My Relationship with Exercise in Cluj: Trying Everything, Sticking with Very Little

Written by Loredana Arion in Lifestyle

Medicine ball on a purple exercise mat between legs in patterned leggings and trainers with pink laces

After three years of going to the gym regularly, moving to Cluj threw my exercise routine off track. I tried different activities, went back to the gym, stopped going, then tried something else.

As I shared in my story about the new personal trainer, I’d finally managed to stick to a routine. In Cluj, though, I couldn’t seem to get back into one.

To be clear, I hadn’t spent those three years going to the gym because I loved it. I’d never particularly enjoyed going. But I went. Given my track record, that was already an achievement. 😁

In Cluj, even showing up regularly became a struggle.

Back to the Gym. Just a Lift Ride Away.

I tried getting back into weight training, but I could never keep it up for more than a month.

I’d start going, stick with it for a while, then give up. After trying other activities, I’d end up back at the gym because it was familiar. But that wasn’t enough to keep me coming back either.

Towards the end of our time in Cluj, I started using the gym in our apartment building. It could hardly have been more convenient: all I had to do was take the lift. I couldn’t even use the journey as an excuse anymore. 😄

I chose to go at nine in the evening so I could come home tired and head straight to bed.

I’ve never understood people who say working out gives them energy. It made me want to fall asleep almost immediately. They’d leave the gym ready to take on the world. I’d leave ready to crawl under the duvet.

Whenever I went in the morning and had to head to the office afterwards, it took two shots of espresso before I could focus on work.

So a 9 p.m. workout made perfect sense to me. If exercise was going to make me sleepy, it might as well happen at bedtime. 😂

Mirror selfie at the gym beside a dumbbell rack, with city views through large windows

Aerobics and TRX: Trying to Find Something I’d Enjoy

Since I wasn’t managing to stick with the gym, I tried various aerobics classes and TRX sessions.

Maybe I needed a different kind of workout. Maybe I’d find a class I enjoyed enough to keep going back and build a routine again.

The trouble was, trying something new and sticking with it were two very different things for me.

I’d turn up and do the exercises, but nothing really grabbed me enough to keep me motivated. Before long, I’d stop going.

The list of workouts I’d tried kept growing. The number I did regularly? Not so much.

Outdoor Fitness Classes: I Had Other Priorities

I also tried outdoor fitness classes. This photo from one of them gives you a pretty good idea of my level of enthusiasm.

Everyone else was exercising. I was more interested in soaking up some vitamin D. 😂

Still, I’d shown up. I was wearing workout clothes. I was surrounded by people exercising. It’s just that, at that particular moment, the sunshine seemed far more appealing than the workout.

I was there in person. In spirit, I was sunbathing.

Those classes never became a habit either, but at least there’s a photo showing exactly how committed I was. 😁

I Even Gave Aerial Yoga a Go

A friend and I exercising in red and turquoise hammocks during an aerial yoga class with an instructor

Yes, I tried aerial yoga too.

After the gym, aerobics and TRX, I thought I’d see how I got on with a workout involving a suspended hammock. There’s photographic evidence, so you can’t say I didn’t explore my options.

Unfortunately, that didn’t keep me coming back either.

Apparently, I could change the gym, the workout and even how far off the floor I was. I still couldn’t make a habit of it. 😄

Lots of Trying, Very Little Sticking with It

That pretty much sums up my relationship with exercise during our time in Cluj: short-lived returns to the gym and various activities that never became part of a routine. I tried aerobics, TRX, aerial yoga and outdoor classes, but never found something I could stick with.

At least I have the photos: me at the gym, me in a hammock, and me at an outdoor class, more interested in the sunshine than the exercises.

A varied fitness portfolio. With occasional attendance. 😁