Till I was in my early thirties, I thought the word EXERCISE was meant for the people from a different planet, something that “fat people” must do or those who gain weight the moment they bite into a muffin or a slice of pizza should be doing. Even though I was not into exercising regularly I have always had a very active lifestyle and always managed to maintain a healthy weight. In fact my problem has been how to maintain my weight instead of how to ‘lose’ it. So I could eat to my heart’s content and yet not to be bothered about weight gain. Sounds like heaven right?

It indeed was like one, till I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in my mid thirties. Weight started piling up gradually but still I couldn’t muster enough motivation to drag myself to the gym. I thought how can I give one hour to the gym now? As I am working full time already and I need to give time to my family too. Even though a little voice inside my brain kept telling me these are all petty excuses and my teenage daughter would try to give me hint diplomatically every now and then how I would look stunning if I were few kilos lighter.

Thankfully during this time at least one healthy habit I have developed is to have green tea regularly. Having been able to achieve that I was more inclined towards taking a hold of my life and incorporate some exercises into it.So one fine day, I dragged myself to a nearest gym, got myself a cool pair of running shoes and some smart workout clothes as a reward for feeling motivated enough to fill out the gym membership form. After that things changed forever.

Yes it is very difficult at times to find time to remain consistent with working out and sticking to exercise regime, but the adrenalin rush one gets from exercising is totally worth it. Slowly, I have started gaining strength and building my stamina even though my thyroid made it very difficult to shed weight.

But I came to realize one thing. Exercise is not only about losing weight. It’s about feeling great about yourself! I love the feeling of increased stamina and strength in me, of pushing myself to do better each day and above all the heady feeling one gets after completing a workout session. It is about feeling confident and strong. And of course, my body looks better too! It’s completely worth the trouble to find time to stick to an exercise regime.