My Quarantine Achievement: I Made Baby Steps To Fitness
Don’t look for dramatic weight loss photos here – these are tales of small victories towards bigger goals.
This pandemic has taken its toll on most everyone -- we have all been experiencing anxiety, lack of sleep, and stress due to everything that has happened in the past year. The silver lining is that we have also found ways to cope.
Many of us started our fitness journeys during the lockdown, and though this should definitely be a lifestyle instead of a seasonal hobby, we have learned that celebrating wins, no matter how small, can help us become more consistent. Here, six individuals share the baby steps they took towards their fitness goals. No matter how seemingly little or slow, their actions may motivate you to start your very own fitness journey! Remember: progress, not perfection, is the goal.
Introduce little changes into your daily routine.
Ann, a quality analyst at a local bank, began by being more conscious of what she eats and drinks. This made her pay attention to the kind of food that would be beneficial to her and would make her healthier. “I’m now a fan of lemon-cucumber-honey water. I felt the need to detoxify every single day.”
When she decided to stop leading a sedentary lifestyle by doing home workouts, Pat, a freelance content creator and project manager, noticed an improvement in her endurance while walking. Even simple house chores like carpentry or carrying a heavy water container used to be difficult for her, but now she can do these things without any help. “Everything just got better,” she says.
Celebrate your consistency (or getting back to working out).
Truth is, you will fall back once or twice in the beginning. There are days where you will have zero motivation to get out of bed, but it is your determination and commitment that will help you through.
Sales and advertising officer Micah stopped her workout routine when she went back to working at the office. After a month of no exercise, Micah’s commitment powered through and she started working out again.
“I still continue it even though we went back to office work already. I make sure to allot time for working out, like 15 to 30 minutes a day, three to four times a week, because I really want to maintain what I have worked on, and to be healthy too.”
Stay committed by enrolling in a class.
Working out from home means not getting as much guidance from gym instructors or fitness coaches as may be required to push us to do our best. This should not be a hindrance, however, as you can still get amazing results by following YouTube routines. Nonetheless, having a professional guide you through can tremendously help with your journey.
Pat says that finding an online mentor marked another victory in her journey. “The schedule was set, coach had signed in, now there is no way out! Once the first online session started, my body said, ‘this is it, we can do this.’”
Ann also swears by enrolling in a class. “I started with jogging and gym workouts before I fell in love with yoga,” she says. “Until now I am attending a yoga class every Sunday evening. I am also doing a short workout after my shift at work. I am happy that I’m able to continue the practice. It feels good to be back doing something you really love.”
Having someone else monitor your progress gives you accountability and motivates you to commit to working out on your scheduled days.
Take note of your physical, emotional, and mental progress.
No one can say how long it will take before you can see results because it’s different for each person, but one sure thing is that if you remain consistent, there will be progress, no matter how small.
Joel, a production manager reaching his fifties this year, says that he can still do the things he used to do when he was in his twenties. “I have a more toned upper body, I’m always full of energy. I am happier and I feel good.”
“It’s a cycle. When you mentally feel better, you physically feel good too, and vice versa,” shares Pat. “I had the same experience. As the progress continued, the levels of physical fitness hiked. It was rewarding to feel that soreness, which made me stronger every passing day.”
Starting a fitness journey is a win in itself.
Pat says of her fitness journey, “It started in a pretty traditional way, watching a bunch of videos while tucked in bed, reading the comments and feeling motivated, and finally giving it a go with some home workouts.”
It might not seem like a big deal, but choosing to dive into self-development, especially during a difficult time, is already something you should be proud of!
Stick to it till it becomes second nature.
Micah swears by the 21/90 rule: “It takes 21 days to make a habit, and 90 days to make it a permanent lifestyle change.” Your consistency plays a great role in making a lifestyle change, but no matter how big or far away this goal may seem, Micah says, go for it.
“These little victories taught me to be consistent and aggressive, and to keep fighting for the things you want to achieve.”
