8 things you recognize when you suddenly start exercising

I didn't do it. A case of no time. Working and then pedal to the metal home and girls. But then. Then suddenly a gym appeared. Within hopping distance. What am I saying? Within Louboutin-hopping distance from the office. And actually, I like sports. So now there was no excuse. For about three months, I sneak out the back door around half past twelve to return an hour later with red cheeks and wet hair. Suddenly, I notice that a number of strange things have happened to me.

1. I have gym friends

There is a new scene in my life. With the guys from the gym (Gym Republic), I have WhatsApp contact and with my regular Friday buddy too. I know the girls from the boxing class, know where they went on vacation, and also that they have lived in Australia or America. Great fun.

2. You talk about fats

Or better said; about being low in your fats. Calories don't matter much in the gym. Weight doesn't either. It's about your body fat percentage and being ‘low in your fats’, which means eating little fat. Tuna, chicken, brown rice. Yummy.

3. You gain weight

Well, thanks to the braces company, I have lost some weight, but measured against my body (which I think looks quite toned after three months of grinding and pushing), I am not at my lightest. Because muscles weigh more than fat. I thought this only applied if you were at the level of Badr Hari, but apparently it applies to ordinary mortals like yours truly as well. A little.

4. You look forward to your protein shake

My treat after a class. Good for muscle soreness and so incredibly delicious. Can't compare to a McFlurry. And then I sit at the office slurping it down to the last drop. My colleagues have gotten used to it by now.

5. Carrots over wine

What also happens to me sometimes is this. I come home on Friday night after a long day at work. Long, relaxing weekend ahead. And then the impossible happens. I don't walk to the fridge to pull out a bottle of white wine but grab my Philips juicer and first make a carrot-ginger juice. Guys. Who's calling De Telegraaf?

6. You talk about your class

I used to undoubtedly find gym chatter, but now I talk in the locker room with my new sports friends about the class, the instructor, how it was last time, how we found our first time with that instructor. Those kinds of things. We think it's great.

7. In the agenda

I schedule my workouts in my agenda. And I also say that I can't if there is a workout in my agenda. Those are appointments too. Your body is at least as important as your mind. Lunch can also be after your workout. And everything tastes good then.

8. My sports outfits

They all lie neatly in their own drawer. They used to do that too, but then they didn't see the light of day. Now my nice outfits from Deblon and my super cool Mercer gym shoes go outside every day.

I don't know what's happening to me.