I have never been a fit person. Over the years, I've made multiple attempts to get fit, most of which only involved going to the gym. Although I did see improvements, I could never stick to it. There were weeks when I could work out 5 days a week, then 3, and eventually I stopped after a vacation or an illness.
Back in 2024, I decided to take a serious attempt at it. I got in touch with a coach and created a 3-month plan for both workouts and nutrition. Yet again, I chose to work out 5 days a week. I had underestimated the impact the right nutrition can have, and it turned out to be a key thing I was missing. I dropped to the lowest weight that I can remember in my adult life - 70kg while also being the strongest I had ever been.
The results looked good, but I wasn't quite able to enjoy the process. On most weeks, I ended up working out 3 times a week. Once the program ended, it dropped to once a week, but I stuck to the meal plans.
Around the same time, I started playing badminton with a few friends from college, and I quickly realized how much I enjoyed the sport. For the first time, I was consistent and continued playing every Tuesday till I moved to Amsterdam in September 2025.
A huge perk of living in the Netherlands has been that cycling is one of the best ways of commuting. Even though public transport is quite convenient, I prefer cycling to work since it’s a quick, enjoyable workout. This reaffirmed my belief that I needed to have fun to be fit. For someone who hates waking up early, cycling is one thing that always has me waking up early by choice.
I also started going to the gym in January 2026, but this time I wanted to do things differently. I decided to start with two gym workouts alongside my weekly 3-hour badminton sessions. This mix turned out to be perfect, and I've been consistent since. This shows up in my metrics as well:
Turns out the missing element in my fitness journey was having fun.