What Inspired this Blog Post
A few weeks ago, I walked into a pharmacy in my old neighborhood. I saw a woman sat on a chair near the entrance, which is unusual because she didn’t look like she worked there.
I went on a scale to weigh myself and that’s when she said: “Did you loose weight?”
We went on to have a brief conversation about weight loss and how it’s challenging after a certain age.
She shared with me how she lost 20 kilos by doing EMS at a nearby place then gained all that weight back. Since I used to live in that exact neighborhood for many years, I knew which place she was talking about. If you’re not familiar with EMS training, it’s a type of machine that runs a current through the body to help a person loose weight.
I had to look up EMS when I got back home to make sure that I understood her story.
She now suffers from vertigo – a condition that makes her feel dizzy by doing simple house chores and standing. So she can’t even go for long walks or be active in a normal, healthy way.
I was open with her and shared some practical tips and things that I do to help me loose weight. I also mentioned that I like to go for long walks every now and then.
She was looking for a walking buddy and vaguely suggested the idea of us walking together. Little did she know that I no longer live in that area and I was just visiting to get my steps in for the day and close my fitness ring.
Which brings us to the point of this blog post.
There’s No Magic Potion
What most women look for when it comes to loosing weight (or anything really) is a quick fix or solution.
Sadly, there’s nothing like that and everything takes effort, commitment and most importantly the right mindset.
I personally reached my biggest weight ever this year in April and I was shocked to see the number on the scale when I was at a Chiropractor clinic for a back issue.
Because I like to do everything naturally, I tried multiple things to lose weight and I can say that it was a challenging journey. But I’m now at a really good weight and I’ll share how I managed to get there in next week’s blog post.
What I wanted to share in this post is that mindset truly is everything. Without the right mindset, you will stay stuck in whatever old patterns you are in.
Let me start by saying that I tried different ways to stay active and fit. So, you need to find out what works for you and what you enjoy doing most.
I used to be a regular at Zumba classes and this journey led to a knee injury. So I stopped doing Zumba and took a break to do physiotherapy. That break lasted a couple of months.
Then I hired a personal trainer and I was going to the gym three times a week. But this wasn’t aligned with my personality at all. The same goes for the personal trainer – no alignment whatsoever.
After almost a year of training with a trainer at the gym three times a week, I took another long break.
This was at the time of the pandemic. I used to go for long walks and then I tried doing different types of at-home workouts. In the beginning, I used to do dance cardio mostly. Then I tried other workouts and most recently, I did a simple YouTube workout that harmed my knees.
The reason that I’m sharing my fitness journey is to explain how long it takes to find a routine and workout that really works for you. That woman in the pharmacy wasn’t gaining weight only because she was eating. She wasn’t where she wanted to be because she was looking for shortcuts or support. And what she needs is to change her mindset and start taking accountability for her own life and actions.
After the most recent YouTube workouts that hurt my knees, I went and looked at all the old fitness videos that I had bookmarked (since the pandemic days) and I decided on which ones I want to revisit and experiment with.
I’m still in the process of carving out the best at-home workout routine for myself but guess what? I’m miles and steps ahead of that woman who I met in the pharmacy. And that’s what makes us different.
She also mentioned that she gained weight after pregnancy, which means that she needs to be more intentional with her diet and workout routine.
This story is not about judging anyone or saying that I’m better. It’s about explaining the right mindset to have when it comes to loosing weight and staying active.
I always take the stairs in the Dubai tram/metro/monorail stations. And these are very long stairs!
Every little step ads up. And I don’t rely on anyone for support or motivation other than myself!
Next week, I’ll share the practical tips that I took to help me shed the weight and reach my ideal weight.
Ending this story with some snap shots from a group photo walk that I did while in Bangkok.
Love,
Leela
