Q: I am terribly intimidated by commercial or crowded gyms and I have no willpower to follow through at home, what do you suggest?
If I close my eyes it feels like yesterday that I had to tiptoe through the house on Tuesday and Thursday nights, so as not to interrupt the online “meditative yoga” sessions.
The boss of the house, the loving teenager who did not enjoy “our type of training” or her mother’s workout intensity, had joined a hybrid mediation-yoga-mindfulness class that ran for two nights a week during the height of the lockdown. The darned thing lasted for hours — or so it felt.
The Schitt’s Creek title theme echoing through the house didn’t go down well when, in whispered tones, the driver of the online session was describing yellow beams of light entering the top of the head.
Fast forward three years and this is what’s changed: the teenager became a beautiful young woman who absolutely loves “our type of training”, and spends a good portion of her free time in the gym exploring new training modalities and her own abilities. As for the others on those tiresome virtual sessions of faux tranquillity — it was most likely a passing lockdown fad, like walking the dogs every evening.
So, what switched? How did the unsure teenager shift towards doing what is right, focusing on diet and strength and cardiovascular fitness, while including mobility and mindfulness as a holistic package? Her mind was ready. Do what you want, but unless your mind is on your side, you can browse hashtags, sign up for transformation challenges and write pledges on your bathroom mirror until you are blue in the face.
I wasn’t surprised when a friend in London told me about a new trend: mind gyms. Places where as much focus goes into mindfulness, breathing, talking therapy, life coaching and relationship with food, as the actual physical training.
It makes sense because anyone reading this who has either been a trainer, or worked with a personal trainer, will know that so much of the job is precisely that — the mental game. It’s also why the best transformations, and the ones that last, are achieved with one-on-one training as opposed to those impersonal “transformation packages”.
A Stylist magazine article published two months ago with the headline “Mind gyms are the latest wellness trend” quotes Danni Tabor, who owns a women’s only-gym. “If people want sustainable, long-lasting changes, it all starts with the mindset and changing your relationship with exercise and with your body,” she is quoted as saying.
One can easily find references to studies that link exercise with mental wellness, and Martin Scheepers, a clinical psychologist quoted on these pages before encourages all his clients to move, even if it’s just a light walk.
Similarly, one absolutely must be mindful to make the most of exercise. The wagon doesn’t have high rails and it’s easy to fall off. I live with a trainer who adores her clients. There are a few readers of this column who see her a few times a week and they’d be first to agree — the exercises are important but as much effort goes into helping clients build healthy relationships with food, their bodies and their minds.
It doesn’t matter whether your BMI (and we know what I think of that) is 32 or 16 — you must love yourself, and love that you’re working on yourself, if your wellness journey is going to be enjoyable and fruitful.
Gymtimidation is a real thing, and it’s clearly reflected in your question. And don’t be fooled, our beautiful young lady felt it too, in another country, in a commercial gym full of Kiwis. I suppose that’s intimidating for anyone! But she got through it with the confidence that comes with learning how to exercise properly, and with the self-love required to be patient with herself and become immersed in her own, personal journey.
While visiting us two months ago, she said SA’s mirrors make you look better. Maybe they do ... but maybe looking into mirrors from a place of peace makes you feel better, and training when you feel better eventually makes you look better to the only eyes that matter — your own.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.