What I'm Doing Fitness Wise Right Now & Finding Joy In It Once Again

This January was the first time I didn't feel myself itching to get back into the gym after the festivities. Mostly down to having the flu but also because my relationship with fitness has changed so much. For so long it was the thing that helped my mental health stay somewhat in check as well as being something I genuinely loved. I never thought I'd be the girl who felt that way about the gym but last year I really saw myself go through a lull with the whole fitness thing, which I resisted for so long mostly because I thought my brain would fall apart without it. Very dramatic I know but if you have that type of relationship with fitness you will understand where I'm coming from and why I was in such despair about it. Over the past few months, well since we've had Josie really I've changed what I do to keep myself active so much and it's completely changed my mindset. I have a little bit of strange urge to know what people do to say active so this is what I'm doing right now.

DITCHED THE GYM

For a long time, I was a gym goer, I loved it but I got sucked into the trap of thinking that was the only way to keep fit but it's not. I cancelled my gym membership in December as to be frank I'd not gone in months, I made attempts to try and get back into it but they never really worked and I just didn't enjoy it anymore. And there is no point in having £30 taken out of my bank account each month for something I'm not going to use, there are much better things I could spend my money on. Letting go of my membership was weirdly a big deal for me, that gym saw me go through some really low moments in my life and was a safe haven. It improved my mental health so much as well as getting my bum moving and I know that I will more than likely take out a membership again but just not at this stage in life. And whenever I'm aimlessly scrolling through the Instagram explore page I always feel that pang when I see videos of girls at the gym. Is that what I should be doing? Does my body need to look like that? Obviously, the answer is no but social media can really get to us when it comes to fitness. We're told about the importance of exercise so much, heck, even I've said it and whilst I still stand by the fact moving around and getting your blood pumping is important there are so many ways to do this and fitness looks different to everybody.

MADE THE MOST OF THE GREAT OUTDOORS

One of the biggest things that pushed me away from the gym was getting a dog. I even wrote that on my reason for cancelling my membership which I'm sure gave the admin team a good laugh. Josie needs a good amount of exercise daily, she needs to have a good run and explore to burn her energy and of course I don't need to explain why giving your pup the exercise it needs is so important. Making sure she has that takes a big chunk of time out of my day and we can't possibly do it all so I've been making the most out of getting outside. Recently we found an amazing forest that I've been walking the outskirts of for a while but now we've ventured into it and it's idyllic. As well as having a good walk with Josie daily something else I'm trying to do with her is run again, infact it started off by me jogging home with her from her dog training class because it was far too cold for a gentle stroll and she adored it. She trots alongside me rather than running into me which is what she used to when she was a pup. Even though I live in England where it rains for the majority of the year there are still some brilliant days and making the most out of the outside world is not only free but it gives me the exact same release as the gym did. Walking around or even jogging isn't going to give me a super peachy bum or abs but that's not really what I'm after. Sure I'd love to feel a little more firm than wobbly but it's more important that my mind feels ok more than anything.

AND YOUTUBE

When I've got a little more time on my hands I always turn to YouTube for something a little more fast-paced. Because I can't deny that I do miss that I've really worked my bum off and sweating up a storm feeling. Here are the videos that I'm into at the moment;

CHANGED MY MINDSET TOWARDS FITNESS

Once I got away from the mentality that I needed to go to the gym to stay in shape it really opened up my eyes to everything else I could do instead. Like I said, we're force-fed this vision of what fitness looks like but it looks different to each and every one of us. For me, the biggest thing about keeping active has always been the positive change it's had on my brain and that's what I always want it to be.

what fitness shouldn't be

• Something you don't like, at all.
• A chore or something you cannot stand doing.
• Or something you're just doing for social media or to fit in with friends. 
• Someone else's vision of fitness doesn't have to be yours. 
• Something that makes you feel bad about yourself or a punishment. 

what fitness should look like

• Anything that gets you moving around.
•  It can be 5 minutes to an hour, it's all up to you.
• Something that makes you feel good and something you enjoy.
• Never, ever a chore. 
• It can be running or laying in happy baby pose, do what feels good. 

What are your favourite things to-do fitness wise?