(Day 5/122 of the experiment)
The number of subscribers and like-minded people in my blog was gradually increasing, just like my confidence in the correctness of my actions. Even if I don't receive a car as a gift, these months will definitely be remembered as an interesting and unusual experiment. When if not now to take risks and change?
Tuning into my inner aesthete, I prepared avocado toast for breakfast. It's such a delicious thing that takes no longer to make than it takes to cook “Mivina” soup. But it’s much healthier and tastier. Richard approved of the new menu – he enjoyed the salmon much more than dry food.
Today is another day X – I will be trying my hand at sports activities in a real gym! Lila said that Max trains even the Ukrainian champions in powerlifting.
Handing myself a medal from the fitness bikini competitions, I put on leggings and a tank top and stepped out of the locker room into the battlefield, or rather – the gym. Max turned out to be a young man, under 35 years old, two heads taller than me, with big blue eyes, a look like the cat from Shrek, and… a wedding ring.
While I was checking out my trainer, he was constantly chatting about proper loads, the balance of food and exercise, the regularity of training, and my level of physical readiness.
- ...so how?
- What how? – Max, I have the same question for you – how does such a handsome guy work in a gym and hide his looks in this 20 m² basement?
- Cinderella, I'm repeating the question – how are you with physical loads? Do you do any sports, have you ever done something? – Mr. Wedding Ring repeated in a stern tone.
- No. I practiced yoga with Lila the day before yesterday, but I decided it’s just not for me. Also, I walk 10,000 steps every day.
- Oh, that’s good! You’re doing great! How long have you been walking? – there was a hint of hope in the trainer's voice that I wasn’t hopeless.
- Today is the third day. – I replied with considerable pride.
- Aha…
After the control weighing and measurements, I started training. Under Max’s watchful eye, who was making sure I didn’t go too easy on myself but also didn’t overexert myself on the first day, an hour and a half flew by as if it were 20 minutes.
At the end of the workout, Max outlined a nutrition plan for me and sent me home to gain strength and mentally prepare for the next meeting.
I decided not to be a hero, went to the supermarket, bought the groceries from my list, and took a taxi home. In the evening, I chatted with Lila and arranged to grab coffee with her.
(Day 6/122 of the experiment)
Pain. Intense pain. I feel every bone, every joint, every muscle. How painful it is to embark on the true path. The only time it hurt this much in my life was when my first boyfriend left me. I was 19 years old, madly in love with my classmate. We started dating and going out, he gave me a rose in cellophane, and I made him fried potatoes in the dorm kitchen. His parents were in business and had four stalls at Barabashov – the largest market in Knoxville. So, as a bonus to the mini-bouquet, I often received new sweaters and dresses. Then one day Oleg came and said to me, "Cinderella, I'm sorry, but I don't love you." At that moment, it felt like the earth stopped revolving around the sun and life came to a halt. I stood near the metro and couldn’t understand what I had done wrong. Was the potato not tasty, was I not pretty, or maybe my parents didn't approve of me? I mentally crumpled my dreams of a white dress, a veil, and a wedding in a fine restaurant, turned around, and ran away as fast as I could. By the time I reached the dorm, with tears blurring my vision, I tripped over a stone and fell. I scraped my knee and lip. That's when it hurt just as much.
I wrote to Lilia that today I probably wouldn’t go anywhere beyond my bed and the bathroom, but she replied that, on the contrary, I needed to move around to ease the soreness. So after long hugs with Richard, I found the strength within me, drank some coffee, and began to get ready to head into the city.
I see Lilia cheerfully striding towards the café where we agreed to meet. It’s so strange – we’re only meeting for the second time in our lives, but I feel like we’ve been friends since childhood.
-So, how are you, alive? I told you that Max is a professional coach. Maybe he can prepare you for the powerlifting championship – Lilia says, not without sarcasm.
-Oh no, thank you. Just thinking about powerlifting and fitness bikini is painful. But you were right – by the time I walked from the bus stop here, my legs felt better.
-You're just dispersing the lactic acid that way. Want to feel even better?
-I do, but I haven't been drinking alcohol for several days – I promised myself I wouldn't drink during the experiment.
-What does alcohol have to do with it? I'm talking about a massage. My friend Olga is a master of Thai massage. I try to go to her at least once a week. It relaxes the muscles and clears the mind wonderfully.
After coffee, Lilia took me for a massage. And those were the best three hours of my life. Olga felt literally every muscle and every bone, and I felt as if I was reborn into the world. We worked on the cervical spine, which has been hurting continuously for five years now. Olga said it was all due to sitting work and a lack of physical activity. We also discussed whether it made sense for me to go to the gym and work out specifically on machines. The masseuse said that the gym disciplines well, and many of her clients started maintaining a stable workout routine only after they joined a gym and hired a personal trainer who wouldn't let them slack off.
When I got home, I realized I hadn’t met my daily step goal, but I felt so wonderfully rested that I’d forgive myself this without guilt. I opened Instagram and wrote a short post about massage and lactic acid in the human body after intense physical work.
An hour before bed, I saw a message from Susan – a local journalist who is writing an article about the big city through the eyes of travelers. The woman offered me to become the heroine of this piece.
(Day 7/122 of the experiment)
It’s no coincidence that I love the number 7. Today, my plan includes a power walk (at least 15,000 steps, since I only did five yesterday), a meeting with Susan, a workout at the gym, and grocery shopping for the upcoming week according to the trainer’s list.
To combine the pleasant with the useful, I suggested to Susan that we meet in the park and take a walk while discussing our upcoming interview. This way, I get my steps in and will feel more comfortable in the company of a stranger.
It turns out the journalist stumbled upon my page by chance. Her sister Victoria, one of my first subscribers, was really captivated by the story of my experiment and forwarded one of my posts. Susan was exactly looking for heroes for her article.
During our conversation, we discussed the role of education in a person’s life, and Susan invited me to journalism meetings that take place once a week, where both amateur students and real wordsmiths come. We agreed to conduct the interview in two days.
At the gym, I was greeted by a determined Max. Today, our plan included a workout with fitness bands and bodyweight exercises. I shared my suffering from yesterday and the pain in every part of my body, while Max just smiled joyfully and said that he indeed lives for a reason, as through his work, so many people become more beautiful, slimmer, and healthier.
(Day 8/122 of the experiment)
Just the eighth day, and I hardly recognize myself. Not only did I wake up at 6:30, got up with the first alarm, didn’t snooze it for an extra 10 minutes (as usual), but I also went for a morning walk! I turned on my favorite music and wandered through the village.
It’s such an incredible feeling! People are waking up, getting ready for work, some are busy with household chores. Men are either warming up their cars and waiting for their kids to get ready for school or sitting on benches by the yard, smoking cigarettes and gazing dreamily at the sky.
And the air! What clean, unspoiled air it is in the morning! It smells like plans for the day, freshness, dawn, and great hopes that today is definitely going to be a good day.
When I returned home, I could tell by Rich’s eyes that I had been out for quite a while. And indeed – the clock showed 10 AM. Inspired by the start of the day, I found a workout video on YouTube for fresh air and went outside.
After exercising, I made myself a coffee and remembered about tomorrow's interview. Sveta said there would be a professional photographer who would take a few shots to print in the magazine and add to the online version of the publication. My task was to book an appointment with a makeup artist and a hairdresser to look my best. So I spent almost the entire day searching for good specialists who had availability for tomorrow.
And before bed, I decided to practice for tomorrow and went live on Instagram, during which I connected with my followers and shared my successes in sports.