Fitness and exercise don’t have to be something you hate. For myself personally, I love it and couldn’t imagine my life without it. But that wasn’t always the case.
I grew up being naturally good at sports – I wasn’t the player of the year but I can say for myself that I was good. I loved physical education in school, and would often participate in after school clubs and sports days – from primary through to secondary. However, despite this, I started piling on the pounds because when pe had less part of the curriculum, I kinda stopped doing much. I remember my mum taking me to the gym and hating it. I even cried – several times. I’ll always remember the day we had to take the photo id for the gym membership because I spent the entire journey there balling my eyes out because I didn’t want to go. I felt uncomfortable. I was anxious about exercising in the gym. I went a couple of times and just used the cardio machines, which was really boring. Fast-forward a little and I’m at university. I started doing home workouts but never really pushed myself hard enough. I didn’t know what I was doing, my form was horrendous, and I didn’t really enjoy it. I was so focused on wanting to lose weight I didn’t take the time to learn what I enjoyed and what I didn’t. It took the next year or so for me to really find my love for exercise. I joined a gym along with my friends and started going often. I’d have to say, going with someone who knows their way around the gym, especially the weights section was a lifesaver. I realised most of my fears came from the fear of embarrassing myself and doing something wrong. I slowly introduced myself to different workouts, different machines and by the end of a few weeks, I was fully comfortable to walk into the weights section and complete my workout – even if I was the only female there. I’ve been training in the gym on and off for a few years now and today – I’m a qualified personal trainer! So don’t give up on yourself!
I wish someone could have given me a few tips to ease myself into the gym so I wasn’t so scared. So here is some advice i can give you, as someone who has been as anxious as you may be.
- Take a tour of the gym when it’s quiet. For me, I really learn my way around the gym by going in the late evenings when it was near enough empty. Check your gym times and see when the peak times are. By doing this, I didn’t have to feel embarrassed about reading the machine instructions or pondering around with it for a few minutes to figure out what the hell it does.
- Make a small workout plan for yourself. If you’re really new, start with bodyweight exercises and stick to one corner of the gym – typically/ideally where the mats are. This way, you’re out the way and don’t have to worry about looking silly wandering around.
- Watch youtube videos. Some gyms, such as franchises like PureGym and TheGym have a list of all their machines on their website. Take a browse. Watch videos on how to set them up and use them. You can even save them on your phone. And don’t be afraid to turn to your phone to refresh your memory. That way, when you go into the gym, you’ll know how to make adjustments and use it properly.
- Take a friend that’s more experienced. Work in pairs to complete workouts. Watch them use a machine and complete a set and then do it after them. You’ll have someone with you to keep you company and you can learn along the way.
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and try new things. There were many times where I’d go in and do something wrong. Just make sure to focus on getting the correct form – focus less on how much you’re doing (reps).
- Set a goal for each time you go to the gym. When I started going more frequently but was still new especially to the resistance machines, I set the goal to use one new machine every time I went in. And slowly but surely, I knew where everything was and how to use it. Don’t overwhelm yourself but trying to learn everything in one day.
- Lastly. stay consistent. Don’t expect results over time and just trust the process. You’ll gain so much confidence and better self-esteem. We all start our fitness journey from somewhere. The gym rats you see also felt as clueless as you once.
If in doubt and you need any advice or tips, message me privately and I’ll do my best to help.
Stay fit. Stay active. Stay healthy.
Love, fy.
Culture Eighteen. 