Getting back to the gym

During lockdown I wanted to keep fit and healthy, so I tried to do lots of home workouts and runs.  However, after 4 months of this and a few running injuries I began to lose motivation and stopped doing it.  Lately, I have been feeling really sluggish and as if my day has no purpose, so this week I decided it was time to get back to the gym.

 

Although I enjoyed doing home workouts, there is something about the gym that gets me more motivated to work hard.  Maybe it’s because I am surrounded by people getting fit and healthy and it pushes me to do the same! That’s why instead of continuing with home workouts I wanted to go back to that surrounding as I knew it would push me.

 

My mum is a manager of a gym and so told me all about the safety measures in place such as boxes around workout areas to maintain the 2 metre distance, sanitising stations and extra spray/ blue roll to clean equipment before and after use. Although I knew what was there, I was still a little nervous as change can always be daunting.

 

Despite the clubroom looking emptier and the gym covered in stickers and markers as soon as I saw all the friendly staff and got started, I felt great! It was such a good feeling to get back into it and it was quite funny to see how much weaker I was having not done exercise in a while.

 

My favourite thing to train at the gym is legs and bum and although I do use the machines, I prefer to do most of this on a mat using a resistance band and my own bodyweight.

 

I also love to do HIIT workouts as they are more fun than cardio but still get my heart racing and work all areas of your body.  Over lockdown I discovered the Chloe Ting workouts and they are amazing!  I know she advertises these as a way to target specific areas or to shred, but I don’t do them for that reason and more just to keep active.  I like them as she shows an easier and harder way of doing each exercise so if I am feeling tired that day I can do the low impact one.

 

Now I am back at the gym and hoping to stick at it, one goal I want to set is to improve the strength in my arms.  I am not joking when I say I have no strength in this area…I can barely hold my own bodyweight up and struggle after two knee pushups! So, I will keep you updated on how this goes.... wish me luck! 

Due to being back at work full time and having other bits on during the week I have decided I am going to try and go to the gym 3 times a week.  I feel by doing this I won't get bored or too fed up of the gym as I would do if I went everyday. 

 

I hope you enjoyed this post, please like and comment if you did.  I would love to know what your favourite workouts are!

Why exercise?

As a child I was always very active, with PE and playtime at school, dancing after school and a trampoline in the garden, I was always on the go!  However, during my teens I became unwell with Glandular Fever and pretty much stopped exercising all together as I was so tired and extremely stressed with GCSES.  However, as I have gotten older and better, I saw more and more of my friends joining the gym and getting active. 

Whilst at university, I joined the cheerleading team and this was the first step in getting back into exercise.  I couldn't believe the differences it made to my life.  This sounds a bit dramatic, but honestly I felt so good! Although tough at times, the feeling after cheerleading training was unreal! I felt fitter, healthier, more confident and generally happier.  

Another change I felt within myself when doing cheerleading at university was that it was a way to forget about the stress of deadlines, assignments and exams.  Now I have finished university and have swapped assignments for actual work deadlines and changed cheerleading to the gym, I still find that after exercising I feel great and I feel as though all the stress and anxiety goes away.  Getting out and exercising is a good way to keep busy and meet people and is like a hobby!  

I personally have decided to go to the gym more to reduce stress, to become fitter/ healthier, get a peachy bum and as I am doing a physical challenge in October (more of this in a future blog post). But there are lots of motives as to why people want to get more exercise such as weight loss.

According to the NHS, research has shown that regular exercise can improve self-esteem, reduce stress and reduce the risk of developing long-term (chronic) health conditions. 

When I say exercise, I don't mean you have to religiously go to the gym everyday for 4 hours.  I mean, you can go all out if you want too haha! But even little changes like parking further away from the shop can make all the difference.  I said in my new years resolutions that I wanted to exercise more, and I would say I have done this so far.  I don't necessarily go to the gym everyday day, one week I didn't go at all.  But, I am defiantly going a lot more regularly than I used to, especially if I feel myself getting stressed at work and the feeling I get afterwards is amazing!

There are so many different ways you can exercise too, you can go to the gym, go to classes, walk the dog, go running, swimming, cycling, join a club like boxing or dancing the list is endless! 

So, if you are looking for something new to do this month that will improve your health both physically and mentally as well as give you the opportunity to meet new people, I would recommend getting more exercise!