How to workout (for the rest of your life)...

This one is a personal take, so I thought it should have another creative title:

Routines, Outfits, & Dumbbells: How I feel in love with my workouts (and how you can too)

There used to be a time where I associated working out with nothing more than a way to get slim. I’m not sure I even recognize that girl anymore, and that is something I’m very proud of. After all, it’s okay to set physical goals (to an extent), but true well-being goes far beyond looks. But seriously, old habits die hard because I’m never looking back.

I wish I could say I made this realization sooner but it actually took me a good seven years to get to the place I am now. Allow me to set the stage: Summer of 2013, in the small, charming, and touristy town of Bethany Beach. Classes had just ended, and it was officially summer break…and more importantly, this was the year I was going to start exercising, and finally get my dream body before high school started. Yes, looking back at it now, I can see how self-conscious and naive I was. I mean this wasn’t new news; I was a shy person outside of the house (my dad used to call me “house lion” – bold and brash at home but quiet and reserved elsewhere…it sounds better in Gujarati), and often felt like my life would begin as soon as I looked perfect, was perfect, and had it all perfectly together. Even typing that now makes me cringe. Still, this was the origin story of how I began exercising.

I started doing interval style, at-home workouts from youtube. And yes, of course popsugar workouts were part of it — I still remember doing the quick 10 minute workouts with Anna Renderer and Zelana Montminy! Most of the workouts I did were cardio-based, and I frequently had to modify the routine, especially when it came to doing lower-body heavy exercises like lunge jumps and burpees. I was often on and off with my workouts in the first few weeks; It was all dependent on my motivation and emotion. Even with those inconsistencies, I was noticing how good I felt after a workout.

Routines

Things changed when I decided to invest in my first workout program. It was a 3-month long full body plan and included a healthy eating guide too. While the workouts themselves were excellent, the true benefit of the program was the accountability it provided. Everyday, I had to click a check mark after I got my workout complete screen. That small thing made me feel like I had to finish what I started. Even more, the ease of simply clicking on a pre-set workout also meant I had no excuses. On days that I really didn’t feel like exercising, I would tell myself to do 5 minutes, which often led to a full 30 minute workout. Having a clear, set routine made me more organized and enabled me to stay true to my commitment when it came to exercise. Evenings became my workout time; Right after I came back from my summer job, I would have my workout clothes already out, and I would just put them on and press play.

Building the habit is the hardest part. But once formed, it meant that I was no longer relying on aesthetic results to motivate me. I was now motivated by the endorphin release, and the sense of accomplishment after a workout— and over time, I genuinely came to enjoy the workouts themselves. Don’t get me wrong, this one workout program didn’t magically change my mindset. It did, however, set the foundation for me to slowly start forming a consistent relationship with exercise, which would then lead me to keep coming back for more simply because I loved the feeling of exercise.

Outfits

Much like how people dress for themselves, I found that choosing my workout outfits made me enjoy my workouts even more. Having cute workout outfits didn’t just make me look good but it gave me the confidence to show up and challenge my body. Of course, wearing an old t-shirt and shorts is more than fine – and I do this sometimes too. Personally though, I liked the idea of beautifying my life. Even if it was just a small 10 minute workout, I would put on a cute tank and legging combo. It made me feel more in control and like I was taking care of myself, which then translated to taking better care of my body. And while having the cutest workout outfit is not necessary for you to enjoy your workouts, something about wearing bright clothes inspires me to give that extra effort – after all, physically being able to do your workout is worth celebrating!

Even more, having my workout clothes ready to go made it easier for me to just show up and start my workout without overthinking it on days I really didn’t feel like doing anything. As cheesy as it might sound, the feeling of “putting on your cape” is real when you put on a nice fitness outfit – at least for me.

Dumbbells

I started out as a cardio-junkie. In comparison to a strength workout, I believed cardio was more effective; Naturally, I assumed with all the movement and jumping here and there, and my racing heart rate and profuse sweating, that I was doing something right. However, over the years, I was learning more about healthy eating and exercise. Call it intuition but something about the well-being realm was attractive to me. So much so that I even decided to pick a nutritional and exercise sciences major for college. Strength training was also gaining more recognition among the fitness community. Eventually, I decided to give it a shot. I followed along online videos using just my bodyweight at first.

It felt challenging In a new, uplifting way. Working towards functionality and strength gave me a much-needed change of page from my usual workouts.

I will admit, there is more to the story. Maybe from listening to the media and the way adults talked about their displeasure about their bodies, I was unknowingly gravitating towards a restrictive diet mindset.

I prided myself for my interest in nutrition – so it was hard to acknowledge when it was leading me down an obsessive and unhealthy path. Thankfully, I never got caught in the unhealthy side of diet culture for too long. In fact, my introduction to strength training reminded me that the primary reason I liked nutritional science was due to the fact that I liked nourishing and strengthening my body.

One workout led to another, and soon enough, I became “that girl” that kept an entire set of adjustable dumbbells under her bed in her dorm room.

Putting it all together

I know reading about my experience may make it seem like my relationship with exercise was a linear slope, infinitely going up. It was more like a winding road with plenty of detours. All in all though, even beyond physical health, I’m amazed by how much fitness has to offer – it builds self-confidence, teaches resilience and drives personal growth. And that’s not even touching on the incredible impact exercise can have in areas like chronic pain management, injury rehabilitation, surgical recovery, movement disorders, and much more.

Currently, working out has become my time to destress, and a way that I can practice self-care amidst the chaos of everyday life as a student physical therapist. I’m so thankful for the physical and mental strength that I have been able to build using exercise. It’s something that I will cherish for life.

Form my years of experience (both personally and professionally) to all the beginners or exercise skeptics out there, here are your take-aways:

Form a habit of any form of exercise. If your schedule allows, pick a time and place to do your workout. Then prepare for it: pick out your clothes the day before, have your pre-workout snack/meal and water bottle ready, etc. On days you don’t feel like exercising, don’t overthink it. Start by just putting your workout clothes on, and do 5 minutes. If you feel like it, do more. With that said, those 5 minutes are non-negotiable.
Do exercises you enjoy. There is a common misconception that in order for exercise to be effective, you have to push yourself to the point that you start to see stars and are blue in the face. I assure you, this is not the case. There are so many forms of exercise that can be fun and challenging at the same time, and I’m sure you have heard physical and mental transformational stories of people that finally found their groove with pilates or rock-climbing or whatever else. For me, I really enjoy short 2 mile runs, superset strength training with pilates, walking, and even the occasional kickboxing workout. However, I don’t like crossfit; It’s simply not my thing so I don’t do it.
Your workout time is your time. Make it as enjoyable as possible. For me, this included fun workout outfits, and jamming to my favorite songs.
Detach yourself from aesthetic goals. People like quick results, but that’s not sustainable when it comes to exercise. For instance, it takes 8-12 weeks to see noticeable gains in muscle. If you monitor your muscle mass after every workout, it’s going to feel like a slow crawl. Instead pick up action goals, such as being able to do 10 full push-ups by next month. Action-based goals eventually lead to physical results anyway.
You don’t have to love strength training but I do recommend that you try it out. The great thing about strengthening exercises is that they can be incorporated into various types of workouts– like dance, yoga, etc. I hope you find it as empowering as I did.

And I will leave you with this: Exercise isn’t a one-size-fits-all type of thing; find movement you enjoy, put in some effort, and be patient with yourself. Trust me, exercise grows on you.