Small victories

After almost 7 years of shying away from the gym, I finally gave in and signed up for a membership. My swimming pool ain't that great (opens too late in the morning), and I don't have the discipline to go in the evening. I ain't that regular with my gym, but well, something is better than nothing.

What I find starkly different this time around is - I saw remarkable progress in the first few weeks. I will credit it to the fact that I hadn't been doing any weights or cardio for 7 over years and this time my instructors asked me to increase the number of repetitions I do for each set without worrying about the weights too much. Earlier, I used to focus more on increasing the weights, than worry about increasing my repetitions. This has been the single most effective improvement for me.

Anyway, gyms are a source of inspiration. Everyone I look around are fighting their own battles. The ultra-fit guys and gals are either trying to go that extra mile in the same amount of time, or lift that extra kg. The beginners like me meanwhile are just trying to be better than yesterday. I love the feeling of being marginally better than yourself from yesterday. That's all you need to aim for. Nothing more.

And if you need motivation, this poster by the oatmeal is all you need.