Never Been Trained

Hi,

I've been training consistently for around 8 years now, but growing up at school and stuff we had to do PE but I hated it! I didn't want to do it, didn't make any effort with it and it sounds crazy but quite appreciated the time when I had a broken bone and a legit excuse for not having to take part!

As I got older and started training I just realised that I just didn't really like team sports, I prefer exercise either alone or with one other person. I also really liked lifting weights and getting stronger - an opportunity that wasn't given to me when I was younger. It was all team sports and netball and running (I hate running) and that sort of thing.

Now I'm a PT and looking back I would never have thought I'd be into something so heavily involved in exercise, but I do believe it's just about finding something active that you enjoy (not forcing yourself to exercise and do something just because) and sometimes this means looking outside the box a bit, and away from things that you may have been brought up around. Then it's just getting into a routine, it's not always easy but once you're set in your routine for a while you do really want to go, even if you also don't really want to in that moment (if that makes sense).

Just don't overdo it when setting up a routine. So many people jump straight into 6 days a week for example, and that's hard for most people to stick to! As a newbie, 2-3 times a week is perfectly fine to start with a build yourself up into something consistent that you can stick to long term. Then if you want to increase it afterwards as your goals move forward then great, but then you'll have a better idea of what you enjoy, what your schedule allows long term. Better to have something less frequently but consistent than go all in and not be able to sustain it.

My advice is just to try different types of physical activities and give them a fair amount of time to see if you like them. I lived a sedentary life all my life and never understood the appeal of exercise (even as a child I hated PE and was horrible at any sports)... until I needed to lose weight in middle age. Then I started walking and hiking, which I ended up liking very much. After losing the excess weight I needed a way to burn a good amount of calories in the least amount of time and I researched and ended up deciding to try running. It took about 3-4 months to really get into it but now I’m hooked! I also tried yoga, cycling, jump roping and weights but did not like them much so abandoned those plans. I’ve found my true passion which is trail running and I will never go back to being sedentary again. It takes time to build habits but if you give it a fair chance you may find something you enjoy and can help you stay fit.