Learning how to lift weights changed my life.
Kasia Kovacs
When I hired a personal trainer in 2017, I didn't expect that decision to change my life.It seemed like a hefty financial commitment at the time, but I had the rather cliché goal of slimming down and I was determined to get my money's worth.Sure, I lost a few pounds, but that soon became unimportant. More significantly, I got stronger, the fog that had plagued my mental health lifted, and I developed healthy habits that I keep almost a decade later.As a self-proclaimed gym hater, it wasn't easy to get startedI'd never considered myself particularly athletic.I played a couple of sports and danced ballet growing up, but these were extracurricular hobbies. I was far more interested in reading books and flipping through magazines.Because of that, weightlifting seemed like a foreign language reserved for bodybuilders. And the gym? That was hostile territory.Early in 2017 I had moved to Bluffton, South Carolina, a town that was pretty but sleepy, especially after the constant stimulation of NYC where I had lived before. I was 26 years old, and all of a sudden I found myself with too much free time.
So when my roommate suggested that I join her in the gym, I took her up on that offer. It still felt scary, but going with a friend made it less intimidating.That's when I met my roommate's personal trainer, Josie. She was a friendly young woman, defying my stereotype of the gym bro. It didn't take long before I was Josie's newest client.
