In my almost 27 years of being alive, I’ve never stepped into a gym with the intention of working out. Ever. The only time I was in a gym was for a terrarium workshop during a team-building event at my old job (and that was more like 100% succulents with 0% squats).

Now, I’m not the poster child for fitness (nor do I want to be). But hey, this is my blog, and these are my opinions. So here’s why I’ve never believed in working out (at least not in the conventional gym-bro way).

I hate being told what to do.

Why would I pay someone to yell at me to “engage my core” or “push through the pain”? Excuse me, who are you to tell me how to breathe, walk, or hold a dumbbell?

It feels pointless.

A treadmill? You’re literally walking but going nowhere. Why do that when I can take a walk along the Malacca river for two hours with some views and a nice breeze in my face? Call me a boomer, but I’d pick old-school walking over sweaty machines any day.

It just seems like unnecessary suffering.

You’re tired, sore, and for what? Gains? Endorphins? No thanks. If I’m going to risk getting injured, let it be because I tripped on a trail while hiking to see a pretty waterfall, and not because I slipped off some gym equipment.

Okay, but I’m not completely inactive

I’m not a total couch potato who sits on her butt the whole day though. I just prefer to keep fit in ways that don’t involve overpriced memberships and sweating indoors.

Here’s what works for me:

• Being a picky eater – I don’t eat chicken skin or stuff that’s too salty or oily because I naturally don’t like them.
• Walking around cities and towns to explore new corners and cafés – At least I get to discover new places and grab a sweet treat or two at the end of it if I’m lucky.
• Romanticising my life – I stay delulu sometimes to reduce my stress levels and romanticise the most ordinary things like a little shadow over me on a hot day, almost like the universe is shielding me from the sun.
• Drinking LOTS of water and other beverages – Because staying hydrated means more walks and more walks mean more exploring, and I’m nothing if not an explorer. 

This isn’t a dig at people who love the gym, by the way. If it makes you feel good, you do you. But for people like me who’ve always felt meh about it, just know that fitness isn’t one-size-fits-all. There’s no rule that says health has to come from heavy lifting or jumping on a treadmill.

So here I am: gym-free, slightly stubborn, but still moving through life in a not-unhealthy body. 

P.S. This post is dedicated to everyone who ever tried pushing me to try the swole life. Sorry but that life isn’t for me.