JENNIFER GEORGE: ON FITNESS
PERSONAL TRAINING IS
A LUXURY I CHOOSE OVER NEW SHOES OR LAVISH DINNERS
I’M VERY LUCKY IN THIS JOB in that I get sent lots of lovely products to try: serums to make my skin gleam and mascaras to fluff up my lashes. But nothing that arrives on my desk in a neat little package contains a strong core, powerful legs or Meghan-Markle-in-her-second-wedding-dress shoulders. All that I must source elsewhere.
Investing in exercise is an essential expenditure for me, partly because of the mental-health benefits, but also because I like feeling fit and strong, and working out regularly helps me achieve that. The issue is that I have expensive taste in fitness.
I’ve tried running, many times, but my body doesn’t like it (in fact, I was left with a dodgy knee) and my mind doesn’t, either. I just can’t get past the ‘I hate this, I’m tired, I hate this, I’m tired’ cycle of thoughts to reach the clear-headed bliss everyone else talks about. I took the Peloton plunge last year and, although I find spinning incredibly dull, I do enjoy the fact you can hop on the bike during your lunch break to get a little sweat on while someone in a crop top shouts encouraging mantras at you.
The shouting is key, as I’m not at all self-motivated, which is why personal training is a luxury I choose over new shoes or lavish dinners. Artur – my PT, who I’ve been seeing on and off for years – is now a close friend, but one that happens to scold me if I don’t squat low enough and makes me (almost) vomit with exertion in between chats about politics or his dating life. Another indulgence is reformer Pilates, which I swear by for honing and toning but which also strikes the balance between exhausting and meditative. It’s very difficult to think about work deadlines when you’re holding a one-armed plank.
I’m never in better shape than when I’m consistent with Pilates and PT, and that makes me feel happy. And that is worth parting with my cash for.