Meet Hani, a working mom that loves to stay healthy by doing fun indoor and outdoor activities. She shares with us the story of her fitness journey and how she has come a long way in learning to love her body.

What types of exercise do you do? Which is your favourite and why?

Before the pandemic, I was doing many types of exercise including dancing, boxing, spinning, swimming, HIIT, strength training, hiking, climbing, yoga, and pilates. I love trying new exercises!

Honestly, I don’t have a favourite type of exercise because I love all of them and I always try to incorporate as many activities as possible in a month. However, if I had to choose, I would say hiking because I love being surrounded by nature - the fresh air in the morning, the sound of the birds chirping and the green colours around me while hiking to the peak.

What does your fitness journey look like?

I battled with an eating disorder when I was younger. There were times when I thought it would haunt me forever and I could never be "normal."

So, I started taking my fitness journey seriously because I wanted to stop having a yo-yo diet, to stop pushing myself so hard to do crazy workouts and to stop feeling disgusted with my own body.

I wanted to move away from having a goal to be skinny and instead wanted to commit to a lifestyle where fitness can help me be healthy and happy no matter what body shape I have.

Having battled an eating disorder before, what advice would you give someone when it comes to exercising and having a healthy lifestyle?

Start by loving yourself. ❤️

Find activities that move your body and that you enjoy. Eventually, they can become part of your routine because it makes you happier and healthier, both physically and mentally. A healthy lifestyle also includes having a good relationship with food and appreciating those that give good nutrition for your body.

What are you most proud of in your fitness journey?

I love the fact that I started to embrace my body shape as what it is and to cherish it by doing workouts regularly combined with having nutritious food. Sometimes I eat junk food and I don't exercise for days or weeks, but I tell myself that’s okay because we are human. I just get back on track and never ever body shame myself!