Why I Decided To Quit The Gym For Good

It’s been over a year since I decided to quit the gym for good and besides my regular praise for a balanced lifestyle, ‘fitness’ isn’t something I’ve spoken about for a while now on my blog.

Seeing as my blog was born around fitness and healthy eating, I think it’s about time I finally addressed my decision to quit the gym and why. If I’m honest, I never made it a big deal at the time because I never really believed I would eventually end up quitting the gym, rather just taking a big break from it to help my body totally reset itself for the sake of my imbalanced hormones.

Most of my readers and social followers will know that my entire life revolved around fitness and healthy eating 3-4 years ago. First came home workouts, second came the gym and third came CrossFit, the start of just the beginning of an array of hormonal issues for me.

Rewind 3 years ago I was working out 6 times a week, eating far few calories than I should have been (not on purpose) and sometimes often working out 2 times a day so I could achieve that extreme toned look I always desired. I loved exercise and soon after I joined CrossFit, I breathed exercise.

At the time I had no idea the damage I was doing to my hormones by running my cortisol levels up and running on fewer calories than my body really needed, but eventually the symptoms became obvious and by September 2021, a few years after I quit CrossFit and zero signs of hormone improvement, I decided to put my gym membership on hold to attempt to give my body the rest it truly deserved… The rest it so desperately needed after 4-5 years of intense fitness and constant diets.

During the past year my entire mindset and approach to fitness and healthy eating has completely changed for the better. While I still preach the benefits of daily movement and yoga, I can absolutely (and quite easily) go a week or two without working out and I won’t feel guilty for it. I haven’t done a ‘workout’ as such since Sept 21, but I do still love a good walk and a gentle yoga flow probably 2-3 times a week. To me, that’s the perfect balance of movement that makes me feel good and it’s the reason why I decided to quit the gym for good. I also love breathe work session too… something I definitely didn’t think I’d ever say this time last year!!

Looking back now to when I first began getting into fitness, I was young, a victim to diet culture and I had way more time on my hands to be obsessed with something. Now, I’m older, wiser and smarter to know better that looking a certain way isn’t going to make me any happier or fulfilled in life. In fact, I’m more content with how I am now: never thinking about how I ‘should’ look, but rather just being content with how my body is right now.

Now I have time to do all the things I love in life, while having a more balanced approach to movement – something which my mind and body both desperately needed. Who knows if I’ll ever go back to the gym, but right now I’ll be sticking to weekly yoga flows, my favourite outdoor walks and as many hikes I can sweet talk Doug into.

Hannah x

PS, this post is sponsored by adidas. You can find my cropped top, shorts, socks and trainers from adidas.co.uk