Hello February!The time when most of the people will be giving up on there New Year resolutions. Who didn’t join the gym in January, only to shove away that workout clothes in a deep dark corner of the closet in February.
Most of us make this promise, get fit in a New Year, start exercising on Monday etc. etc, self motivation is a slippery slope and this post is all about that fit life.
Hiking in Los Angeles
If you follow me on Instagram you can see that I try my best to exercise regularly, but this was not always the case with me. In fact for years I was more of a lie down and get a bagel then do some squats kinda girl. So I am writing this hoping that it will help you stay on track or may be even motivate you to start up. I, by no means, am an expert in the field, but I think this might be a good thing, if I can do it, so can you.
Bending in Bali
First step would be to make a decision, do it because that’s something you want, not because everybody is doing it, not because it is in trend, not because someone else told you so, but because it’s a choice you make. This would be the hardest step… starting something is not easy, but it’s worth it.
Hiking up Lion's Head in Cape Town
I started after a bad break up. Funny expression “bad break up” like there’s ever such thing as a “good break up”. Luckily for me, it was not a first heartbreak, so I was able to manage that feeling of heart dispersing into atoms and turn in into something positive. All this energy and time I had on my hands, I decided to put it into a good use and turn my heartbreak into a six-pack ( well it’s still more like a four-pack but who’s counting).
I was not doing it alone, which brings us to the next important point, get a good support system, because it will be hard at the beginning, it will be new, you will have no idea what you doing and you will need a lot of guidance, so you won’t hurt yourself or others. I was very lucky two of my friends are great trainers, so they took me under there wing and helped me, pushed me, motivated me.
Lounging on a flex ball is my favorite exercise
My very first session was hard, all I wanted to do was lie down on a giant rubber ball and roll around like a baby seal, but I was told, that it didn't count as exercising, apparently ...
The hardest part was the day after… Once I finally got the courage to roll out of bed, literally roll, because getting up was not an option at all, I realize that this day would be really long, its very hard to eat, drink or even put on your pants when every part of your body hurts… I would of send my trainers a hate mail, but even typing hurt… When I asked them how do I stop this pain, they said - exercise some more, I hated them a little more for such an answer, but then I did exercise more and it did help and well, I was hooked.
Chasing waterfalls in Hawaii
Next step. Set goals, but realistic goals and be patient and persistent. This is where trainers will be helpful as well. They can teach you what kind of exercises you need to do, how often and when, all of this based on what you want to achieve. Be patient and stick with things. I wanted a flat stomach, to hell with flat, I wanted a six-pack. So I would do 10 sit ups and lift up my shirt up- no? no six pack… what a scam… I would get so disappointed … Nevertheless I kept going and for the record it took around 4 month of intense abs oriented routine to get my four pack … Now if I get lazy from time to time and let it go, it takes me much less to get them back, muscles are great this way, they have a great “memory”
Stretching in Cape Town
Choose something that you love to do, what works for you. If you are not having a good time, you won’t stick with it and if you won’t stick with it, you won’t get the results you want. Honestly there are so many options right now, you can pick and choose and try until you find something that works for you. For example I hate running. Like really I am not a runner. I even read that “Born to run” book - it did not help. The only reason I would have to run is a zombie apocalypses - but zombies are, from what I’ve seen in movies, really slow, so I should be alright just NYC walking; or a bear, but they say you are not suppose to run from a bear, so there’s really no reason for me to run, at least not voluntarily. Spin classes - not a fan as well… all of these competitive team cycling and don’t let your team down spin faster mentality, does not work for me. I mean, I just met those guys, I really don’t care if the blue team wins or a red one, I am not even sure what team is my bike in. Don’t know, don’t care, don’t want to know. Having said that - there are many people who find that this kind of exercise help them build there stamina and being a part of a team really motivates them. There’s something for everyone out there, you just need to find it.
Planking upstate NY
I tried so many different things from hip hop dance classes - I looked like one of those inflatable guys attracting customers to a tire shop, to a pilates, where you needed to balance on a moving plate the whole time… It was a fun journey discovering what I like, what I need and whats most effective. Now I have my routine set up and I can do it wherever I go - in my apartment, in a gym, in a park, you name it.
Occupying friend's rooftops
It is okay to slip up every once in a while… We are all human and life gets in a way of things, so don’t be too hard on yourself. Start again and again and again, and then you will realize that you are doing this for yourself and you feel good and you won’t have to stop anymore.
More hiking
If you want to make sure that I am not just saying things and that I am actually doing it you can see my little fitness videos on IG under this hashtag #fitandslimwithdindin - cheesy I know. Din din is me btw, its an old nickname that comes and goes. The good thing about the hashtag is that you can see all of the videos together - so you will see the ones shot at the beginning when I wasn’t really sure what am I doing. You’ll also see some where I am failing, which is fine, everybody does, sometimes. You will also see some transformations and dare I say progress. Subscribe to hashtag if you wish to see what I am doing, maybe get ideas, inspiration, motivation, what have you.
Up and up
I hope that this little post will help you keep going or start your journey. Let me know if you have questions suggestions.
Happy workout
<3 Dinara
On top of the World aka Lion's Head, ZA