Self-Learning is All You Need
Along came 2020, the year that changed everything from our education, to our entertainment, our way of interacting with each other and socialising, nothing was safe from change, for better or for worse. It is almost hard to remember what life was like before 2020 as a 21 year old now myself, considering the vastly different habits and routines that young adults would adopt now. When we talk about what good could have possibly come out of the rampage of COVID-19, it is a fascinating result of this obstacle that ended up indirectly starting a wave of fitness and active lifestyles in Pakistan and across the world.
Lockdown brought a pause in social gatherings, and the closures of many such spots where communities would form and interact, even the gyms around us. But what came from such an event, was the insurgence of online communities, trainers and influencers who took it upon themselves to use the disadvantage the pandemic brought to their own lifestyle and weaponize it, generating a mass of content promoting the act of staying fit and consistent in your active lifestyle without giving up because of the pandemic. Simple motivation turned into entire programs for bodybuilding, workouts and communities catered to make it possible for a mere beginner at home with no knowledge on what to do for their body to somehow completely transform their bodies in the span of a year or two.
In this phase of life, people realised something. It was the fact that trainers at every gym, as respectable as their job is of helping people achieve their goals, was just a shortcut. By being told what to do, how to do it, when to do it and why, one would have no need to go out of their way and simply look for answers themselves, search on the web and try to learn.
From a few simple clicks, we can learn a whole new exercise, even a workout. In the span of a few minutes we can find out if what we consume on a daily basis is healthy or not, or if it is lacking in nutrients and protein. In a single day we can gain more knowledge than a trainer would care to provide us with in a limited time, and the knowledge we seek ourselves ends up holding greater value than simply doing what you are told, practically being subject to machine learning.
I began my fitness journey in COVID-19, thinking it was the perfect excuse to start as being locked inside your house does get boring after a while. I have always been underweight and thought that the process of joining the gym, let alone learning a single thing, is all far-fetched, as I could not afford a gym membership along with the travel costs it takes to get from point A to point B in a city like Karachi. But a day came along, where all I did was simply order a pair of 2kg and 5kg dumbbells, thinking what could possibly go wrong. After finding a workout that looked fairly easy to me, and with the basic knowledge that I need to eat more to see the fruits of my labour, I started religiously following one single video that I found on YouTube by a fitness influencer named Chris Heria, which was catered towards beginners like me. The results to me at the time were astounding, as I saw myself suddenly go from nothing to something in the span of weeks. All because I decided to go out of my way, like many others, and learn something, and stick to it.
From 2019-2025, I can gladly say I went from a scrawny kid weighing 45 kg to 55 kg now, although the number on the weighing scale is far from satisfactory now that I have started taking my goals more seriously than ever. But whatever I have learnt, has been through social media and good content creators like Jeff Nippard, Athlean-X and more , who manage to train individuals around the world, all from their expertise that they simply share through our screens. It is now more simple than ever to start and succeed in achieving what you want, and the fact that there are hundreds if not thousands of more teens and adults in Pakistan who completely changed their bodies and lifestyles just by typing a few words in a search bar.
The purpose for all the info mentioned above is not to disregard supportive trainers and advisors, but to put it simply, the first step to be taken in this journey if taken seriously, requires a lot of motivation and if one thinks that starting is something that is impossible all on their own, it absolutely isn't, and you have people all around you to prove that.
good transformation
ReplyDeleteYour transformation is Insane
ReplyDeletecrazy transformation! inspired me so much
ReplyDeleteUnreal transformation!
ReplyDeletecrazy transformatio
ReplyDeleteMad transformation MA, I like how you took initiative and stuck to it, we could all learn a thing or two from you!
ReplyDeleteOmg this is exactly what I was looking for. Life saver. 💉💪
ReplyDeleteMASHALLAH MASHALLAH MASHALLAH MASHALLAH INFINITE❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteInspiring
ReplyDelete