- 1nd part of my experiense, how I changed my mind after starting group classes.
Returning to the "arena"
A year later, I had a lot of time to think about why I didn't have enough strength and persistence to simply get myself in order?!
One of the main factors that I was not satisfied with was the excess weight. Although I was not fat, I was definitely chubby. This bothered me in the first place. Instinctively, I realized that no matter how hard I sweat during workouts, I will not lose weight just by exercising, and I should start with a diet. I had experience with exhausting monthly diets, and I knew that I didn't want that again!
In one month, I dug up a mountain of information about weight loss and bothered so many people that I came to the only conclusion - only proper nutrition, without excess, would help me lose weight for the long term! This made me very happy, as every girl who has been on a diet at least once to lose 3 kg knows perfectly well that starving yourself is not an option. Moreover, after a strict diet, the pounds quickly return. Another downside is moral exhaustion - which is the worst of all.
Long-term weight loss
Long-term weight loss (3-6 months) completely suited me, as I did not want to repeat old mistakes. I started by giving up bread, excluding pastries, eating only boiled or baked foods, and reducing my portions by half. At first, it was a little uncomfortable when the family ate flavorful fried cutlets or fatty garnishes with meat, and I ate boiled turkey breast. But you get used to it quickly if you have the desire. My proper nutrition also included a large amount of pure water per day, dairy products, and nuts. When I craved sweets, I bought dried or dehydrated fruits, which helped me a lot. The most wonderful thing about this diet was the absence of moral overload because I ate almost everything I wanted.
First results and inspiration
When I stepped on the scale after a month, I was delighted - minus 4 kg!!! Moreover, my skin condition significantly improved, my stomach disappeared, and I felt much lighter. In just three months, I lost 9 (!) kilograms, and a completely different girl appeared in the mirror! The troublesome saddlebags on my thighs were gone, my legs became slimmer, and I started wearing size 42! Since then and to this day, I try not to cross the line, and if I gain 2-3 kg during holidays, the weight quickly returns to normal.
After I acquired the volumes I wanted, I started thinking about sports because my muscles needed to be toned! However, my subconscious still repelled the idea, remembering those exhausting months of training. I talked to close people on this topic, received a lot of advice, but it didn't help either.
After some time, I realized that I simply needed to get rid of all those mistakes I repeated in the past. The ongoing weight loss gave me strength. In sports, I decided to follow the same principle as in nutrition – long-term work without psychological and physical overload.
Motivation to exercise
I didn't want to attend group classes anymore and decided to start with the gym. I visited during the hours when there were the fewest people – in the morning (sometimes in the afternoon). I chose the gym precisely because I could control my condition and not "serve" the entire hour of intensive training, as it was before.
My main principle became one belief – leave the gym before I was completely exhausted.
Even on those days when I was in a very good mood and had thoughts like "I'll go for a run now," I still turned towards the locker room and left before I was completely tired. My standard gym workouts now consisted of 3-4 main leg exercises and as many arm exercises. I periodically trained my abs and back. It took 40-50 minutes, which became enough for me.
After two months of going to the gym, I noticed that I WANTED to go there! After all, the first results began to appear, and I was not exhausted or tormented! This was my first real victory! But I didn't rush to celebrate, promising myself only one thing: now that I've gotten rid of all past mistakes, I need to focus on one aspect – going to the gym REGULARLY. Yes, indeed, going to the gym and working with relatively heavy weights (8-12 kg), because these exercises create the shapes we, GIRLS, want!!! By the way, squatting with a 10 kg barbell shaped my buttocks in 2 months SO much better than exhausting aerobic loads in 6 months! After all the past "crashes," conscientious visits to the fitness club seemed like a piece of cake. Three, five, six months passed, and... I've been going to the gym for 10 months, and I like it!!! My figure has significantly improved, and sometimes I don't believe the mirror, but the fact remains the fact!!! Now I even rarely attend group classes.
My conclusions and experience over 2 years
My main conclusion is that you need to adequately assess your strength!!
- If you feel that you can't handle the training – slow down and start small. If you push too hard, you'll definitely lose motivation for a long time or forever.
- If you are overweight, you need to lose weight by eating properly because the results of training under excess weight are poorly visible. If you don't see the results within 4-6 months, there's a high chance you'll give up.
- It's better to UNDER train than to OVER train.
- Don't put psychological pressure on yourself, and just give yourself one promise – to regularly go to the gym! After all, most often there are no results due to irregular physical activity.
That's about it! That's the experience I gained, gradually learning from my mistakes. I really hope that this information will help you achieve good results in sports and better understand yourself! Good luck!
