I wanted to write this post on anxiety and joining the gym. And also what it’s doing for me and my anxiety. I have never really been a gym going person but since leaving school. I really wish I had taken more interest in keeping fit and not what people thought of me.

ANXIETY AND JOINING THE GYM // WHAT GETTING ACTIVE CAN DO FOR MY ANXIETY

If I was the only one fully working out in the gym when everyone else just couldn’t be bothered. And was doing the bare minimum because it was ‘the cool’ thing to do. I’ve suddenly had a kick up the backside of motivation and wanted to do something for me. And to help build up my fitness as I’ve barely done anything since quitting dancing and horse riding. Also tennis in the summer was a huge part of my workout.

Why did I join the gym?

I’ve been a bit lazy and not done anything good for my body but I wanted to change that. I was getting fed up of feeling depressed about my body and wanted to change it for the better. My brother had finished his football season and is usually at the gym nearly everyday so he asked me if I wanted to join him in going to his gym Anytime Fitness in Loudwater which is literally down the road from us. So I said “why not” and joined on a 3 day free trial. Surprisingly I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and ended up signing up as a complete member.

“I’ve never been a gym lover“

I’m not great when talking to strangers or meeting people face to face but this will be a really good challenge for me to complete and I’ll be ridiculously happy with myself once I’ve completed it. Now I’ve joined the gym I’m able to be a lot more independent and I’m able to go whenever I want to work out and it also helps me occupy my mind whenever I feel anxious which I’m hoping will be great for me in the long run. I’m able to zone out and focus on getting fitter without anything clouding my mind and making me more anxious. Here’s to a fitter and better me!

READ MORE: Music & My Anxiety

At the moment, I am currently working on my cardio and building up my stamina using the treadmill, rowing machine and bikes and then will probably move onto weights and other things later on when I eventually get fitter and stronger. Since suffering from bronchitis as a baby, my lungs have been incredibly weak and I haven’t really been able to do any long distance or extraneous cardio so hopefully I can build it up and get stronger. I am also training for hiking Snowdonia which I am doing in July with an amazing group of people which is also helping me combat my social anxiety to create some amazing memories and friends.

My favourite circuit at the moment is…

20 mins Treadmill (light jog and then 10% incline speed 5+ fast walk)
Then 20 mins Rowing Machine
20 mins Recumbent Bike or Upright Bike

I am really proud of myself on finally conquering my anxiety in a way and joining the gym to hopefully create a fitter and happier me both mentally and physically. I find that the gym really helps me de-stress and helps me calm down when I’m feeling anxious as it gives me something to focus on other than what’s making me anxious.

Image used in this post is credit to Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.

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Have you done anything amazing to combat your mental illness? Have you had a similar story to mine?