Keeping Motivated For Gym Beginners

The gym can be a daunting place for beginners. If you have recently joined, or are thinking of joining a gym, you will have many of the same questions and/or anxieties as most newbies.

The issue of keeping motivated plagues most gym goers at one point or another and usually it’s taking the first step of actually joining the gym which requires the most motivation!

A common excuse for not joining is the myth that the more muscular/slimmer men and women will be looking at you and judging whether you are too thin or too fat. This is far from fact! Very few people join a gym with a beach body, they work at it. They all started somewhere and quite often the more muscular and toned men and women would have started out as ‘weedy’  or had a few extra pounds to lose. You can bet that when they are in the gym they will be too busy focussing on their own workout and physique to notice your ‘love handles’ and if they do they will simply respect the fact that you are in the gym in the first place!

If you aren’t convinced and are considering the option of working out at home before you take the step of joining a gym, you can find deals on home gym equipment online.  However, you will probably find it twice as hard to find the motivation to work out at home alone. The atmosphere in a gym puts you in the mood to exercise. Pulling out the rowing machine in your lounge in front of the TV will not have the same mental effect as working out in the gym.

Make sure you find the right gym. Check out gyms local to you, compare prices and amenities to check that it has the look and feel to keep you wanting to go back. Free trials and special offers on gym memberships can be found online.

Secondly, try and work out with a friend or talk to people at the gym to see if they want to buddy up.  Taking part in the free group classes such as Body Combat or Body Pump is a great way to socialise and meet new people, and will give you added motivation to go. It’s more difficult stay put on the sofa when you have a workout partner waiting for you than it is when you are going it alone!

Ask questions! You may find you get to the gym and have absolutely no idea where to start. If you see someone doing a particular exercise and wonder what it’s for, ask them! Most will be happy to take 30 seconds to explain and there are always instructors on hand to give you help and advice. When working out, make sure your technique or ‘form’ is correct, if you don’t perform an exercise properly it won’t have the full effect and puts you at risk of injury.

Take regular photos of yourself so you can see your progress. The best motivation is seeing your body change and having people comment on how you’ve ‘lost weight’ or ‘got bigger’ since they last saw you. Try and change your mindset. In the same way you can’t wake up in the morning and decide you don’t want to go to work, tell yourself that the gym is not an option. There will be times when you may feel too tired to go, but push yourself– you will surprise yourself when you get there.

Remember that working on changing your body shape will take time and doesn’t stop in the gym – your diet is just as important as working out. Take regular protein to help repair your muscles after a workout.  You can find great promotions and deals on protein at mydeals.com/uk/myprotein-com when purchasing online.

In summary the main thing to focus on in the gym is that this is about you, find a gym that suits you, and that you can afford. Forget the idea that other people in the gym may be making judgements about you, change your diet to ensure you get the best from your workouts and ensure you have good form in the gym. Finally, enjoy it! You are improving your health, your fitness, your body and your confidence, it’s a great place to be!