Exactly a year ago, I stepped into a gym for the first time. I was 26 at the time, and two things pushed me toward that decision — the number on the scale after the New Year holidays and 26 years of a sedentary lifestyle scared me (at 188 cm tall, the scale showed 88 kg), and my back falling apart wasn’t exactly a joy either.

The root cause was an office lifestyle, 5/2, for the last 8 years. I got the idea that something had to change, otherwise by 30 I’d look in the mirror and see someone I didn’t want to become. Oh, and a discount on the gym signup fee landed at just the right time.

The journey, thankfully, started with the question — “but how do you poop?” I figured it out quickly thanks to group intro sessions at the gym and my first free one-on-one session with a trainer. A bit of YouTube, talking to people who’d been at it for a while — and suddenly I wasn’t wandering around the gym looking lost and completely clueless. Success, lol. The trainer who ran the intro session offered her services along the way, and I said yes. I’m still training with her — 5 sessions a month — and there’s a reason: she really heard my request — bad back, extra weight — and all our sessions are aimed at exactly that. The rest of the time I train on my own — about 2–3 workouts a week.

A workout starts with 20 minutes on the treadmill in interval mode (run, walk, run, etc.) at different paces and inclines. Then a short warm-up, and the strength work begins — full body, I think that’s what it’s called. So over the next hour I manage two back exercises, two chest, 2–4 for arms and shoulders, two for legs, and I wrap it all up with one ab exercise. The program doesn’t change, but the exercises vary depending on how busy the machines are, what we focused on last session, and so on.

What Changed Over the Year?

Weight. Maximum joy. By September my weight had steadily dropped to 76.5 kg. Then a small gain up to 79 kg and another drop to 76 kg. February didn’t go unnoticed though, and right now I’m at 81 kg. I promise myself I’ll shed it by summer =). Either way, fluctuations in this range feel fine — for the most part I like how my body looks, and I can still devour something maximally caloric without suffering (the main thing is to work it off afterward).

Back. The problem hasn’t fully gone away: if I spend a whole day on my feet, my lower back will give out, but not as badly as before. Either way it’s gotten easier, and it’s too early to stop — plus I don’t want to.

I’ve left out nutrition, macros, and supplements. All of that was part of the picture and some of it stuck around, but I don’t feel like writing it all out yet.

Instead of a conclusion — you need some kind of physical activity (thanks, Captain Obvious!). Your body feels better, your head is way happier, and you kind of develop discipline. I like it, let’s keep going!