If you’ve ever scrolled through social media or talked to your fitness-obsessed friends, you’ve probably felt the pressure to follow a specific routine: waking up at 5 AM, hitting the gym, lifting weights, and smashing through squats, all while looking cute AF doing so.
For a long time, I thought that was the only way to stay fit. I kept trying to make it work, convinced that if I could just stick to the script, I’d fall in love with fitness the way everyone else seemed to.
Spoiler alert: it didn’t work.
Trying to fit a square peg into a round hole
I told myself, “This is what fitness looks like. You just need to try harder.” But no matter how many times I laced up my sneakers, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t clicking.
So, I tried something else. Maybe yoga would be my thing. I joined a few classes, rolled out my mat, and tried to connect with the calm and flow that everyone raved about. It was nice, sure, but it still didn’t feel like me. I wanted to love it, but I couldn’t shake the sense that I was just going through the motions.
Almost giving up
Then came Pilates. I’d heard so many glowing reviews and figured it was worth a shot. I signed up for a class at a local studio, and while it was enjoyable, it still felt like a chore to go each week. The vibe wasn’t right, the class felt impersonal, and I was beginning to wonder if this whole fitness thing just wasn’t for me. Maybe I was destined to sit on the sidelines while everyone else found their “happy place” in the gym or on the mat.
Finding my fit
A few months later, I moved to a new neighbourhood and followed the motions, signing up to a new Pilates studio there.
This studio was different from the moment I walked in.
The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, the instructors were encouraging, and the people around me felt like kindred spirits. Suddenly, Pilates didn’t feel like a chore—it felt like something I genuinely looked forward to.
That’s when it hit me: it wasn’t that Pilates or fitness wasn’t for me. I just hadn’t found the right version of what is for me. And once I did, everything clicked. What started as an obligation turned into a passion, and my love for Pilates was born.
The moral of the story
Here’s the thing: not everything is for everyone, and that’s okay. What works for your friends, your favourite influencer, or the people in your gym might not work for you—and that doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. It might take time to find your fit, and you might have to try (and fail) a few times before it feels right. That’s all part of the journey.
Maybe you’re not a 5 AM gym-goer. Maybe you’re a runner who thrives in the quiet of the evening. Maybe you’re a dancer, a swimmer, or a hiker. Or maybe you’re still figuring it out, and that’s perfectly fine too. The most important thing is to keep exploring until you find what makes you feel alive and aligned.
So, if you’re struggling to find your fitness groove, don’t give up. Keep experimenting. Try a different studio, a new class, or a fresh approach. The right fit is out there, and when you find it, you’ll know.
And no, you don’t need to wake up at 5 AM to get there.
