When the day arrived, as I was preparing for the first session, I got a bit nervous. Is this a good idea? I asked myself. Will I enjoy it? Will someone laugh at me because I am too fat to be here?  I suddenly became aware of how I looked and how unhealthy I was, so I wasn’t exactly comfortable to get to the gym. Part of me was eager for the new challenge but there was this other part of me which was the complete opposite.

I still wasn’t convinced if the gym was the right place for me or not but deep down I felt that I had to give it a shot. I knew that everything was already falling apart so nothing worse could have happened. I wanted to fix my life so bad that there was nothing I would have not tried to get it back to the right direction.

So that’s what I did. We (myself and my childhood friend Brady) got to the gym and since it was my first time, I was allowed to try it for free. I knew that choosing the right gym wasn’t exactly a simple task as one must feel comfortable around the people who frequent it and I was given this chance without any commitment.

To tell you the truth, once I got ready to start working out, I wasn’t sure what exercises to do (Should I run/walk on the Treadmill? Should I lift weights?), so I spoke to the Instructor who was on duty (today he is my Personal Trainer) for some advice on what to do on my first day. That session lasted approximately 1 hour (of course not a full hour of intense training! Had to take longer breaks as this was just my first session but it was a good session!)

The gym was clean, people were friendly, staff were helpful and supportive. What else could I ask for? I asked myself. So I paid for a 3 month membership as I wanted to try a short commitment at first and promised myself that I would do my best to train 3 days per week (it doesn’t mean that I had to go the gym 3 times but even when it was impossible to find time for the gym, I had to go for a walk or do some exercises at home no matter what). Well, I broke that promise on the first week because I trained 5 times not just 3 as planned! (broke the promise in a good way!!).

Was I right or wrong to think that the gym was not the right place for me? Let’s say I was still a bit nervous but it surely felt much better than I believed it will. Most of the people were focusing on their workout that they didn’t even noticed I was there, others looked at me and smiled (that kind of smile which meant, You are welcome here! You can do this!) and others decided to share positive and supportive comments with from day 1. You know what did not happen? No one laughed or stared at me. It was all in my mind!

That day was an important day for me; the first step of my Journey. A journey which gave me the back confidence to start believing in myself again. A journey which changed my lifestyle and transformed me into a healthier person (both physically and mentally).

Please note that the photos and video in the post are not from the first session but are some of the first I took. At that time I wasn’t comfortable enough to take any pictures and videos (something that I regret doing as I have no record of it).