Pack A Bag

Falling into a gym routine has been one of the harder undertakings of my adult life, aside from my diet.

The thought of going to the gym after a long day of working was just not something I wanted to do. It brought up intense feelings of anxiety and the desire to do less rather than more.

Going home and lounging on the couch, watching tv and movies, was my ideal after work activity. That and snacking, eating more calories in one evening than I had throughout the entire day, was what I wanted to do.

It wasn’t until I noticed several issues with my health that I wanted to make a change. I would find walking up and down stairs cumbersome and exhausting. I would lie down at night and need to sleep on my side because I felt suffocated with the weight while on my back, making it difficult to breathe properly. I would constantly get pains in my left knee when walking. I was breaking out along my chin with cystic acne. And the biggest factor was my family and loved ones all telling me they were worried, worried I would get diabetes and ruin my health so young.

Getting my health in order wasn’t about being the perfect weight or size, it was about my wellbeing. Changing the way I looked at the diet culture and fitness culture from, “I can’t do it” to seeing it as a lifestyle and health change, helped me to say, “I can do it.”

So, I started to pack a gym bag.

Before I would make excuses, I wouldn’t bring gym clothes with me to work, so then I would end up going home and by the time I got home, I would just sit down and relax “for a little bit”. Then once you’re relaxing, you don’t want to get up again. It was a brutal cycle, and I needed to break it.

I went to Ross and bought a cute gym bag for $19.99. I went home and packed my yoga pants, t-shirt, sports bra, water bottle, and other gym necessities the night before. In the morning, I grabbed my bag and put it in the car.

This was one small element that had me from going to the gym once a month or not going at all, to going 3-4 days a week. It’s been a slow change and after 4 weeks of going to the gym I feel it has become a part of my routine. I never imagined after 6 years of idleness that I would have a gym ROUTINE. Even when I don’t want to work out but I’m at the gym, I do more being there then not going at all.

So, if I could offer any advice for getting back to the gym or just starting for the first time, pack a bag 😊