I felt inspired to do a fitness update because I haven’t done one since all the way back in May! Staying active has been such a rollercoaster for me, but I’m really happy with where I’m at right now.

So, just a little catch up. I was very inactive my senior year of high school and my first semester of college. I wanted to go to the gym, but I was so intimidated and anxious. I couldn’t get up the courage to step into the gym until my second semester of college back in the spring. You can read about my epically tragic first visit to the gym here lol.

After I got the hang of the gym, I would go about two times a week to run on the treadmill, the stair stepper, and then I finally branched out to the weight equipment. I didn’t really notice any physical results at this time, but I was just proud of myself for going.

Over the summer, I didn’t want to make the half an hour drive to my university just to go to the gym so I started doing BBG and man, BBG really kicked my ass!

The first time I tried BBG, I went way past my boundary and my legs were severely sore for a whole week. I remember I was playing in a concert at a church that was attended by many elderly people that week. When the concert was over, I walked out at the same slow, ancient hobble that they walked in haha!

I stuck to BBG for about two months and I actually felt really strong during this time! I noticed muscle definition I had never seen before. However, I just couldn’t stick to the program. The BBG workout plan is three 30 minute workouts a week, three 30 minute walks, and 1 rest day. 

Even though I liked the results I was seeing, I would often feel really nauseous after working out and I really hated the workout circuits! I didn’t make a conscious choice to stop doing BBG, it just became way too much for me when I started my first fully part time job and summer class at the same time in July.

I tried to stick with BBG, but I was so overwhelmed; I just stopped working out. When the new semester started at the end of August I didn’t start working out again because I was still figuring out how to balance my school load and working 20 hours a week. 

After about three to four months of being inactive, I finally went to a pilates class at my university gym. This was not my first pilates class ever, but I still felt really anxious about going because I just get ridiculously anxious about things like that. I had the courage to show up and I had a lot of fun!

It only took one day to decide I was going to attend class once a week. I’m so happy I made the decision to start exercising again. I went to pilates once a week for four weeks and then something changed. I was itching to go more!

I’ve been having so much sliding around on the reformer every week. This past week was the first time that I’ve gone twice in one week! I went to class at the beginning of the week and I just couldn’t wait to go back. As someone who doesn’t feel excited very often, this was a really big deal for me.

I don’t exercise for the physical results (although that is a nice side effect), I exercise because it releases a lot of pent of stress and anxiety I carry around from my busy schedule. My favorite thing about attending class is that it’s one of the very few things in my calendar that is “scheduled self care”.

My fitness journey will continue to fluctuate because my college schedule changes every four months, but I know that I will always come back to doing active things because it’s so good for my body and mind. 

Over my winter break, my goal is to exercise at least once a week. Looking at my spring semester, I’m feeling optimistic because I will be able to go to a class three times a week if I want to!

I know this post was a little long, but I really hope it inspires anyone who also has a fluctuating schedule or relationship with fitness. Life comes up, schedules change, but scheduled self care is so valuable in our very busy lives.

What do you like to do to stay active?

*Also! If anyone has any tips for editing snowy shots, can you let me know! I always feel like I get a weird haze in my snowy shots…