Are You Gym-a-phobic?
Let me start off by saying that exercise should not feel like a chore EVER. It shouldn't be something you wake up and dread doing every day. If it is, then sorry but you're probably not doing something right. Exercise should be something you look forward to every day. If you work an office job full time like I do, then you should definitely look forward to finally getting to the gym to get your body moving again. I look forward to going to the gym because not only does it make me feel great afterwards, but it makes me feel confident and happy when I get through a workout. I wasn't always this way. In fact, it did use to feel like a chore to me and I never had enough motivation to get to the gym ever. I think part of the reason for this was that for my whole life from the age of 5 up until my last year of high school, I relied on after school sports for my exercise. I never really stepped foot in a gym until I got to college.
When I finally did attempt to go to the gym in college, I would usually just run on the treadmill and maybe get on a couple weight machines. After 2 weeks of doing the same thing I lost motivation and stopped going altogether. The truth was, I really had no clue what I was supposed to be doing there. Throw me into any sport, and I'd be happy to do it and have fun doing it, but the gym was a whole other animal I didn't want to face. It wasn't until I graduated college and moved back to my home town that I decided to give it another try. A friend of mine who is a personal trainer had just opened up a small gym close to my house, and I decided to go train with him once a week. He specialized in strength training and taught me how to properly warm up, do squats, dead-lifts, and other various strength training exercises. Not only did that help me feel more confident to go to the gym and duplicate those things on my own, but it helped me determine where I was physically and where I wanted to be. He advised me on what I should be doing on the days I didn't train with him, and after about a month or two of training, I felt good enough to just go to the gym on my own from then on.
Today, I still see a trainer once or twice a week, but now, I don't dread going to the gym on my own because I actually feel confident and know what I'm doing when I go there. If you're something like me who has rarely stepped into a gym in the past, I would highly recommend hiring a trainer for a month or two or however long it takes you to feel confident enough to go on your own. With that being said, the gym shouldn't be your only source for exercise.
Switching it Up
Switching up your exercise routine is just as important as switching up the foods you eat every day. Think about it; if you ate chicken and rice every single day for dinner, you would get tired of it pretty quickly right? The same thing can happen when you work out. If you have the same exact routine every day, chances are you will get extremely bored, and going to the gym won't be exciting for you anymore. Even something as simple as working out your arms one day and your legs then next can be enough to switch it up and make things a little different. I used to be someone who tried to do a full body workout every time I went into the gym (arms, legs, abs, everything). Not only is this unnecessary, but it's completely BORING!
There are so many ways to incorporate exercise and still make it fun. If you enjoy more extreme/adventurous sports like I do, plan out some days to go snowboarding or skiing in place of your workout during the winter season. Maybe go rock climbing or try a kickboxing or a parkour class. Try new things you've never done before. You never know what you might end up enjoying. If you have a more low key personality, maybe go for a hike or bike ride one day. You could even try some dance or yoga classes. Another fun thing I've done before is go to the Sky Zone Trampoline Park. They have some great fitness and aerobics classes that are super fun. Never limit yourself when it comes to physical activity. It's easy to lose focus and motivation, but if you keep things exciting and fun, chances are you will stick with it longer and look forward to doing those things every day.
What do you like doing to switch up your routine? Let me know in the comments below :)
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