Why I QUIT THE GYM!!!

Hey FitFam,

Excited about today’s blog!!! You will be too when you are done.

Happy New week, or happy ‘insert day of the week it is you are reading this’ hehe

So, I want to quickly share TWO REASONS why I stopped going to the gym, and hopefully my principles will either make you start, or quit the gym too.

Before I proceed, I must state very clearly that I am a gym girl through and through.

Or maybe I should say, ‘I am an exercise girl’ 

I love to work out, and the gym really helps me kick my workout into gear.

As a university student, both at school and at home, I used to go to the gym, and I am talking circa 10years back. If I had time, I would check my personal blog to retrieve pictures, but no time, hehe.

Until recently, say less than 2 weeks back, I was enrolled in a neighborhood gym and was very consistent. However, when my subscription ran out, I decided against renewing it.

In fact, I recall it ran out on a Thursday, and the same day, I walked into the Gym and the manager said, without my asking, that they had decided to extend my membership until the weekend. At the time, they gave me a date, so I thought it was a longer extension, which I was going to gratefully decline, but I soon realized it was for 2 days, so I accepted it with gratitude.

So, if I love the gym that much, why did I quit?

Simple. 

TWO main reasons, which also stems from why I joined the gym in the first place

1. I could no longer afford the time

2. I had enough motivation and SELF DISCIPLINE to ride solo and still be very committed

At the time I registered in this gym, not only did I have the time, I needed that hour at the gym to kick my day into more productive gear. As soon as my kids went to school and my husband, work, I would zoom off to the gym, join the aerobics class from 8 to 9am, and then be back home and ready for work between 9.30 and 10am

It was a major part of my daily routine and it fit in oh-so-sweetly, and has really worked right up until a few weeks back.

First, my schedule, at work and home, drastically changed and I realized that I didn’t have 1hour 30mins (including travel time) to give to workouts anymore, whether at home, or at the gym.

In fact, I found myself arriving in aerobics class, sometimes as late as 30mins after. It became hectic to fit into my schedule, so I knew something had to change, and based on priority, and availability of alternatives, I chose to let the gym go.

Which brings me to the second point

I had joined the gym then because I needed the energy and motivation that I knew the aerobics class was going to bring. My gym workout schedule is super amazing, and you really do get bang for your buck. We have dance, cardio, HIIT, boxing, spin class, yoga and more. It was fun fun fun and the energy was shooting the roof!!!

However, in this season, I actually also do not have the energy to give that much, and I don’t like to go to the gym and give 50%. I am a 100% leave-skin-in-the-game kinda chick, so going and getting half or less than my money’s worth was a no-no. 

However, I knew I still had enough motivation and self-discipline to keep the party going on at my home, while deciding just how much energy I was willing to put into it.

I mentioned availability of alternatives and I knew with my alternatives, I could still get a good workout in, vary my intently and timings, and get all the benefits still.

When I lost 30kg, I didn’t step into a gym once, yet I had amazing results, including toned arms

My non-gym alternatives which I also used then are

Skipping

Walking/Jogging/Running

YouTube videos at home

For days when I don’t have energy, I could walk outdoors, or at home using some YouTube videos.

More energy days meant I could run outdoors, or do a high intensity cardio or dance at home

Medium energy days meant I could put in 1000 skips or more

All of these could be as low as 10mins or as much as 45mins or even over an hour the day I take long walks.

Like I said, I have enough self-discipline and without anyone coaching me, or me being motivated by my subscription (if in the gym), I will turn up. 

So, given both reasons, it made sense I quit the gym for this season, without quitting on the benefits of working out

You see how strategic I was in making my decision?

You see that this was not a casual, hasty, ill-thought decision, both my starting and stopping?

And when I am ready to go back, it will be a time when I would still be able to give my 100% and get bang for my buck and time.

And that is the principle I want to bring to the fore here.

A lot of us have a very casual, haphazard, even emotional approach to joining and quitting the gym.

The start of a New Year, we make our goals and since we decided to lose weight, we fly to the gym and register, maybe for 3months or even a year. 3 weeks later, we are skipping classes.

2 months later, we are nowhere to be found, because the gym is more than money. It is also time, tension, transportation, workout wear, etx lol.

This doesn’t have to be your case, mama.

Before you jump into and commit to anything, especially related to fitness and fitfam, sit down and make a plan.

Count the cost, the benefits, the risk, the wins, your sustainability plan, and so on. Do a solid research first

“Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so you’ll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you’re going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: ‘He started something he couldn’t finish.’

Luke 14:28‭-‬30 MSG

Don’t just jump into any weight loss program, even mine, without counting the cost

Don’t just put money into a gym membership without counting the cost. 

Don’t just jump into any fad diet that promises all sorts without counting the cost.

Ask yourself the right questions, answer them honestly, and then make the next moves from that place.

If you want to go long term, get results and win, you better be strategic about actions taken on your health, if not you will be like the man here who everyone is laughing at

Then we now start to look for who to blame – the gym, the instructor, the weight loss coach, our colleagues, our husbands, etx. 

Meanwhile, the blame really is ours because we failed to be strategic in our planning and actions.

Welcome to 2021, the year we finally get it RIGHT!!!

Lots of Love

Eziaha

PS

We are KICKING off registration for 2021 THIS WEEK (24th of January) and I will be back with a blog post that has details but here is a sneak peek yay!!!

Yes, it’s Greek and Hebrew again, and God, everything that has gone into Hygiano and Hadaccah has stretched my WHOLE life. I am super excited to get the show on the road though as we all get HEALTHY IN BODY and STRONG IN SPIRIT.

Details to follow (and when the post is done, I will be updating this post with a link to that).

PPS

This 2021, if you didn’t already know, I am embracing minimalism all round; in my diet, parenting, lifestyle, domestically and more. I have started documenting my journey so find two posts here

PPPS

And because I am a proud #JesusGirl, I want to let you in on this amazing post on my personal blog on Bible study. It is practical, personal, and will really help you get the PUNCH out of your Bible study.