Embarrassing stories make the world go round. Oh wait no, that’s love & money, but still, they're fun to share.

Other people humiliating themselves makes us feel a little bit better about the stupid shit we’ve done right?

I used to hate exercise. I associated it with misery, and there's only so much jumping around my parents’ front room copying a woman with a perm, squeezed into a leotard whilst dancing to 80s music, that I can cope with.

Me and my Dad also once went for a run. We got to the end of our very short street, I got a stitch and we walked home 🙃

I hated PE too (I was more into dance). I developed into quite a chubby kid, right around the time that kids are really mean to each other (thanks nature & my Grandma for feeding me entire baguettes as an after-school snack).

I absolutely hated getting changed in front of people.

I tried to like PE. I joined sports clubs and all that jazz, but I did it for fun, not because I was actually good at it. I loved the team element & just the nature of competitive sport, but when you’re at school, that isn’t enough.

When you’re young, you’re constantly being judged, scored and marked on your ability to do stuff. When it comes to sports & PE, your enjoyment level usually correlates with how good / bad you are at it.

For that reason, I hated it.

I ventured into exercise again in my early 20s, mainly weights and running.

The running thing did not stick. I still hate it.

But about 6 years ago, I started going to the gym regularly by myself. I’d watched loads of stuff on YouTube, I’d learnt from people on Facebook, I was feeling better about myself, I had more confidence, I was trying new machines and exercises all the time.

Basically, I thought I was an expert.

I’d walk into the gym with this superior attitude (cringe) because I was a regular there now. I knew what I was doing. For the first time in my life, I was a person who liked physical exercise and I was good at it. I felt like I belonged.

I was also single which added to my sass as I shimmied around the gym (lol)...

One day, there I was, makeup on, wearing the tightest gym outfit I could find, strutting my stuff on a treadmill doing my little run warm up.

(Think Baywatch inside a Pure gym)

All was going great when a really attractive guy walked past behind me. I’d made a mental note of where he walked to... not because I was going to talk to him, Christ no; I was simply going to lift weights nearby in the most sexy way ever (not sure how this looks at all), and get him to fall in love with me (obviously).

I waited until he was looking in my general direction to hop off the treadmill.  This was before AirPods or Bluetooth headphones.

This was when headphones were wired and had to be plugged in to things.

See where I’m going with this?

As I went to get off, I forgot I'd plugged my headphones in to the treadmill, and by the time I'd moved the length of the cable, my head, followed by my entire body, catapulted back towards the machine as I struggled to stay upright.  The full scene witnessed by my, at the time, potential husband.

I did not go to the gym for a while after, nor did I ever walk around in that same way again. Thankfully I’ve never seen him since.

I also no longer have a gym membership. But this is definitely not the reason I built my own studio (👀 haha).

But here are the two main take home points of this story:

1. Moving your body is great for physical health so just do whatever you enjoy. If you’re not great at it, so what? As long as you’re having fun!! Don’t be afraid to explore options - I’ve just bought some roller skates at 30 years old.

AND

2. You can never know everything & should never think you’re better than anyone else. There will always be things to learn & for you to grow, and if you ever think otherwise, the universe will find a way to put you back into your place immediately.

P.s. I recovered physically, but my ego still remains slightly, and probably forever, bruised.

Happy Friday!