During early COVID days, my workouts were limited to the confines of my living room and whatever heavy objects I could find. But since things are open again, I’m back on my lifting grind. However, sometimes I feel slightly unenthused about going to the campus fitness center, where male gym “lunks” run rampant, making horrifically sexual noises as they deadlift. Some days, I really need an extra push to get myself out the door; here are some things that have helped me do that lately!
- Updated Gym Playlist (and headphones!!):
I have made countless workout playlists in my lifetime, but without a doubt, my most recent is the BEST by far. Filled with angry, teenage heartbreak rock ballads, alt and classic rock, pop, punk, and Disney Channel throwbacks (oh my!), this playlist gets me hype to go pick things up and put them down. This is also great to listen to during late-night homework sessions tbh. 10/10 certified to drown out those overly noisy lifters as well ;) Here’s a link to the Spotify playlist! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1PZpJ4zZtzOALuZgTjghbb?si=c2039268257d457b
Word of advice: Don’t leave your headphones in the car! 😭 Gym overhead music is mostly okay, at least at Jefferson’s gym, but warming up or doing cardio on any of the machines is INFINITELY better when you can walk/run to the beat of your favorite music. Go ahead. Have a treadmill fashion show moment. You look good.
2. Comfy Shorts:
I used to be a leggings-only gym-goer, but over the summer, I became obsessed with biker shorts (didn’t we all?). They are so comfy and help with overheating in the gym. Not to mention that they’re super cute and trendy! Paired with a fun tank, sports bra, or oversized t-shirt, looking cute and feeling comfy will definitely help melt away any gym anxieties. My favorites are linked here (2 for ~$25, btw, and they’re thick and squat proof with a POCKET): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08YGYP538/?coliid=I1YXJGV4IG0KI5&colid=2XC16B17DQSQN&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
3. Celsius:
Oh, my goodness. If you have yet to try Celsius energy drinks, you are missing out. These are so refreshing and give you the best boost of energy. They market themselves as helping accelerate your metabolism. I’m not sure how much I believe that BUT they are – in my opinion – a better pre-workout caffeine source than coffee, and I’ve found that they make me less jittery than actual pre-workout
4. Pretty Water Bottle:
Please drink water! You’ll feel so much better during and after working out if you stay hydrated throughout the day! I’m still working on meeting my water goals, but a good rule of thumb is to aim to drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water a day. I use a beautiful, pink, 32oz water bottle from our campus store, but there are some cute ones with hourly goals printed on them that you can find on Amazon for extra hydration reminders. Water Llama is a great (free) app for water tracking as well!