Why Working Out Isn’t the be all and End All of a Healthy Body and Mind
Before and after bodies, tired tantrums and passionate hate for perspiration. I’m choosing to avoid the 2021 workout wagon altogether and shift my focus elsewhere …
Words: Georgina Cartwright
“Let’s face it. We took to lockdown like a bunch of newborn ducklings flapping about aimlessly whilst trying to find our own way to navigate the uncertain waters. Kind of like a New Year's Eve resolution or a milestone birthday thought to represent the next chapter of life, we saw this as an opportunity to focus on improving ourselves in some way or another.
As some took to taking online classes to broaden their skills or starting a new University course, our more creative counterparts took to pottery, painting and jewellery assembling alongside tufting, tinkering and tailoring. I, admittedly, attempted to make a pot that ended up with a soggy bottom Mary Berry wouldn’t gush at and made a successful attempt at assembling some earrings - I’ll keep you in the loop.
For others in the UK, lockdown hit them hard. And when I say hit, I mean HIIT, as in high-intensity interval training. At first, it was refreshing to see celebs and fitness advocates urging people to get up and get out. This new chapter of challenges is exactly how I fell victim to the hoax of HIIT in March 2020.
“As we battle an ongoing mass of new measures and lockdowns, many people will feel the urge to dive back into working out, especially as summer approaches, but not I.”
After being roped into the overnight sensation of attempting to lead a fitter life myself, what I deem as ‘persuasive exercise’ quickly became less about staying positive and healthy, and more about becoming a ‘different’, ‘new’ me.
It came to a point where I couldn’t scroll through Instagram without seeing a new army of fitness gurus with a fresh workout plan that would cost me around twenty quid a month and most of my sanity. It’s as if every day was a Dodgeball nightmare with a popular page full of White Goodman’s, and I was poor old Gordon.
By September 2020, I had watched hundreds of before and after body transformations, had handfuls of tantrums when I couldn’t keep up (even after being told demeaningly to take it at my own pace) and found a new passionate hate for perspiration. A quick glimpse at the stale workout mat on the floor told me to give it a rest. The only plus was when I realised I could speed up a video.
“I’m 22, my body is changing and I’m changing with it.”
That’s why I, as a healthy 22-year-old, chose to avoid the 2021 workout wagon altogether. As we battle an ongoing mass of new measures and lockdowns, many people will feel the urge to dive back into working out, especially as summer approaches, but not I. Working out just isn’t for me, and no new workout plan or inspiring influencer can make me sweat, sorry.
Instead, I’m revisiting that initial goal of maintaining a healthy mind. And I’ll do it by taking on some mindful new activities that are also beneficial for the body. “How on EARTH will you do that without blood, sweat and tears?” I hear the grating fitness gurus seething.
Go and take a walk
It may sound simple and if you’re anything like me, rather bland. I mean there’s only so much nature you can look at, right? WRONG the little positive voice rings in my head. There are a mound of benefits to getting your daily fast-walk in. Just half an hour of walking can be more beneficial to your body than galloping on the treadmill. And as well as being a lower impact activity (meaning you don’t sweat as much) it is also more sustainable (meaning you can go for longer). You had me at no sweat.
Walking is also a natural stress reliever and is amazing for the mind if you chose to focus on the spirituality of it. Next time you go for a walk, feel the ground beneath your feet and really pay attention to the difference between the feel of the grass and gravel. Reconnect with the earth. Breathe in the scenery. Appreciate the thousands of shades of nature around you. Listen to every, single, minuscule noise. I promise you’ll come back feeling healthier both mentally and physically.
Try pleasing your mind with pilates
I know I groaned on about HIIT workouts, but I never said anything about pilates. Many people don’t think to check out pilates, possibly because you just don’t see or hear much of the fluent fitness exercise on social media. I found out about pilates through Matilda Djerf who is a huge body positivity influencer and was a saving grace as I chose to give up on torturously toning up.
I started with a 15 minute Melissa Wood workout and am pleased to announce that her slow-paced pilates actually made me feel the same effects as a full day Chloe Ting challenge. My lower abs were burning, and all I did was roll around on the floor and flutter my legs about (I just felt like procrastinating in rudely comfortable yet weird poses) It admirably allowed me to delve into the depths of my own mind, especially when I sat out on that abysmal side plank.
Tip the scales on how you view your body
Walking each day and taking a break to focus on moving my body in a new way was pivotal in obliviously helping my body and mind, but, what made the biggest impact on my journey was not weighing myself. Last year I fell into the demonic habit of determining my growth as a person as well as my self-confidence on whether I had lost weight and not how I actually feel in my body. Now, I feel feather-like without the added stress of what are JUST NUMBERS. This peace of mind has allowed me to focus on what I love about my body and realise, I’m 22, my body is changing and I’m changing with it.”