Anyone can attend the gym, whether it be to keep fit, get stronger or socialise. But for me, the gym allows me to get away from everyday life. This relates to Crossley 2006 who states that for some participants, the gym is an escape from everyday life, where people can ‘turn off consciousness and submerse themselves in exercise’. When my day is not going well, the gym allows me to release all my frustration and focus on myself. I have been attending the gym for a number of years now, firstly it was just to increase fitness levels by taking part in an individual session or in a class environment, but now it has become so much more. It has become a part of my daily routine and I look forward to attending the gym every evening. Sometimes it even helps me get through the day knowing that I can release any tension by putting all my anger into lifting the heaviest weight I can (correctly of course).
Over the years, I have never had much confidence within myself and I have never fully felt comfortable within my own skin. This really brought me down and demotivated me to take part in anything let alone exercise. Playing netball for a number of years allowed me to release any stress throughout game play which lead me to realise that exercise was the way to improve my confidence. Therefore, I started going to classes within a gym environment to build motivation and confidence which then become quite frequent and I ended up attending different classes 3-4 times a week. This then encouraged me to speak to a personal trainer and attend smaller group classes and a 1-1 session once a week. These small classes allowed me to build my motivation and confidence hugely, especially to improve strength and technique.
The more exercise I take part in, the more my confidence grows and allows me to flourish. A study by Sani, S. H. Z., et al (2016) that regular physical activity impacts positively on self-esteem. Confidence used to disrupt my life as I had little drive to take part in anything however exploring different exercises and different environments has lifted my mood and most definitely my confidence. A study conducted by Brand, S., et al., (2018) that exercise improves psychological states such as mood, social interactions, attention and physical strength.
Discovering Myself In The Working World 