“I need to be active but….”, “I’ve tried to go to the gym but I just have so many things to do; “I’m tired, I’ll go tomorrow”. How many times have you heard or said this yourself?
Probably the most frequent answer is something like “you are the only one who can push you, you have to be self-motivated”. The truth is that every start could be difficult, you can easily find reasons to avoid it. We all know the benefits of being physically active, but there are people that don’t know where to start from, or haven’t tried a variety of activities to find what suits them best. Even so, they just need further motivation. If you are wondering what an effective motive could be to boost someone into a more active lifestyle, the answer is YOU. You can take the lead and also be a fitness pal.
Speaking with Najla So, one of the founders of Tribus gym, a really innovative fitness destination in Riyadh, she told as how fitness became a part of her life through her fitness pal, her husband.
Did you find your match? Someone to “drag” you back in an active lifestyle…
-Exactly, and he really got me used to going for hikes in Hong Kong, and when I came back to Saudi, I started feeling so much better and it started becoming an addiction. I wanted to work out, to go for a run and it changed me physically as a woman. Unfortunately, all women have subjected ourselves in the process of fitting in a certain image. To be honest, I feel like throughout my life I was trying to follow those risky diets and other magic solutions, except working out!
“You always read about those people who transform their lives and you’re like ‘’whatever…. it’s not true’’, but it happened to me, it really did and I really changed my life and myself, inside and out. I have been feeling happier and calmer for a long time now.”
In a nutshell..
What do you need to know to get you started?
- Find activities that you can do with a partner
- Start small, like going for hike, walk, etc.
- Make it part of your regular routine (I know that’s the hard thing, but I mean you can even just ride you bike to go to the grocery store)
- Recognize small efforts. Be patient, because change takes time. Remember, any amount of physical activity is better than none!
- Take time to understand the situation. Time to understand your body, to understand what your pal prefers to do or what’s the reason for not being more active.
