How I Went from Hating Exercise to Becoming a National Champion
- Stella Beckmann
- Apr 20, 2021
- 3 min read
The Girl Who Hated Sport
I was never into sports.
As a kid, I dreaded PE. Sports felt like a punishment — tiring, uncomfortable, and honestly, embarrassing. I envied people who loved to move: they got to have fun and stay fit. How convenient.
A Strange New Boat
When a group of friends invited me to try dragon boating, I was skeptical.
What even is dragon boating?
Imagine a long boat with 20 paddlers — 10 on each side — moving in sync to the beat of a drum. Think rowing, but with a Polynesian-Asian twist. Kind of like waka ama, kind of like canoeing, but its own unique beast.
I figured I’d give it a go. What did I have to lose?
The First Push-Up
I wasn’t great at it, but I enjoyed it. More importantly, for the first time in my life, I caught a glimpse of what it might feel like to genuinely enjoy exercise. We trained hard. After every session, we had to do push-ups — something I had never managed in my life. I remember lowering myself down, anticipating embarrassment as I expected to face plant the concrete with a plonk. My shoulders burned as my body lowered… and lifted. To my surprise, I did it. I pushed back up. I did one.
And by the end of the season, I could do ten.
That little breakthrough unlocked something in me.
I started to care.
Building Strength (and a Habit)
This year, I set my sights on making the A team. I began doing push-ups and planks before bed. Slowly, my numbers crept up. At the same time, I started running — not just for dragon boating, but to build a healthy habit. I had doubts. I remember thinking: Why am I forcing myself to run when I could just go for a peaceful walk? But I kept going.
Then the dragon boat trials rolled around again.
Suddenly, I understood the point of all that suffering; running hadn’t just improved my fitness, it had built my mental resilience. When training began, I noticed it immediately: my arms didn’t burn like they used to, my endurance was up, and I could hold a plank for nearly five minutes. (Last year, I could barely hold one for one.)
I even managed 30 push-ups.
When the team list went up by the pool at lunch, we all rushed over.
My heart leapt.
There it was: my name. A team.
Trials and Transformation
That season, we trained harder than ever. We woke at 5 a.m., paddled through sunrises, and ended days under golden skies. Before each race, we rallied together, breathing as one, visualising success. In the 500m final, our boat started off crooked in the wind. We were last for most of the race. But in the final 100 metres, we clawed forward. Arms burning, lungs screaming. We won by 0.2 seconds.
We became national champions.
And I had become... someone else. Someone stronger. Someone who believed in herself.
I’d built muscle — for the first time ever, I flexed and saw something.
More than that, I’d built a sense of pride.
What I Learned
I was never into sports.
I’d told myself that as a blanket statement. But I was wrong; dragon boating changed my mind.
I just hadn’t found my sport yet.
If you hate the gym, don’t force yourself. Try yoga, kickboxing, biking, dance, running, Pilates, rock climbing — anything. There’s something out there that will make you come alive. Something your body will love.
For me, that was dragon boating; it turned exercise from a punishment into a privilege.
Now? I don’t dragon boat anymore, but the mindset it gave me stuck. Now, I run. I strength train. I move my body because I want to, not because I “should.” I found the joy in exercise, and once you’ve felt that, it never really leaves you. You just need to find your entry point.
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