Health Happiness

To put it mildly I’ve had an interesting year. Between a demanding new job, relocation to a new country, a foreign culture to understand and a strange cuisine to get to grips with, my dedication to health and exercise has well and truly been put to the test. 

For the second time in my life, my whole active ethos has been truly challenged, and for a long time I neither had the time, energy nor motivation to participate in any kind of physical activity. This slump resulted in falling just shy of what the ex-pat community over here like to call the 'Doha stone'.

It's a bittersweet revelation, because as a girl who loves exercise and thought she had previously understood the value of physical activity in her own life, the idealism of daily exercise was ashamedly over-ruled in favour of a Netflix marathon and post work indulgent dinners. 

Firstly, what was most notable for me was how not exercising made me feel. I became increasingly aware of my deteriorating sense of self, and my mood at times became extremely low. I don't feel I am exaggerating when I say that for no apparent reason I felt negative and irritable, but now I realise it was largely due to all the suppressed frustrations that I had unconsciously bottled up, which I didn't have an outlet for, and I carried this un-necessary tension from one day to the next.

Although I had structure to my working day, 8 hours of being a creative desk dweller did not inspire me continue any kind of productivity into my evening. Juggling real life responsibilities with physical activity was proving to be immensely difficult and I was wedging myself into a rut that was affecting other aspects of my life.

Although I don't have a family to look after or provide for (which I'm certain complexifies the experience even more) I'm increasingly coming to recognise and appreciate the barriers we face in our day to day lives which prevent us from reaping the plethora of benefits which stem from being active, because the problems which I was encountering, were not unique or exclusive to my own circumstance, but they had overarching consequences for society at large. So after a few months of being a cheeky little fitness hypocrite/part time exercisee, it dawned on me that we all massively underestimate the potential of exercise to serve as a catalyst to improve our mental wellbeing, just as much as our general physical health.

Admittedly, I’m part of the sickly population who love and enjoy many conventional sporting pursuits. However I also recognise the fact that not everyone else does. Before you dismiss me as an over zealous gym bunny who thinks she can solve the worlds problems with a course of squats and hill sprints, I’m here to assure you that it’s ok not be madly in love with exercise!... because I want to challenge the way you currently think about physical activity, and the cultural conditioning which has dictated to you, what does and does not constitute being active. 

Outside the arena of professional sport where athletes are paid handsomely for their blood, sweat and tears, exercise isn’t about killing yourself. It’s not about lifting the heaviest, or running the fastest or even producing the most reps. Exercise is a PERSONAL EXPERIENCE and a reward within itself. Physical activity is a place you can withdraw into or express yourself, and its an opportunity to feel good about what you can achieve even on your worst days. 

For someone who is a self confessed sport addict, I’m highly cynical about how sporting culture often perpetuates a ‘one size fits all approach.’ I also genuinely believe that cultural mediums such as physical education does nothing to inspire a love or desire to participate in lifelong physical activity. One of the fittest girls I know hated PE at school. She didn’t play on any sports teams and if you turned around and told her she’d be deadlifting 95 kg and banging out more reps than a Thomas Cook holiday, I’m almost certain she would have laughed in your face...followed by an enquiry into what a deadlift was. 

ENDORPHINS, the wonderful little chemical bi-products of exercise, have an uncanny ability to inspire a ‘Fuck You’ response to anything or anyone that is bringing you down. Not only do they act as our trusty little happiness friends, but they serve as our lifelong allies against the stresses and strains of our daily lives. Although it’s easy to get discouraged and distracted, I am an advocate of exercise as a medium to achieve that truly illusive equilibrium in life called BALANCE.

On another note, let's not also forget the highly important social element of exercise which transcends physical activity beyond mere calorie burning. Physical activity exposes you to a type of socialisation that doesn’t involve alcohol or food, and it creates the opportunity to meet and benefit from like-minded people who can offer you support, encouragement and if nothing else...a little bit of escapism.

Conversely, something that I don’t think people fully appreciate is how daunting exercise can be, especially for those who have been out of it for a while. Mixed ability and gender classes can be off putting, especially for women who find classes intimidating and quite often overwhelming. However this is starting to be acknowledged  by the fitness industry as something worth addressing through activities such as ‘Women’s Only,’ ‘Coach to 5k’ and ‘Over 50’s circuits’, so have a little hunt around and I'm certain you will find something if you feel like this is an issue.

That being said, something that I want to stress is that anyone who truly loves exercise and fitness isn’t there to judge anyone else’s ability, and in all my years of exercising I have never heard a comment to make me think otherwise. But no matter what stage you're at, you need to realise you're still lapping everyone else on their cynical little sofas so take pride in taking a step forward, no matter how little that may be!

Like any meaningful pursuit in life, taking the time to find the right fit for you means challenging yourself to being open minded and pro actively seeking out activities that have the potential to improve your physical and mental health. For those of us who already regularly participate in exercise the same advice is applicable. It’s easy to hit a wall and limit ourselves to what we’re good at, but nothing ever grows in a comfort zone. Take me for example, I had long dismissed spinning as something I had considered not to be 'for me', but since running in 35+ degrees celcius didn't seem overly fun or motivating anymore, I had to challenge my pre-concieved notions and now I absolutely LOVE IT !

Ideally if you could take anything from this post, whether your an exercise veteran or the comeback kid, frequency and variety are just as important as calorie expenditure.So whether you salsa, round house kick, peddle or downward dog your way, try something new this weekend. 
Physical activity is the most under-utilised tool we have in contextualising the daily trials and tribulations we all face.Look for some inspiration on youtube, or do a local google search and prioritise exercise as a holistic addition to your life!

...Or do what I do and wear lycra 90% of the time and be prepared for every sporting eventuality should the motivation strike.

From Doha With Love. Always.