How an aerobics class transformed my personality

Procrastination has never been a good option and I learned my lesson last year. A Garfield in disguise, I had always loathed physical activity. While people spent their mornings jogging listening to an energetic song from their curated playlists, I preferred taking small steps like Prufrock, roaming around the city following an idea of the flaneur.

2015 it was and I had just given my second last semester exams. With a laid back attitude, I used to spend my days on one bed either reading a novel or on social media. Although I’ve been doing this for quite long, my parents were not having any of it this time. Without consulting me, my mother enrolled me in an aerobics class. Well, why would she? I would’ve said no! The doomsday arrived pretty early but I somehow escaped. That’s what I thought. Next day, I was literally kicked out of my house to go to that hellhole. Had it been summer, I would have roamed around like a vagabond and return home disrupting my mother’s plan but it was a chilling winter evening. All I could do was to try to make a puppy face which didn’t work. I had to attend the class.

I stepped into the room. Large mirrors made me conscious enough to do anything else. The owner greeted me with a smile and blurted, “Try to imitate the person on your right and let’s see how much work does your body require”. I looked at myself from head to toe and repeated the statement in the head. Within next few minutes, I was imitating my partner’s action.

While I cursed my people and was really upset for the decision at that time but now, I regret why did I join the class so late? Aerobics has changed me in an unexpected and a positive way and if I have to list the top three reasons as to why would I like to continue with it, then, the reason would be as follows:

A perfect source to destress yourself

Being an avid reader, I find solace in books but there are times when you can’t even focus on words written on the page. Since the day, I started aerobics, that one hour has become a bridge when I declutter my mind and start afresh. What had gone past during the first half of the days and what will become of the later half gets sorted out during the exercise. And it’s not that I think stuff during my class, it’s just that my mood becomes so refreshing that when I come back home from aerobics, I am able to think a lot clearer.

A healthy Competition

As Celine Dion once said, I am not in competition with anybody but myself. My goal is to beat my last performance, I’ve been trying to do the same. Every week, a new form is introduced to us and it becomes my goal to do it perfectly because you won’t be able to experience the change if you don’t give a hundred percent to the activity.

I live in the moment and try to be the best I can be in the class. Even when competing with others at the time of push-ups, my main aim is to enjoy the exercise. Drenched in sweat, the moment we are able to complete the count is the most blissful state one can ever experience.

A new community

The place I go to is all-women aerobics class. From leaving your house where you’ve to deal with how you should sit to how you should talk to entering a place where there is no restriction in terms of clothes and words, I feel freer. Plus, you get to see the fun side of otherwise serious beings. I’ve learned to respect people more and for me, it’s a blessing.

Aerobics have changed me in the most unexpected ways and I am literally thankful to my mother who pushed me out of the house to do some physical work. Had it not been for her strictness, I would still have been procrastinating.

Written by ayushi

Hello! I am Ayushi from India. I love writing poetry, listening to K-POP and spending time alone. Writing is what defines me and I am on the journey to make the definition as good as possible.

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