The Health Huns
The Messy Side of Health and Fitness!
Your favourite amateur athletes keeping it real, discussing the messy side of health and fitness
The Health Huns
E.p 2 Finding Your Thing
What if the perfect workout for you isn't what everyone else is doing? What if your fitness journey looks completely different from the Instagram-perfect version we're shown daily?
In this episode, we dive deep into the concept of "finding your thing" - that sweet spot where exercise becomes something you genuinely look forward to rather than dread. Both of us share our personal fitness evolutions, from Amber's body pump obsession (until a shoulder injury forced her to explore alternatives) to Rhi's weightlifting passion and our mutual surprising love for running that developed later in life.
The reality is that confidence doesn't magically appear before you start something new - it develops gradually through consistent action and pushing slightly beyond your comfort zone. We talk candidly about those intimidating first gym visits, getting stuck in exercise equipment (yes, really), and how sometimes it's not the activity itself but the environment or instructor that makes all the difference. Remember that spin class Amber hated until she found the right instructor with the perfect high-energy music?
We also challenge the notion that you need to spend hours exercising for it to "count." Even one 30-minute session weekly, maintained consistently, creates progress and benefits. The key is finding activities that fit realistically into your life rather than forcing yourself into an unsustainable routine that feels like punishment.
Whether you're a fitness newcomer feeling overwhelmed or someone stuck in an exercise rut, this conversation offers permission to experiment, evolve, and ultimately discover what movement brings you joy. Because at the end of the day, the best fitness routine isn't the trendiest or most intense - it's simply the one you'll actually do.
What's your thing? Or what activity have you always wanted to try? Let us know by following us on Instagram @thehealthhunspod or emailing thehealthhunspod@gmail.com.
Hello and welcome to episode 2 of the Health Huns. We do need to acknowledge that we changed the name of the podcast at the end of last episode, so we were formally and consistently consistent for approximately 30 minutes. Yeah, and then in a vision, the Health Huns came to Amber and we decided to go and stick with that. So we are now officially the health funds across all platforms official, and we should be on spotify now, oh I didn't, we, yeah, I listed us on spotify and apple and amazon wow other podcast providers.
Speaker 1:So that's exciting.
Speaker 2:I'm really excited about that. Basically, celebrities.
Speaker 1:Well, 56 downloads in the first week. I mean, that's pretty good. Okay, so at the beginning of every episode we pull a tarot card just to get the vibe of the next week and the vibe for the episode. So I'm pulling a tarot card and it is the Ten of Swords.
Speaker 2:Ooh, okay Ten. I mean'm pulling a tarot card and it is the ten of swords. Oh okay ten. I mean we are not tarot professionals, so no ten of swords, meaning I feel like it's not great. I mean I've just put seals, but here we go, oh ow. So the ten of swords in tarot generally represents a painful ending or a crisis, a reality check and the potential for major change. Oh, was it upright?
Speaker 1:Yes. Is it even worse if it's upright? Well, it just says.
Speaker 2:The ten of swords in an upright position suggests a necessary but painful ending is occurring, requiring the individual to embrace the finality and let it go. This can be a difficult process, but it can lead to a new beginning and the opportunity to rebuild. Well, that is saying goodbye to inconsistency.
Speaker 1:And hello to the health funds. And we did joke yesterday that we were going to quit our jobs.
Speaker 2:So maybe that's what we're going to do.
Speaker 1:Okay, well, we'll take the positives from that. Today's episode is called Finding your Thing, and we're going to talk about finding your thing, whether that's exercise, community, just your thing, just your thing Could be anything.
Speaker 2:And how you're going to find it.
Speaker 1:And our things.
Speaker 2:And what aren't our things?
Speaker 1:Yeah, because some things are a bit shit. But before we do that, we have a tale.
Speaker 2:We have a tale.
Speaker 1:Yes, and it's sort of to do with finding our thing. It links nicely in, doesn't?
Speaker 2:it, it does.
Speaker 1:Both of us ran a 5K race around a zoo on Saturday Not together, amber was wave one. So the first group and I was the second group to go, and we had different experiences, didn't we? Of this? Race we did would you like to go first?
Speaker 2:okay. So, um, I woke up and I just didn't feel great. I got ready. Astrid's having a little drink there. You can't control these pugs. So, yeah, I got up, I got ready, I felt a little bit sick and my tummy was hurting and I was like pre-race nerves, pre-race nerves hope I'm not gonna poo myself.
Speaker 2:We got to Bannam and it was well actually I say we got. I got to Bannam by myself because I drove myself and, uh, waited for my friends that I was doing with to arrive and yeah, I don't know, I just didn't feel great. And at the start line I don't know about you, but like just the way that it was in the first wave it was a really narrow like start line. It was almost like a bottleneck and they just didn't organise people properly and I couldn't get as far back as I wanted. So I ended up being like pretty near the front and I'm not a quick runner and then I just felt compelled to run really quickly for the first like two and a half k, absolutely exhausted myself. It was so humid, it was muggy. I felt like I.
Speaker 2:all I was doing was running around thinking I just want to shave my hair off because I can feel it on my skin. She was having a Britney moment. Oh, it was horrible. And then, yeah, it got to the end, and I'm not even sure that I went over the finish line because I haven't got an official chip time yet.
Speaker 1:I definitely went over the finish line and I didn't get a chip time either. Okay, Did anyone else.
Speaker 2:You went really Well so I went with four people. Three of them got chip times and one hasn't.
Speaker 1:Maybe I didn't run over the finish line. Then I got my medal.
Speaker 2:I got a medal Worst medal in the world. Yeah, for real, for my first medal.
Speaker 1:I wanted it to have animals on it. You would have thought a tiger. There was an animal on it. At the top is a little tiger.
Speaker 2:Oh well, rubbish, but it was cheap.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was.
Speaker 2:It wasn't worth it. No, it wasn't worth it.
Speaker 1:Okay, I had a slightly better experience than you. I got there. I was wave two, so I started like an hour or half an hour after you started. I was desperate for a wee when I got there, so I was queuing up for the Portaloos Right. There was a thousand participants in this race and they had two Portaloos.
Speaker 2:But you could go into the zoo I nearly said gym. You could go into the zoo and use the toilets inside.
Speaker 1:I did hear that floating around yeah, I committed. I'd been in the line 20 minutes at this point. I didn't know where the restaurants were. I get a bit of anxiety when it comes to being at the right place at the right time.
Speaker 2:I mean to be fair.
Speaker 1:There was only about five toilets inside, so yeah so I ended up right at the back of my starting group. So I was behind the fun runners, maybe the slightly slower runners which we love um, all running's running, but I did have to push my way through at times because I did want to give it a good go. Apart from that, I hated the field we ran around. I hated it.
Speaker 2:And like branches hitting you in the face Holes in the ground.
Speaker 1:I'm surprised no one like done an ankle in. But yeah, we finished it. It was cute. I didn't see any animals, though, when I was running around, apart from a donkey, so it wasn't very inspiring.
Speaker 2:I didn't even see the donkey.
Speaker 1:But if you are thinking about doing something like that a supporting event, a run, high rocks maybe most of them are super friendly and you'll be surprised at how many amateur beginner fun runners there are who are just there having a laugh, doing it with their mate and want to get a little medal at the end. It really wasn't that deep, it wasn't that serious. I don't know if you sound.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was. No, it was fun and, like you know, everybody cheered you on that. You ran past Amber was there to win. I wasn't winning anything, but you know I was. So my thing is I don't want to come last, I want to just be averagely in the middle and you know I was sort of in the middle-ish.
Speaker 1:It was fine, but that was our tale from the week. I think it's time to get into finding your thing. So what is finding your thing?
Speaker 2:It's a tricky one, isn't it? Because it's just something that you enjoy.
Speaker 1:I think when it comes to health, fitness, wellness there seems to be a blueprint.
Speaker 1:You eat certain foods, you go to the gym, you wear certain clothes, and a lot of people think there's only one way to get healthier, to improve how they feel about themselves, to lose weight or whatever it is you're wanting to do, and I think we want to talk about in this episode that there are a hundred ways to skin a cat. When it comes to stuff like this. You will find people have kind of found their groove and their stride in the most random niche sports, exercise groups, communities and what those things have brought to their life is priceless and it's been the thing that's allowed them to sustain it, to stay consistent, to keep going, to see progress and to feel better. So we're going to talk about what we do, what our things are and how they make us feel and how we got into them and some things we tried before that just weren't us, even though we were led to believe that's what we should be doing well, I think I wanted to say, like you know, finding your thing really is an evolution, like it's.
Speaker 2:You know, you start by doing one thing and you think this is brilliant, but then actually you move on to the next thing. Um, so I think, for me, I never really thought I would go to the gym, but when I started my health and wellness my health is wealth journey a few years ago, I decided and you know whether or not this is right for anybody, but for me personally, I decided when I got to a certain weight, I was going to join the gym and I wanted to join a gym that done um, body pump, because I'd done it before and I liked it, because I liked being, I like being told what to do in that kind of situation. So, um, I got to that weight, I joined the gym down the road that did it and I started going to body pump and I was obsessed, a fanatic. I went on a Monday morning, on a Tuesday morning, on a Wednesday morning and I went on a Sunday morning. So I've done it four times a week and I honestly thought it was the best thing ever in the whole wide world.
Speaker 2:Then, after about I don't a year ish, I think I really hurt my shoulder. I kept trying to go, but it was just really hurting and I eventually actually went to the doctors about it and the doctor was like you need to have six weeks of like nothing, no weights, and I didn't want to do sort of nothing. So I was like, right, I'm gonna go to spin. Um, and I had been to spin twice. I went to spin once and it was an instructor called Ben and he was very good. Um, and then I went and it was a female instructor I can't remember her name because she left really shortly after that. Oh, and she was just not the instructor for me and I didn't have my bike set up properly, I don't think because it really hurt my bum and I was like I am never, ever going to spin ever again, but because there was nothing else I could really do. Um, I decided I would go and we're swearing on this podcast, aren't?
Speaker 2:we yeah of course I fucking loved it. Yeah, I was like this is the best thing I've ever done in my life. It was a different instructor and it was just so good.
Speaker 1:I think that's a actually interesting point, that sometimes it isn't the thing itself you dislike, it's the environment it's being taught in, it's the person teaching it, it's the group or the people you're doing it with.
Speaker 2:So it might be worth trying the same thing a few times, yes, before you completely write it off yeah, for me in a spin class, I want horrible, loud, like dancey fast music and I want a really enthusiastic instructor that pushes you really, really hard. Um, and that is what this instructor, who has now left that gym, was like and I just loved it and then, yeah, then then I started seeing re and got into weights.
Speaker 1:I'm not an enthusiastic instructor no, but we.
Speaker 2:It's a different kind of thing, isn't it? Speed should be fast.
Speaker 1:For me it should be intense I want to get off that bike and feel like I'm going to be sick, whereas if what we do was fast, it'd be called body pump and I'd hate it.
Speaker 2:Yes, and then I started running and yeah, well, I mean, I think that's never what I expected would be my thing. But there's a different, I think. For think for me running. I like running slow, being able to have a conversation, I like knowing the route that I'm going to be running. So I know what to expect.
Speaker 1:Um, it's definitely a a social thing a lot of these things you don't have to do on your own. I know some people prefer running on their own, going to the gym on their own, but I think for a lot of people just starting out it might be worth finding other people to do stuff with. That might be your missing ingredient. Personally, I always thought I hated group exercise, but since starting Gator 5k and meeting up with everyone, I much prefer running in a group now and I look forward to it and it makes me want to do it more. But I would have known that if I hadn't have tried.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly my thing for a very long time has been weightlifting, strength training in the gym. It's the first thing I tried when I got into the fitness space and it's what I do for a living. I teach people how to weight train and use the gym and build their gym confidence. So for me, what I liked about weight training was it was a slower pace. I like the progress that came with it, because it tended to be especially when you first start out weight lifting. Every week you can see some sort of progress, whether that's you getting stronger or you. You can do things better or you just feel a bit better in the gym Now, where I am with my mindset when it comes to my body.
Speaker 1:I can do it in a very weight neutral way. I can see progress without having to base anything on how my body looks or what it weighs or anything like that. If my numbers on my lifts are going up, I'm making progress. And I don't always have to be making progress. Sometimes they're going to be dips, but it's a way. I can go in, I can have a two hour long session or I can have a 30 minute session and I know once I come out I'm gonna feel better.
Speaker 1:I like it because I just feel good doing it. No other real reason. I've never done it competitively. I don't train with anyone else, it's just my little thing I can do a few times a week put my headphones on and lift some weights, nothing more, nothing less. Now I run now. The only reason I started running is I had FOMO and I think I said this last episode. Amber started running. I was like oh, I really want to get into running again. Never liked it as much as I do now. I don't know why I suddenly like it. Maybe it's because it seems like everyone is running. Everyone is running.
Speaker 1:There's not many people I know who don't run a couple times a week no, maybe that maybe it's because who we're friends with, maybe, but I feel like there's such a community around it now and I don't feel like you have to be, or I have to be, an elite runner to to run and to enjoy it and to see progress. I still enjoy seeing my progress when it comes to running, getting faster it, not feeling as hard, going further, going further. Exactly. I like the trainers. I love all the stuff.
Speaker 1:You know it's a good excuse to buy new outfits and it can be really social. My I run a lot more now than I weight train, purely because it's easy and quick to do, like. You can literally get up, go for a 20 minute run, come back, no equipment needed apart from your trainers, and you can do it anywhere. Yeah, and that's probably what I find the best thing about running at the minute, and why it's my thing is because it fits in my lifestyle right now. It might not be my thing in three years' time, but right now it's given me what I need.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's weird, isn't it, how it is so popular at the minute. I look on Instagram and like we're in Norwich and I'm pretty sure there must be 30 run clubs in the city.
Speaker 1:But all different niches and all different abilities and groups of friends.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's great because you know there are groups for people that are very quick. There are groups for men, which you know. No, I think it's really good, Like you know, if it helps men to get out and connect with each other and, you know, Talk, Talk, which is always good as long as they just talk to each other.
Speaker 1:Yeah, don't shout at anyone.
Speaker 2:But no, I think it's really good for men to have that, because, you know, I think you know, know, that is one thing about being a woman or, you know, being like queer or neurodivergent, all of those kind of people. I feel like they're really good at making communities, whereas, like men, are not very good at that. So they're now creating these communities with like fitness and wellness in mind, so hopefully that's that's gonna be good, it's gotta be a winner.
Speaker 1:It has, it's gotta be a winner. Confidence, a starting point, a starting point a reason why a lot of people don't start is because they lack confidence yeah, because I'm sure a lot of people think about it. But then it comes down to it it's scary, it is scary, it is really scary.
Speaker 2:I still get nervous walking into a new gym god, I wouldn't even want to walk into a new gym and I've worked in one for five years yeah, I can't imagine how someone who's never been into a gym before never done more than a treadmill. I mean what happened to you in Ibiza in the leg press yeah, I got stuck in the leg press.
Speaker 1:Actually in it, like my knees were up by my ears. I probably had the biggest camel toe as well, because I had these like tight shorts on and this man was just looking at me and I thought where's the community here? Was he laughing? No, he looked concerned. He's really like stupid English girl. But yeah, no, um, I still don't know how to do everything and it is still intimidating and I still sometimes get a bit worried that someone might be watching or judging me. But I'm actually at a point now I just don't give a fuck yeah, I feel different kinds of confidence in different things.
Speaker 2:So, like I remember when I first started going to spin, I'd always go in the back row, but now I would feel happy going in the front row. Um, I feel really confident in spin. I'd always go in the back row, but now I would feel happy going in the front row. I feel really confident in spin because I know that I sort of know what I'm doing with it Weights and stuff. The trouble for me is I don't remember how to like set machines up or do this or do that, which is why I see you, yes, but running I mean when I first started I'd always run on the treadmill because I didn't want people to see me outside. Now that doesn't really bother me.
Speaker 2:Last week I was running down a road like about five, ten minutes from my house. It was rush hour in the morning, it was really hot. People were definitely looking at me because they were just like backed up, not moving in their cars. But I just kind of like imagined I was in a movie, okay, and I was like running down the road and the sun was shining and I was like just sort of made it feel like it wasn't real life and I was just running in a movie so main character energy on your run.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, I mean, that is a tip, that's a top tip there. Yeah, just pretend everyone fancies you yes. I think that's also another walk into a restaurant or the gym, but a restaurant. And if you're feeling a bit shit about yourself, just tell yourself everyone here fancies me and your confidence will go through the roof. Yeah, so two top tips. Uh, pretend you're in a movie or pretend you are a sex icon yeah yeah, or I mean when you're running, just you're an elite runner.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you are zooming those cars. They might be moving like one mile an hour, but look at you whizzing past them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're an elite athlete, so you've got to be. I think the main message here is be delusional, yes, until it feels real.
Speaker 1:Yes or until you, no you know that delusion or just sit in it forever, whatever makes you feel good, yeah, but I think confidence. I think people get stuck because they think they need the confidence before they've done the thing. But I know this sounds like so cliche, but to build the confidence you gotta get out of that comfort zone and you have to do the thing a few times. And if doing the thing means at the back of the class or getting two dumbbells and being in the corner of the gym, if you keep just building upon that, you will then start to feel a little bit, little bit more able in those situations. And if you have the means to do so, if you can work with a coach or a friend who's been doing it for years, just try it like that for a while and that's another great way to build your confidence, because you're being told what to do yeah, and I think it's worth saying as well.
Speaker 2:Like you know, even the people that you see that look super confident.
Speaker 1:There's always going to be points in times where they feel probably a bit anxious about things and I'll tell you something the most confident person at that gym in my experience is doing it wrong, but they are confident and they don't care that they're completely butchering an exercise.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:They're there with some high self-esteem. Yes, wish they could share it with the rest of us.
Speaker 2:So let's talk about things that weren't our thing and still aren't, and still aren't our thing.
Speaker 1:Personally, swimming has never been my thing. It's too much of a faff. I don't like the getting changed part either side, yeah, and a changing room always smells like wee.
Speaker 2:Why? Where were you going?
Speaker 1:Cheap places. I'll go to the council sometimes, no, but I always think I used to work in a hotel gym and that always smelled like wee. People need to stop pissing in the changing rooms.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, I can assure you that it doesn't smell of wee in the changing rooms of the gym that I go to. I don't know how I feel about swimming. I really I mean like I feel like I want to swim. I was really good at swimming when I was younger, but I could only ever do front crawl because I couldn't get my arms and legs to go together to do what's the other one, breaststroke.
Speaker 2:But it's been such a long time since I've been swimming that I could get in the pool and drowned and I don't know if I'm willing to like risk it yeah, I don't want the um, the lifeguard, to come and have to save me how embarrassing you know when it's like full of you know women in their 60s that are all just swimming past me Like, oh, look at you.
Speaker 1:Who knows, maybe one day I'll swim. Maybe one day, maybe next year you'll be a swimmer, maybe A seven runner.
Speaker 2:Do you know what is not my thing? What? Well, I really don't like walking.
Speaker 1:Thing about Andrews. She like walking thing about andrews, she's either driving or she's running. There's no in between, for this girl.
Speaker 2:She's always got her running trainers on and her glasses. I find walking really boring yeah, I find it.
Speaker 1:It's time, it's just a waste of time it's a waste of time.
Speaker 2:I've got things to do places to be.
Speaker 1:If I can drive there, I'm driving there yeah, I'm too busy for walking, I don't care about my 10,000 steps anymore no me either. I think more than a thousand run for a good day. Absolutely do less walking.
Speaker 2:I'm never going to be. I'm not going to be hiking. Hiking not my thing.
Speaker 1:See, I think hiking would be a bit more enjoyable because there's more of a challenge.
Speaker 2:Oh, I just think it would be boring still, and you've got to do it for a really long time. Just choose a small hill.
Speaker 1:Well, maybe Okay. So hiking's out, swimming's out, walking's out, ball sports I play. Play football, I enjoy playing football. It's the only team sport I enjoy. The rest of them don't like yeah, I've.
Speaker 2:I mean, I'm not really into team sports. I like doing things as a community yeah, but like there's too much coordination involved.
Speaker 1:I think some things that are quite good that you can do with friends are things like badminton or tennis. It's quite actually we did badminton.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was terrible, but it was fun and it's a bit of secret cardio.
Speaker 1:I term secret cardio something where you are getting your heart rate up and getting a bit sweaty but you're not just having to like run on a treadmill or run outside or just swim you're doing other things. So before you know, you've done an hour and you've done like an hour of cardio, but you've actually had fun yeah, so maybe try more things like that badminton, tennis, basketball if you're so inclined. There's netball.
Speaker 2:There's lots of netball teams, but that can get a bit bitchy yeah, it can, and um, I've heard that the like what are they called? Referees are really harsh on your nails. The umpires On your nails. I had a client and like she used to, literally like the umpires would make her like bite her nails to make sure they were short enough if they ever got over the top of her fingertips, like that would probably be too long. Net pulls out Not if you want nice nails.
Speaker 1:Not good for your business Not good for my business. What's stopping you?
Speaker 2:Well, what is stopping me? I guess you know, once upon a time it was definitely my size, but that shouldn't stop you, really.
Speaker 1:There's always something you can do what was it about your size that stopped you? Was it just felt uncomfortable doing it?
Speaker 2:you weren't able to do things all of it like I didn't want people to see me yeah. I got out of breath really quickly.
Speaker 1:My back hurt all the time, so it's just everything yeah, which is fair enough yeah that's a very valid reason and not an excuse, but, yeah, a reason not to want to start something yeah, your body physically hurts doing it.
Speaker 2:Maybe take a few steps back, so to speak yeah, so I also, when I was about 19, 20, fell over, broke my ankle, had an operation. I've had.
Speaker 1:I'm very clumsy um I feel like we could really do like 10 episodes of you and your falls um, fell over my ankle, had an operation and then I got post-traumatic arthritis.
Speaker 2:I had another operation and I had my ankle fused, so it doesn't go up or down, and I always thought I would never be able to run for that reason and I'd only be able to go like, do low impact sports like weight lifting, cycling, spin, swimming, um, and I don't really know what made me decide to start running, but I think I was just like well, I can walk, so surely I can run, even if I can run slowly but.
Speaker 2:If my ankle does hurt, I would obviously stop yeah um, and then I realised that I could actually run um. And now she doesn't stop. I don't ever stop, no, I do. But you know, I think I thought that was something that was stopping me because, you know, somebody had said to me once oh, you won't be able to run with that, and I'm sure some people with it can't run, but mine is obviously okay enough that I can.
Speaker 1:Never trust your doctor. Ever, Don't listen to them Trust your doctor Ever.
Speaker 2:Don't listen to them.
Speaker 1:No, they don't know what they're talking about. Yeah, I do think. Without sounding like some self-help podcast, you're limiting self-beliefs and the things that maybe one person one time told you you couldn't do for this reason gets into your head and will stop you doing something for 20 years, until you just try it.
Speaker 2:Has anyone ever told you that you can't do something? She's like no, I can do anything.
Speaker 1:I've never had an injury or anything like that where someone's gone. You won't be after this in the future yeah no, and I think I was a sporty kid so I was very rare.
Speaker 1:I was doing it, so there was no one telling me I couldn't, because I was just doing it and I think that's why I kind of found my way into health and fitness quite smoothly, because I already had that ingrained self-belief when it came to exercise like I'd done it. What did you do as a kid? I, okay, I did try swimming, but it was hard for me. I just wasn't a very good swimmer, played all the sports at school netball, basketball, tennis, badminton. You know I can. I'm not amazing at anything, but I can do most of it relatively well to like get through a game.
Speaker 1:So sport, I had that sporting belief. Yes, so I've never, I've never felt like I couldn't do anything so nothing stopped you nothing stopped me.
Speaker 2:She's just out there.
Speaker 1:I'll tell you what I used to hate running cross country because I was a big kid. So I guess when it comes to running, that's one thing I never thought I would enjoy doing or want to do.
Speaker 2:I'm going to go off on a tangent about cross-country running, oh please. So well, just schools in general. Why Don't go to school? Don't go to school. But why are schools just expecting children to be able to get out there and run for two miles?
Speaker 1:It's hard.
Speaker 2:Why don't schools do couch to 5k? Maybe they do. I don't think they do. Maybe they should, because I went to school in the middle of nowhere like it. When I say cross-country, we were like in the country and I remember one day there was a big like long driveway to get to the school and then you're on a country lane, then you crossed over and went around fields and it was like I mean it was child abuse. It was raining and the rain turned to hail and I had like shorts on light bulbs coming down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was like slow, fat, like wet, wet, cold, like my skin was hurting because it was hailing and I'm just like what are you doing to children?
Speaker 1:exactly so. That was your memory of PE exercise running. All of it was that and that's not going to be conducive to you doing that in later life no so I'm not sure we can go back and fix childhood trauma. But it might be worth questioning some of those reasons why you say you can't do something and maybe looking back to the time you did try it and what happened at that point for you to hate it.
Speaker 2:And I think if you've got kids maybe and they don't like sports or p at school. Look at doing things with them that they can do. Yeah, buy them some little mini one kilogram weights and they can do some little weights. Yeah, do couch to 5k with them. Some kids just can't run though well, but they probably could run for a minute.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean like physically move their bodies in a way I mean, if that's the case sure.
Speaker 1:I think another thing I hear people talking about when it goes to starting something is I haven't got the right trainers. Uh, there's not a gym near me, I can't afford a personal trainer, or I just wouldn't know where to start. I might not just have the knowledge itself, and with a lot of things you can just start with what you've got. If you've got no equipment at home but you want to start weight training, find a body weight workout tutorial on YouTube and copy that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, actually I follow someone on Instagram and she does loads of like. I don't even know which ones they are. They're like you know, get so many steps in like YouTube workouts.
Speaker 2:And she's sort of like dancing around to them and like there's lots of like yoga type ones, which is, you know, that's body weight, isn't it? And you know, when it comes to things like like that, like, I went to a hot yoga class recently and I really liked it, but actually I I couldn't afford to go to hot yoga all the time. That would be like a one-off treat here and there because it's 15 pounds a session. I'm already spending a lot of money on, like you know, this sort of stuff. So I think, but what I could do is turn my heating up just for an hour, have it on 30, get an extractor fan on me and put, like you know, 15 minutes of yoga on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly no, but in all seriousness, like you know, like there are other things you can do. Like you know, maybe just go to hot yoga once a month, once every six weeks, and then if I wanted to do some more stuff like that it's very hard with pugs because they climb all over you, but I could find a yoga thing online.
Speaker 1:And you don't have to be good at any of these things.
Speaker 1:No, To start with or ever. If you're enjoying it, crack on, keep doing it. If you're enjoying it, crack on, keep doing it. If it makes you feel good, fills you up, brings you joy, it doesn't matter what you look like doing it. It doesn't matter that you haven't got the most expensive pair of trainers or you're not using a yoga mat. You're using your battered rug in your living room, it doesn't matter. There's not one ideal that you should be aiming for. Should just be finding your flow, your growth, your groove, and just try and things don't be scared to try.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's hard though, isn't it? And you know we're going to talk about comparison next week. Yeah, and you know, I think in the first episode I wanted to say this, actually, because you know, we were talking about, like you know, the run clubs and stuff, and like the elite, the elites and the clicky, but really we should all sort of be in this together, shouldn't we? And, like you know, I look at some people that do fitness and they have what is deemed by society to be like the perfect figure and they are wearing, you know, I don't know matching sets.
Speaker 2:Matching sets gym shark this, that, and well, it would be really easy to be like well, I need to be like that before I'm worthy before I'm worthy it doesn't matter, it.
Speaker 1:No, and it really doesn't matter. No, and it really doesn't matter, because no one worth your time or any decent human being is going to care what you look like, what you're wearing, how you're doing something. 99% of people who are going to be in that space whilst you're exercising, working out, finding your thing, are probably on a very, very similar journey to what you are, because elite athletes aren't at your local pure gym. No, and there's a saying. It's like no one above you or doing better than you is looking down on you and judging you and that is very true and one of the things I like about um the gym where you work from is when I first went there I was like, oh, it looks like a more serious gym I go.
Speaker 2:The gym that I go to is like a health club, I guess a well-known health, a well-known health club and, um, I'd say their clientele are, because it's a bit more money. Like the clientele are a bit older and, as a woman that has a lot of tattoos, sometimes I do feel like people are looking at me, not because I think they're particularly judging me, but maybe they are one day one woman came up to me and went I just want to say you're looking so toned now and I'm like please stop looking at me.
Speaker 2:But like I feel like people look at me sometimes because I've got a lot of tattoos and it's different to what they're like. Yeah, so when I went to your gym, um, I was like, oh, this seems like a really serious gym. Are people going to look at me and be like what are you doing in here? Nobody looked at me. No, and nobody ever does.
Speaker 1:It's probably one. I say it's everyone. It's the nicest gym I've ever worked at.
Speaker 2:It is so nice, but we're not going to tell anyone the name is. No, we're not, because we don't want to get busy.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I think one more thing that stops people is that they feel like they've got to do a certain amount for it to be worthwhile doing so. If they're not going in the gym four days a week, there's no point doing it at all. But can tell you from from personal experience myself and working with clients, if you're hitting the gym or you're doing your thing one time a week for half an hour and you do that consistently for three, six months and you slowly build it up as and when you can, you will see the progress, whether that's physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally. There is no minimum requirement for time spent doing your thing. It's when you can fit it in and for how long you can do it, and if it's stressing you out, trying to fit the thing in so many times throughout the week, take it down a notch or two where you find your sweet spot and work from there. It's about how you feel, not what you think everyone else expects of you.
Speaker 2:And it really is about how you feel. It's not like I don't do exercise for weight loss.
Speaker 2:No, I gave that's no, it doesn't like the other week. I ran 35 kilometers, I did a spin class, I had a session with you. I walked about 15 kilometers, like I am still on, you know, trying to lose a little bit of weight, uh, and I didn't lose anything and I'm like I ran 35 kilometers that week, which just goes to show that I don't think exercise does. But what I did feel that week is, I felt great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's what exercise definitely does.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so when you think about you know what did you just say Like seeing progress and stuff, and doesn't matter how much you do it, like it is about feeling it emotionally, spiritually, all of those things, because it will make you feel better. Even it's just in your mind and that's good enough. Yeah, so really yes, how do you keep it up?
Speaker 1:I think, going back to everything we've touched on already, it's experimenting, seeing what you actually enjoy, because the number one thing that will keep you doing something is if you enjoy it. Now I'm not saying you're going to be shouting from the rooftops every time you go to the gym or every time you go for a run, or every time you go and play a little round of golf. Golf, that's not a real sport, but that's fine when we retire, yeah, um but you don't hate it, I think is what you're looking for.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you can be like very kind of chill about it. You can go and once you've done, you do feel better, you're not dreading doing the thing. I think that's what we're trying to say here is you've got to have even neutral or positive feelings towards your thing you're doing.
Speaker 2:Yes, to keep it up yeah, I mean, I get, I think the thing for me planning it yeah, if I don't have a plan for the next week, it's really hard for me to like even think about doing it.
Speaker 2:So this week, for instance, I'm gonna get my calendar up. This week I have got planned uh. Tomorrow. I've got a walk planned after work hate walking, but still gonna do it. Wednesday I'm going for a run at about 6 30 am. Thursday I'm going for a run at 6 am, and then I've got a session with you at nine uh. And then friday I've got spin class, and sunday I've got gay to 5k and I know, because it's in my diary, that I have to do it.
Speaker 1:So for me that's what I need yeah so and but that schedule fits in with your work, your other commitments.
Speaker 1:You're not trying to like force it in, and I think that's where another thing you need to bear in mind when you're wanting to stay consistent or just be able to do something once or twice a week is if you are struggling to fit it in and it feels like a lot of effort or energy to get the thing done, it's probably going to be really hard for you to stick at it. Go for the low-hanging fruit in all of this. Pick something that is on your way to work or on your way back from work, or you can do on a Saturday morning with a friend and it's just something booked in and it's easy. Don't try and force things. I think so often people on this journey to wellness and health try and force things. I think so often people on this journey to wellness and health try and force things that just don't fit them, their life, their personality if you're not a morning person, why are you getting up for a run at 6am?
Speaker 1:you're gonna hate it. You're gonna hate it unless that is like literally the only time you can do, which for some people it is. But you don't need to hate exercise for it to be working yeah, oh, that's good.
Speaker 2:Do it with friends, do it with lovers. Do it with lovers. Do it with strangers you've just met.
Speaker 1:Always wear protection oh, and you're not in a box. You don't have to pick your thing and that's it for the rest of your life. You can do loads of things at once. You can do something for six months, then change it up. You can evolve, you can progress. You can have a different thing every five years yeah, we love a trend.
Speaker 2:Who knows what we're gonna do next?
Speaker 1:yeah consistency is an art thing, but it could be yours.
Speaker 2:No, I think we've. I think we've covered everything.
Speaker 1:I think we've given you a lot of food for thought. Yeah, this episode, and tell us. What have you been trying? What is your thing? What definitely wasn't your thing? Spread the word. Is there some obscure exercise class that we've never heard of before that you love? Tell us. Should we try it? We could start a little series, should we try?
Speaker 2:it. Yeah, tell us the things you want us to try and maybe we'll give it a go. I'm gonna go rock climbing soon oh yeah, that was on your list for the year, wasn't it? Yeah?
Speaker 1:amongst finding fossils I've brought hula hoop. Amber's a hula hooper now. She won't be walking anywhere.
Speaker 2:She'll be hula hooping so I've got a list 40 things in my 40s and one of them was learn how to hula hooper. Now she won't be walking anywhere, She'll be hula hooping. So I've got a list of 40 things in my 40s and one of them was learn how to hula hoop, so I brought a hula hoop.
Speaker 1:See, the options are endless.
Speaker 1:Just hanging up in the garden, waiting for the time, the right time, exactly. Okay, I think that brings us nicely to an end. Yeah, what have we got coming up next week? Next week, we have Comparison, the thief of progress. That's going to be a good one. I think it's something everyone's going to relate to for sure. Yeah, as always, if you've made it this far, well done, proud of you. Follow us on Instagram at the Health Huns Pod. Email us Email. Follow us on instagram at the health huns pod. Email us in my email us. Send us an email. The health huns pod at gmailcom.
Speaker 2:It's all in the show now and you can listen to us everywhere, everywhere. I hope if I've done it right, yeah, exciting, I'm gonna go away and look on spotify and see if we're on there, yeah, and I'm gonna go away and edit this piece of nearly an hour long joy.
Speaker 1:Okay, see you next friday and thank you for listening bye.