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. Here in Amsterdam, I was able to join a badminton club with a healthy mix of experience levels and we play for 3 hours every week.
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 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.