “It is too cold outside.” “I have classes today.” “I have to go to work.” “I have homework to do.” “I am feeling a bit tired.” And that is what I did in the past two weeks.

The change

But yesterday, something changed. I woke up earlier and I noticed that I have enough time. I, therefore, decided to do another home workout. “But not more than 10 minutes long!”, I said to myself. “I have many other things to do, so there is no time!”. And then I realized that the only reason I wanted to do that workout was out of guilt. I was doing it in order to be able to say that I did exercise that day. I was doing it just to be able to check it off my to-do list and not feel bad about it. Tricking my mind, once again.

So I totally gave up on doing it. I started feeling so miserable because I wanted to exercise and do more than 10 minutes in one day. But at the same time, I dreaded the idea of getting up and going to the gym.

Thoughts and feelings about my first day at the gym

Most importantly: I was feeling SO incredibly tired, and weak. Even though I was extremely aware at the same time that it was all because I was not exercising. I had my workout clothes on, but I stood on my bed for 15 minutes, feeling so weak and depressed, trying to stay strong and not give up on the idea of going to the gym.

Hundreds of excuses started coming to my mind. “It is Saturday, so it should be a rest day.” “It might rain later, and I don’t want to go out.” I even said to myself that my body is fine and that I do not need to go to the gym, because I am not fat or ill.

But then I realized: I do not want to wait for a doctor to tell me that I have to exercise more. I do not want to wait until my body starts preventing me from doing certain movements. I don’t want my body to become rigid and unhealthy.

First day at the gym

So I got up, packed my bag and went to the gym. Fun fact: it started raining right when I was preparing to leave. (Speaking about the whole Universe being against me.)

I signed up for a one month membership at the gym – so that I don’t have any choice but to go, in order not to completely throw the money away. Not gonna lie and tell you how unbelievable, unreal, extraordinary my first day at the gym was. I just did all of the exercises, and I was feeling strong, happy and content about it. But, man, as soon as I got home…

It exploded. I wasn’t able to stop moving (or talking). I was feeling so energized, so optimistic, so motivated to go stuff – it was amazing. The simple fact of going to the gym for 40 minutes had put me in such a good mood and gave me such a good vibe! Look, I even decided to change the theme of this week’s Surprise Article with my first day at the gym! Now you can realize what a huge impact it has.

Life changing

Guys, I am telling you: exercising completely changes your mood! This post that you are reading right now is one of the most honest articles that I have ever written. That is because it is a story about a personal experience, and not just a regular motivational article. I have decided to become more transparent with you, and share with you my whole journey, instead of only the lessons and good parts of it.

I will keep you up to date with my workout journey, here on the blog but also on Instagram. And I hope that you will join me in this journey of becoming a happier, healthier person.

P.S: Here’s the proof that I actually went to the gym:

XO, Alexandra.