Once upon a time, in a faraway land called the Dale of Robbins, lived a young girl who kicked balls around. Okay, that’s me 😊 When I was in first grade, I played on the Robbinsdale soccer team during the summer. I may not have been the MVP, but I did enjoy running around and going to the games (except for the one where I bawled my eyes out for a reason I don’t remember). I played soccer and volleyball in middle school, and those years were the last ones in an organized sport. I recall these being the main form of movement outside of recess tag and red-light, green-light.

Cardio Bunny Era

Later on, in high school, I would attend mandatory P.E. and I had a good time (sans the fact it was during third period which meant two more classes sitting in sweat 🙂). During quarantine, I started by doing Chloe Ting workouts, as many people did. I would pick one ab workout and maybe a leg workout. I was really into it. I was also doing the 12-3-30 at the time, because we had a treadmill in our basement. I’ll be honest, I did not have a very healthy relationship with movement at the time. I was doing it for entirely superficial reasons, rather than prioritizing how I felt and trying to improve my energy.

When Covid restrictions eased up a bit, I got a free membership at Planet Fitness and became a “Cardio Bunny” (i.e. hop from one cardio machine to the next). Never did I touch the stair master, though, that was my limit. I would spend an hour or so between the treadmill and elliptical, then maybe add a Chloe Ting workout at the end. Again, movement at this time was still for superficial reasons and because I wasn’t happy with how I looked.

Powerlifting-ish Era

When I got to college, I spent the first semester not going to the gym because I was really anxious about doing so. Would I look silly? Dumb? I couldn’t POSSIBLY risk looking like that, because who would want to be friends with someone who doesn’t know the abductor from adductor machine? 😗 When I came back for winter break, my younger sister had started to get into lifting, and showed me some of her workouts. I found that I felt more energized and strong. When I went back to school the next semester, I kept lifting. Not very heavy yet, but it was a start.

Later in that semester, I got really into watching JPG Coaching and learned a ton more about proper form. I started lifting heavier. I started lifting more frequently. I would lift for longer time periods. Honestly, it became an issue. I was going 6-7 days a week, trying to lift heavy each day. I would spend 2+ hours at the gym each day. That’s a problem. I wasn’t giving my body the rest that it needed, and that wasn’t okay. Even though I was lifting because of how it made me feel, rather than prioritizing how it made me look, it still wasn’t healthy for me.

Finding the Routine for Me

It wasn’t until later during my junior year that I really found a good routine. I would go 3-5 times a week, stay for an hour and a half at most, and pay close attention to how I was feeling. I had an upper/lower split where I had two lower days and one upper day, and 1-2 days of cardio and core. I had more time to spend with friends, on school, and on my work. I also had a few gym buddies that I would consistently go with, and they make lifting much more fun! I will say we yapped a lot, so the lift was perhaps not as good as a “dark, mysterious mood with hoodie and headphones on” gym session. But with the vibes always being up from talking and lifting, I’ll never complain about a gym day with a friend.

The first semester of senior year, I kept the same routine. I would also go for a run once a week or so in the woods next to my campus. I told myself I wanted to be able to run a 5k with my partner… Still hasn’t happened and I’ve taken a break from running 😗 We’ll get there.

When I got out of school, I didn’t go the gym for about a month (or maybe a little longer). I felt the same way I did when I first got to college: anxious, nervous, and self-conscious. It felt daunting to find and go to a new gym, and this time it was out in the real world and not school. I eventually reminded myself of how much I enjoy going (not all days, but many of them), and I got a Planet Fitness membership (working my way up to LifeTime or Equinox or another fancy-dancy gym) and started lifting again. I also picked up cardio again a month after that, and now I’m pretty satisfied with the routine. I do want to add running back in, and take a stab at jump rope, but my current split is keeping me feeling and looking happy.

My Current Split

BTW split just means workout routine. I mentioned PPL earlier, which means “push-pull-legs.” Push refers to chest, shoulders, and tricep exercises (because you pushing something away from your body); pull refers to back and biceps (because you are pulling something into your body); and legs refers to, well, legs. PPL is an example of a common split.

Okay, I’ll go into more depth with my split in a future blog, but the outline is this:

• Monday: Cardio / Core

• Tuesday: Legs

• Wednesday: Upper (push + pull)

• Thursday: Cardio / Core

• Friday: Legs

I generally keep to this routine, but I am flexible if I have meetings or an appointment in the morning, which is when I go to the gym.

My Final Musings on Movement

Overall, I’ve had a rocky (but perhaps not unusual) relationship with the gym and with movement in general. When I was younger, it was fueled by insecurities and not liking myself. As I became older, it was more about being addicted to the results and to the happy feelings you get when you lift. Now, I’m motivated by keeping myself feeling as good as possible. Part of that is related to looks, I won’t lie. But a large part is also related to the fact that a mix of movement that you enjoy makes you feel good in the long run… even if it isn’t always fun in the moment.

Whatever type of movement you enjoy and is good for you, I strongly encourage you to find time each day (or almost every day) to do it! Whether it’s lifting, pilates, yoga, walking, running (couldn’t be me… yet), or everything combined, MOVEMENT IS SO SO SO IMPORTANT.

Next time, I’ll bring the science into it. This time, I wanted to share some of my story to show that our relationships with movement and exercise and the gym are ever-changing. And that’s a wonderful thing, because it means that we get to explore and try new things and discover a new activity that we enjoy (even if it’s not enjoyable all the time).

Lastly, DO NOT FORGET TO STRETCH PLEASE! Please. Please. I’m begging. 😃 

Stay tuned for next week’s blog, where I’ll share some of my favorite go-to meals in my post-grad life. Shout out to Rosie for giving me the idea.