My Fitness Journey
A "regular person's" fitness routine + a snapshot into my workouts.
Inspired by last week’s episode with Paola (listen here), I felt motivated to share my meandering fitness journey. These days, it seems like almost everyone with a social media platform is a fitness expert, or is at least publicly obsessed with the gym :).
I often share when I’m coming or going from the gym, but I don’t post a lot about my personal workouts, mostly because 1) I’m so far from an authority on this subject, and 2) I’m not so hardcore (like so many of you), so I don’t feel like I have much to share. Yet, I’m thinking it might be nice to hear about a regular person’s fitness experience. I don’t know everything there is to know. I don’t even know the names of most of the lifts that I do, but I’d like to think I’m somewhat strong with a regular body. I’ve tried many different modalities, and I’m always up to trying something new.
So here I go:
From a young age, I knew that I needed to move my body. I didn’t know why, I just felt it. I didn’t grow up with people around me exercising, so I didn’t have a lot of context or resources, but I figured it out. Wherever I was, I always found a way to work out. I’ve done Jazzercise, Pilates, group classes, kickboxing, Barre, cycling, and good old-fashioned weight training. Sometimes I did whatever I had access to, and sometimes I felt pulled to something in particular.
For the last eight years, I’ve been consistent with my routine of strength training at the gym. I work out in a small group (there are three of us) with a trainer, and I love it so much! I go to the gym twice a week and, as I said, I’ve been doing that for years. Having a trainer is key for me. I really hate figuring out my own workout. I want someone to tell me what to do, I want someone to hold me accountable, I want someone making sure my form is proper, and of course, I need to be pushed out of my comfort zone; I’m not volunteering for that on my own. Like my trainer says, “You didn’t hire me for easy.”
I live in a town that is so fit and active that it can be overwhelming. The things people do for fun, and the level of skill people have here in Bozeman, are crazy. The things people do here on a regular Tuesday would blow your mind, just saying. At times, I can feel so inadequate or so behind everyone else. I constantly remind myself that working out isn’t my full-time job, and my goals are only to be strong and healthy. I’ve definitely come a long way, and while I still can’t do an unassisted pull-up, I can do some killer push-ups. I can bench press pretty well, but Bulgarian split squats will be the end of me. In general, I hold my own :).
About a year and a half ago, I started my Ayurveda journey with Paola, and she encouraged me to add some more movement on the days that I don’t go to the gym. I knew she was right, but I was scared to commit. As I started to understand my constitution (see here for a breakdown on what your birth constitution means in Ayurveda) and what my body type needed (see here for a live analysis by Paola on my body type and birth constitution) to stay healthy, emotionally and physically, I realized two things: first, I finally understood that my body was telling me what it needed and that was why I always found a way to work out, even though I’m not athletic or coordinated lol. Good thing I mostly listened. And second, I was ready for more. I needed to step it up, but I needed to do something sustainable, something I could be consistent with.
I didn’t have time to go to the gym more than twice a week, but I do have a treadmill at home, so making use of it seemed like the perfect solution. I’ve now incorporated twice a week on the treadmill, and I’m going strong for a year and a half. I started off with just fifteen minutes, something super doable and habit-forming. I can get super competitive with myself, so I needed some reminders to come back to center and not get carried away. I’m now doing a happy thirty minutes. If I feel like doing more, I do, and if I’m feeling overwhelmed, I go back to my baseline of fifteen minutes.
Over the years, while trying all different types of exercises, I’ve learned many things. Some things must be relearned over and over again, and some things stick the first time. But there are three concepts that have impacted me the most.
Something is always better than nothing. Our brain often likes to think in absolutes. If I can’t do a full hour of an intense HIIT routine, I might as well not do anything at all. If I can’t lift X number of pounds, what’s the point? I’m just a failure. That’s the farthest thing from the truth. Anything you do is more than nothing, and starting small (even if you feel somewhat pathetic) allows you to form real, sustainable habits.
There is a lot of information/noise out there. Do cardio, skip cardio, only lift, Pilates is the best, Barre is the best, run, don’t walk, weighted vest, no weighted vest… you get the idea. You know what I learned (with the help of Paola)? MOVE YOUR BODY HOWEVER YOU CAN! You can have goals, but don’t let that distract you from the ultimate goal, which is living a long and healthy life.
Love what you’re doing; it will be so much easier to do. If you dread the particular workout, how long are you going to do it? Plus, the day is too short to be miserable. I promise you can find a routine that you love, and it can be anything you want it to be.
So what does my actual workout look like?
I strength train twice a week in a small group with a trainer. It’s usually a full-body workout, about six or seven exercises per session, mostly three sets of eight to twelve reps. We do a mix of dumbbells, barbells, cables, bodyweight exercises, and some med ball work.
A typical workout might include lower-body movements like reverse lunges, split squats, goblet squats, walking lunges, leg extensions, and hamstring curls. For upper body, we’ll do things like chest flys, bench press, Arnold presses, seated rows, pullovers, bicep curls, and snatches. And then, of course, there’s always some core or conditioning mixed in: wall balls, Pallof presses, cable torso twists, reverse crunches, med ball tosses, all the fun stuff :).
There you have it!! I try my best and really love to have a trainer and workout partners to keep me going.
I will end with my favorite piece of advice: BALANCE! If you remember that, you’ll be golden.
Stay strong.
Love,
Chavie