New Me, Who Dis? – Lockdown Edition 

For many people, the mandatory lockdown in 2020 was a time to relax and let loose, but for me, it was the opposite. I was on a mission.

I had always been insecure about my body; it was a constant source of sadness for me. I would intentionally wear clothes twice my size to hide the extra fat around my chest. ‘Ewww’ was the first expression that popped into my head every time I looked at myself in the mirror. My self-loathing got worse when I got into the university; I had to live with other people in the dormitory and would hide in corners to take off my clothes. It did not help that my body became a running joke to this one ‘frenemy’ of mine.

At first, his jokes brought me down and would totally ruin my day, but once the lockdown hit, I made him my motivation. I had initially planned to sign up at a gym, but due to Covid restrictions, I was forced to seek alternative measures. I began surfing the internet for home workout apps, and once I found one that suited me, there was no looking back. I kickstarted my routine – I worked out twice a day every single week for six months. I limited my feeding pattern to one proper meal a day, replaced junk food with fruit and vegetables, and traded fizzy drinks for gallons of water.

The journey wasn’t easy; to be honest, my fitness app had three levels – beginner, intermediate and advanced. Being an overachiever, I started the first day at the second level. I remember crying my eyes out that day, but I wouldn’t stop; I was fixated on my goal. A few weeks later, I had gotten used to the routine but felt like there was no significant improvement, so I decided to increase my activity level and what a mistake that was. I ended up sustaining an injury that had me sedentary for a whole week. I, however, did not let this deter me; once I felt better, I got back to my routine.

Six months later, I had reached my goal. I lost a total of 12 kg, and since then, I have been feeling brand new. While I love the attention and the compliments I now receive from people, I’m most proud of my determination – the simple fact that I had a goal and I achieved it is my take-home from this. I have chosen to apply this to other aspects of my life and make this my mantra.