What makes you happy?

A more active lifestyle should make you happy. If you wake up with a gym session planned but you dread it because you don’t want to look silly on the treadmill, you’re worried that girl who is always there is judging you, you don’t feel confident using the machines, then you probably leave the gym after your training feeling unhappy.

It is natural for new things to make us nervous, if we aren’t in our comfort zone we don’t always feel great. But, if after training a certain way makes you feel unhappy after maybe four or five sessions then it probably isn’t for you. The key to a successful training session is to do something you enjoy!

I have been very lucky to have been able try out lots of different styles of exercise. In 2012 I became a Black Belt in Karate and I loved training. I was even a teaching assistant to beginners for a year. When I started at university, I went along to the Karate Society training sessions on two occasions but I realised that their style of training was not for me. I did not enjoy the atmosphere or the style of teaching. I didn't want to force myself to be in an environment where I felt unhappy and so I decided to try something new.

Running was something I had always imagined myself enjoying but had never properly taken up. I would soon be running twice or maybe three times a week. I found it a great way to explore a new area. I happened upon new cafes, restaurants and shops because I spied them as I jogged past. Running was the way that I discovered new green places in an otherwise fairly urban environment. I love running outside because I can go at my own pace, I’m not trying to keep up with a treadmill, depending on how I feel I can go as fast or as slow as I would like. It isn’t a race, there are no standards or times to beat, I run for me and my enjoyment only.

My boyfriend Ant and I decided that we would set ourselves the challenge of running a half marathon. In September last year (2016) we ran the English Half Marathon. It was such a fun event, the energy and sense of community as we ran was fantastic. Runners encouraged each other, joked, helped one another out as we went along. For me I wasn’t running to try and beat a time, I just wanted the challenge to complete the distance and as a bonus raised a bit of money for charity. If you are motivated to run a race to beat a time then that is fantastic! But it isn’t the be all and end all of race running. To simply enjoy the course, meet new people and take in the atmosphere is more than a good enough reason to run in a race event.

Since the half marathon I wanted to try something new again, knowing that I will always have running as an activity that I enjoy. I learnt how to lift weights. To begin with I was going to the gym with my house mates (all boys) who I love but I quickly came to realise that their body building style of training was not for me. I would feel drained of energy, unable to get my uni work done because I was so tired. I tried a few classes out, spinning, Pilates, LBT (Legs, Bums, Tums), HIIT. I enjoyed an aspect of all of them and was able to incorporate moves into workouts that I created myself.

Soon after, my friend Evie and I started weight training together, motivating each other to become stronger. I found that training with somebody of a similar ability to myself to be very empowering. We have both learnt from each other and been able to create a foundation of strength that we can build on now that we are living in different parts of the country.

Finding the right partner to train with could be another way to increase your enjoyment from an activity. Evie and I have the same attitude to training. If one of us feels a bit off or unwell, best not to lift the heaviest we are capable of. Equally, if one of us is being a little bit lazy we know each other’s abilities and we can push one another to try for that one extra rep or extra few kilograms of weight.

To find styles of exercise which suit you can take a long time. But if you are striving to become more active then keep trying! There is an enjoyable training experience for everybody, it's just a matter of finding it.

Em x