The selesai in the series of staff blogs for Mental Health Awareness Week comes from IT Team member Dave Smith.
With a working life spent at a desk top, Dave took the brave steps to get back into physical activity. Although initially daunting, he soon found that many others were in the same boat.
I had been putting off doing any exercise for months. Working at a gave me access to a vast amount of facilities that I could use at almost any time, including classes being run at lunchtimes by staff members, so I really had no excuse! My job is mostly desk-based, so sometimes I can go all day without leaving the office and if you couple that with a lack of exercise and a not so brilliant diet then the result is as you’d expect. I had put on quite a lot of weight and because it happened gradually I had barely noticed.
When I couldn't make it up a flight of stairs without having to pause at the top to mop my brow and catch my breath I finally realised that I had to change my ways. This is no fit state for a young(ish) man to be in! My wardrobe was also suffering as I had to go up a few notches on my belt and buy a size up in trousers and shirts. All jokes aside however I was feeling pretty low and very self-conscious. I had no confidence in myself anymore and to top it off I had also just finished a long term relationship.
Deciding to change my diet was the first step in what I knew was going to be a long road back to being happy with myself and my body. January was a hard month, it took all of my self-control to not buy junk and stick to eating balanced meals. However after the first month it had become routine and I found myself not craving sugary snacks anymore - and even feeling a little better about myself.
With that in mind it was time to start working out again. I knew it was going to be hard and embarrassing on the odd occasion due to what had become quite a wobbly belly and most of all, that it would take time, but I was not deterred. Before I felt brave enough to head to a fitness class and work out in front of other people I decided just to go to the gym – I thought at least there would be some corners to hide in! Once I was there however, all thoughts of people staring at me disappeared as I focused solely on my exercise and what really shocked me was how much I really enjoyed the feeling of achievement after every session.
During one of my visits to the gym I noticed a sign advertising the evening classes being held at the centre. The circuit classes had me intrigued as I’d previously heard from friends and colleagues that they were not to be taken lightly - so I was a little nervous about attending a session.
Eventually I starting some real positive results from going to the gym and I finally decided that I was in good enough shape to try a circuit session. I had visions of everybody in the class being like action man and GI Jane. However when I walked into the hall where the class was being held I realised that there were people there from all walks of life.
The instructor asked if anybody was new to the class and as I raised my hand there was a lady holding hers up too. At least I wasn’t the only newbie here! He took us aside and introduced himself. He asked if we had any injuries or medical conditions and then told us to go at our own pace and to try to enjoy the session. This really helped to settle my nerves and during the warm up and I got talking to the lady who was new to the session too. It turns out she was just as nervous as I had been but was excited to give the class a go.
After what was admittedly a challenging session I realised that I was actually rather fit now. I had kept up with most of the class and had found that I was already looking forward to going back the following week. My confidence was at an all-time high, I was back to wearing the clothes that didn’t fit me before and I now feel that fitness and exercise has become routine and a passionate part of my life.
Inspired by any of our stories during mental health week, then why not find a new activity to get you more active? BBC Get Inspired have a great A to Z of ideas right here http://bbc.in/1Mbl4IM
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