Your first few steps into becoming healthier isn’t usually easy by any means. It requires hard work and dedication but the results are limitless. When you first step into a gym you might feel awkward to the point where overcoming shyness becomes a real need; the first things you might hear is the pop-music that you’re all too familiar with and soon after, the cacophony of weighted plates clashing against each other being loaded up and against the gym floor. You’ll also notice the different array of machines and, if you’re anything like me, your very first few moments in a gym are filled with nerves. Here’s my story on becoming fitter, more confident and, as a result, happier, please read on for My Fitness Journey So Far: Overcoming Shyness!
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- Andrew Yau overcomes shyness by kicking it
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- Kickboxing is one of the ways to knock shyness out
Why did I start my fitness journey?
People have different reasons for becoming fitter. Mine? I was bullied from a young age, so a lot of it was about overcoming shyness, but I was always active. I was small and shy but I always loved taking part in sports like hockey, rugby, athletics and my all-time favourite, table tennis. Remaining active was always an escape, it was something to keep me grounded to reality from my old school days but now, it keeps me motivated and breaks the monotony of every-day life.
Confidence & Powerlifting
My motivation for going to the gym was to become ‘bigger’. I got stronger… but I definitely can say I didn’t get taller though! I was 16 and honesty, I didn’t have a clue to what I was doing. I signed up to the gym and didn’t take the free training session they offered because I was still really shy.
Luckily, a friend who was into powerlifting showed me how to train and from then on I became obsessed. Seeing immediate results or what some might refer to as ‘noob gains’ was definitely exhilarating but, it showed that I was making progress and what I was capable of. So from then on I was hooked.
The feeling of seeing a personal best at anything was great and to me, it was an obvious sign of progress. Each personal best gave me confidence but it wasn’t the number itself. It was the training, dedication and commitment that gave me confidence.
Martial Arts
I began dabbling in different areas of training and the one that swept me away (quite literally) was Muay Thai (Thai boxing or kickboxing). I remember talking to a friend who encouraged me to visit his fighting gym, Elite Fighting Arts. It was a whole new world, a different style of training than just basic lifting and cardio – it was also a family. Everyone there was welcoming and although you were new, you were expected to do your best in following the training.
After the first class I remember immediately looking up YouTube videos to improve myself and I found FightTips, a YouTube Channel that changed my whole world.
