{"id":49,"date":"2026-02-06T19:16:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T19:16:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/thebarbellpress\/?page_id=49"},"modified":"2026-02-27T20:52:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T20:52:15","slug":"interactive-story","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/thebarbellpress\/interactive-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Interactive Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Simple lifts: Making your fitness journey easy<\/strong><\/h1>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\u00a0How one student went from sedentary to strongwoman\u00a0<\/strong><\/h5>

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Alex Deguzman never grew up playing sports. She ate fast food four to five times a week and had constant inflammation and brain fog. Now, Deguzman is training for marathons and strongman competitions. Her transition into fitness wasn\u2019t made in one day, one workout or even one breakthrough. All that changed was four years ago, during quarantine, when watching her mom doing home workouts, she decided to join her.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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Lat pull machine at the Jack Doyle athletics recreation centre.\u00a0<\/div>
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Deguzman has always been inspired by her mother, who competed as a bodybuilder and strongwoman. Although Deguzman was originally never interested in working out, she slowly started going to the gym.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The transition from living room workouts to commercial gyms was intimidating, even for someone surrounded by a competitive athlete all her life. Being an amateur in a new environment brought insecurities to the surface for Deguzman.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cIt was scary seeing those who were really, really fit,\u201d Deguzman said. \u201cYou feel like you\u2019re not enough.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Despite her fears, Deguzman kept showing up and getting stronger, keeping her own journey as the driving force for her motivation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cNot caring about how you look, but how you feel. That\u2019s what\u2019s kept me going all these years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Now, 50 pounds lighter, Deguzman credits her fitness progress to creating goals and standards that were personal and realistic to her. In her eyes, everybody\u2019s goals, timelines and paths are different. That\u2019s why focusing on her own plan has kept her consistent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cComparison is a thief of joy, is what I always tell myself,\u201d Deguzman said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Fitness and health promotion student Christina Sayd\u00e9 also emphasized the need for your fitness journey to be about yourself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cThe best way to have motivation for working out, (is) it has to be for you,\u201d Sayd\u00e9 said.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cIt can\u2019t be \u2018Oh, I want to look good for others.\u2019 That isn\u2019t going to last for a very long time.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Sarah Kingston, a graduate in health and sports management and GoodLife Fitness personal trainer, echoes the value of a personalized plan.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cWhen you walk in for the first time, your only goal is to learn the space and build consistency, not to crush yourself,\u201d Kingston said.<\/span><\/p>

Considering newbies in the gym can be too eager to make immediate progress, they may take on too much activity too quickly, making them overwhelmed and likely to quit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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Click here to interact with Sarah’s guide to preparing for a workout.<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>

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\u201cSome people think that trying out all the classes, or adding more than 5 exercises to their routine, or immediately jumping to a heavy weight, will help them see results,\u201d said Kingston. \u201cBut this would lead to burnout and eventually plateauing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

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\u201cI tell every beginner that the best workout is the one you can repeat next week.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Student doing yoga before a workout at the Jack Doyle Recreation Centre. <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Kingston’s top suggestions for newcomers include:<\/span><\/p>