I’ve never considered myself a fit person. In high school, I bounced around from sport to sport. I played golf, volleyball, and track but just couldn’t really get into one more than another. I enjoyed sports for the social aspect, but I really never fell in love with a sport. In high school, they also emphasize the importance of living a fit lifestyle. For my family, everyone played sports so going to the gym was really just to push you to improve at your chosen sport. No one really went to the gym just to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I went to the gym occasionally but it was never a huge part of my life. So when I got to college I just stopped working out. It was hard enough to adjust to living alone, taking college classes, and making new friends. During my first semester at Washington State University, I could probably count the number of times I went to the gym on one hand. The second semester I did a little bit better going to the gym once or twice a week, sometimes three times if I was feeling good.

When it came to summer I decided that things would be different. I decided to commit to a healthier lifestyle. I started going to my gym 3 to 5 times a week. I would run, do abs, or elliptical most days. About halfway through the summer I finally started lifting. I felt a lot better about myself. I felt like during my everyday life I could so many things I couldn’t before. Now that may sound silly because I’m 19, I was in decent shape before I started working out regularly. Strengthening my core and upping my cardio made a 12-hour day at work feel like nothing. I finished off my slightly more fit summer with a 12 miles hike on the Highline Trail in Glacier National Park. I went with a friend and we were able to hike 12 miles in three hours. It felt amazing.

So then I came back to school. It was back to having the busiest schedule possible. When you work 20 hours a week and are taking 15 credits, it’s hard to find time to work out. One of my friends asked me to take a body pump class with her. So I reluctantly agreed. Body pump is a low weight high rep workout class. Each song focuses on a specific muscle group. The first working track is always squats. After that first squat track, I couldn’t imagine doing 4 more. Somehow I made it through that first class. I could barely walk for the next week and a half. I was never someone who was really into lifting. After a few month of the class, I’m loving it. I still do cardio once or twice a week to round out my workouts.

Working out consistently is hard to do. When you haven't worked out for a while it doesn't sound fun, it sounds like a lot of work. It's hard to make time in your schedule to go to the gym and it's extremely easy to find an excuse. Too much homework, you're tired, you already went once this week, or you could hang out with your friends instead; I think I've used every single one of these as an excuse to skip the gym. It's easy to remember why you hate going to the gym but hard to remember why you love it. That post-workout bliss you feel. The joy of climbing the five flights of stairs to your room and not being out of breath. When you're a little sore and it hurts but you also kind of love it because it means you worked hard. All of these things are easy to forget.

For me, sticking to a workout plan took some trial and error. I had to try out a few workout classes. I had to realize that it's easier for me to get up earlier and workout than it is to workout later in the day. I had to find a workout buddy who pushed me to never skip class. Most of all, I had to stop making excuses. So start figuring out what's going to work for your workouts and then stick to it.