“New year, new me“: a phrase that many people love. It’s a way to motivate yourself to create positive change. I’ve been going to the gym for many years now, and as always, the busiest time is January. But I find that as the year progresses, it dies back down as a lot of people begin to get lazy or unmotivated. Here are a few tips to stay committed to the gym and not waste your money!
1. Find Friends
Going to the gym alone can seem practical at first, but going day after day may get boring for a lot of people, especially if you’re alone. Having a small group of friends or even one friend can make that boring event into a social activity, almost like a book club or extracurricular! When one person is not in the mood to hit the gym, there will always be another for encouragement, as both people are there for similar reasons.
2. Look Cute
Looking good in general helps to boost confidence. Mix up your look by wearing colourful tops or leggings. Additionally, dressing up to go to the gym in cute athletic wear pushes you to get out of your house and puts you in the right headspace to work out to the best of your ability! It’s almost like wearing formal business attire if you were to go to work or a job interview!
3. Join a group fitness class
I would have never imagined myself in a group fitness class. It was way too out of my comfort zone, but I decided to give it a try after some convincing from my workout buddies. I can now say that I am addicted and would never go back to running on a treadmill! It’s important to realize that people aren’t really paying attention to you while working out because they are trying to follow the instructor and focus on themselves. The workouts during these classes can also be more effective since they change every week, making sure your body doesn’t plateau and get used to the movements. You also tend to push yourself more while working out in a group fitness environment since you have to keep up with the instructor. There’s also a variety of different classes out there that may pique your interest! Overall, group fitness classes make working out fun because you’re doing an activity that interests you and makes the time goes by much faster.
4. Do not focus on losing weight
Although many people initially start out at the gym for this reason, it shouldn’t be a primary goal. It takes a lot of effort to lose weight and see noticeable differences. When people give themselves timelines and don’t see physical changes, it can be very unmotivating. Instead of focusing on physical changes, pay more attention to how you feel after working out and other changes it may cause in your life. For example, I found that I have more energy through the day after exercising because the quality of my sleep has improved. Although weight loss is a good motivator to start out at the gym, it should not be the primary reason to work out. Focusing on the small changes that appear sooner can help you stay committed and the weight loss will be a positive side effect that comes later.
I hope these tips help you stay committed to the gym and I can assure you that once you start going regularly, it becomes a part of your everyday routine!