I was all set to take 2023 by the horns and start the year with the type of positivity usually reserved for a children’s TV presenter. But Covid (third time unlucky) had other ideas. After blighting my December, the illness evolved into flu, and I ended up being treated at home for mild pneumonia. I can safely say I was the most ill I’ve ever felt. I was bed-bound well into the start of the year, and when I finally ventured into the outside world again, my confidence had taken a battering.
The thought of setting foot inside a gym filled me with dread. You can know on a rational level that people are too caught up in their own workouts to be bothered by you, while still feeling less-than. But there’s nothing quite like exercise to give you a mental boost, and being in a gym environment is undeniably motivating. So I took myself off to London’s Third Space in Soho. Being January, the gym floor was busy, and I felt nervous navigating the weights area. Having decided that completing a 45-minute session would be achievement enough, I kept the weights light and, while I fatigued quickly, I managed every rep – and felt so much better afterwards.
I’ve exercised throughout my adult life and, as head of this brilliant brand, I’m well-versed in the mind-body benefits of doing so. Yet I was still daunted by the prospect of walking through the gym’s front door. My own brush with gym-timidation gave me a tiny taste of how tough it must be for someone kicking off their wellness journey or reigniting their relationship with exercise. If this is you – and you’ve chosen Women’s Health to help you along
