Getting to the Gym

Everyone has this moment in their lives. The, "I should probably start going to the gym," moment. For some it may be easy to just say to themselves, "You know what? I'm going to go to the gym today"—and actually follow through with it, but for others, it may be the biggest struggle.

I am here to help you in getting started with the gym, and showing you that it really is't as bad as it may seem!

Nerves.

Going to the gym is nerve-wracking. There are people there who most people like to call "gym rats," you know, the ones who think they know everything, the ones who think they own the gym.

Trust me, to this day, even I get nervous trying to workout around these people, but I am here to tell you that it is OKAY! Nobody at the gym is there to judge you.

You may think, "they're looking at me, they're judging," but in reality, they are most likely thinking, "we should hit that machine next." Do NOT overthink things. Everyone is at the gym for a reason, you'd be surprised how many people would actually help you rather then judge you!

Don't be nervous, and don't let nerves stop you from going. I was nervous my first couple times going to the gym, but as time goes on, you realize that everyone is friendly and nobody likes being judged.

That the gym is a happy, friendly, encouraging place to be. If you are truly that uncomfortable with going to the gym, try and bring a friend(s), nothing is better than doing stuff as a team and having that support! Just give it a try!

Motivation.

Finding the motivation to go may be hard. Just thinking, "It is going to take way to much work to reach my goal," is the main thing that stops people from even stepping foot in the gym.

Don't let it stop you. Everyone starts somewhere. Whether that somewhere is being 50 pounds overweight, or being 20 pounds under weight, It is all about hard work. Never let someone stop you from living your best life.

Wake up in the morning and do what is best for you. Never let someone tell you "you can't," because they are wrong. Find your motivation, whether that be a friend, a goal, an achievement, find something that will get you to the gym and get you bettering yourself!

A good saying is, "Never point your finger at someone else because there will be many fingers being pointed at you." In other words, do not blame someone else for you not bettering yourself, for bringing you down. Blame yourself for letting them do that.

My biggest motivation is proving others wrong. For the longest time, I never truly cared about how I looked, my body type or anything, until some of my friends started making comments.

Now, I wake up every morning and say to myself, "I'm going to prove them wrong, I will."

It is something that has kept me going to this day. So what I am trying to tell you is, find it in yourself—a goal, an achievement, proving someone wrong—find something that will get you encouraged and eager to better yourself!

Goals.

Before even stepping foot into the gym, set a goal. Do your research on how to set a goal and how to achieve it!

Everyone has goals in life that they would love to achieve, whether that be, becoming the best football player, best gamer, travelling the world. Well for some just going to the gym may be a goal, but we need to aim higher.

Losing X amount of pounds, or being able to lift this much by a certain date is a great way to start! Not only will this help you at the gym, but this is a great motivator.

A tip for goal setting, is to never set your goal to be un reachable. Be very ambitious, but keep your goal in range. Let's say I weigh 250 pounds and I set my goal to be 180 pounds in 3 months.

Now that is an example of a goal that is very unreachable. On average, people losing weight, lose 4-8 pounds per month. So in 3 months, set the goal.

Say, "I want to weigh 235 pounds in 3 months," and then continue to set these goals. Let the goals be reachable and not only will you feel motivated once you reach these goals, but you will be motivated to get to the gym!

Summary

Going to the gym for your first couple of times is very nerve racking, I can speak from experience. Find a friend, don't worry about what others think and don't let them or your nerves stop you!

Find something that will motivate yourself, either a goal, an achievement, a friend, anything that will wake up and say "I'm going to go to the gym today."

Setting the right goals before even stepping foot in the gym is key. Do your research and learn what you need to do to reach that goal and do not set your goals out of reach!

-Spencer Dupuis