....That is the question
As we fast approach the New Year, gym owners are already gearing up their "new year, new me" specials for the droves of people that will make an ambiguous New Year's resolution that 95% of them aren't actually going to stick with, especially when faced with the obligatory hangover on Jan 1.
I made up the stat about the percent of people that give up on the gym but there is no denying that memberships boom during this time of year and for people like me who regularly go to the gym anyway, it is a very annoying time of year where the facilities are going to be crowded for about a month.
If you are like me (like i was) and look in the mirror at your fat face one day and decide that it is time for a change I honestly don't think the New Year is the time to get a gym membership. For one thing the increased crowds will almost certainly frustrate a new gym user because you don't really know what to do in there anyway and now you have the added pressure of feeling as though you are getting in the way of the people who actually DO know what they are doing. This will almost certainly lead to a feeling of not wanting to return.
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If you are a fatty like i was, you are probably already pretty self-conscious about your physique and being on display at a crowded gym is probably not going to help your self-esteem. Therefore, I feel as though a New Year gym membership is one of the worst things that a person can do and they will almost certainly not get their money's worth even with the holiday discounts.
So I would suggest this instead
Just get outside!
I know it is likely cold where a lot of people live, but you own a coat, don't you? Just go for a walk and focus on your diet a bit, the gym can wait. It is a multi-billion dollar a year industry, it will still be there once you drop a few kilos just from going for a stroll and focusing on your diet.
According to a trainer / nutritionist that makes a TON of money for knowing what she is talking about, for most normie people, getting your heart rate elevated for a prolonged period of time is all that is important, what you do in order to get to that point doesn't really matter very much. Let's be honest: If you are like me and you have spent the past decade sitting on your ass and drinking beer (and in my situation, smoking as well,) it is extremely unlikely you are going to be training for a half-marathon any time soon. You just need to get your ticker moving a bit faster than it normally would be from your barstool.
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Remember what i said before: Weight loss is 80% diet and a mere 20% exercise and most trainers will agree to something along those lines. If you get all gung-ho about it and head to the gym like the rest of the masses on January 2nd, you are going to get frustrated with the crowds and there is also the very likely situation where you end up hurting yourself and this makes giving up even more likely.
I think it is extremely unlikely that anyone out there is going to suffer a pulled muscle because they went for a 1 hour walk. I used that time to plan my meals because as a fatty at the time, i thought of very little other than food.
So, in summary my advice as someone who has successfully lost 50 lbs in a year (most of it was at the start of that year) is to not bother with the gym at first, especially not during January. Change your diet and do some light exercise where your heart rate is elevated for 30 minutes or more. It really doesn't have to be that hard!
Good effort on the weight loss and good advice. I recently got into silly dance exercise vids supplemented with a few chin ups and pull ups every 5-10 mins, works a treat, and simple and free!
I do quite enjoy the gym though, but only because I'm one of those people who know what they're doing!
it does take some time to learn how to use the gym properly but i see a lot of people in there doing things very wrong that could result in them getting seriously hurt. I think the more common thing is the people lifting too much and I don't really understand what motivates people to do that.
as a regular gym attendee I can't stand what happens in January and will actually not go for at least the first 2 weeks. However, you are not wrong about what has happened by Feb as the masses realize that they have to pay again in the next month.
You've got some good advice in here.
yeah, when i see those masses of people at the gym I sincerely hope that the people stick with it for the sake of their own health, but they rarely do so. It's a bit tragic really. This is why i tell people to forget new years and to maybe simply go for a new month's resolution around mid Feb :)
i think that is pretty sound advice. Or at least the people that give up after the first crowded month of the year should have another go at it later in the year.
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Been there and done that lol.Nothing wrong in a healthy change in lifestyle,but it doesn't have to involve a gym.
the gym can come later, but for people who went really far down a road of unhealthy lifestyle I think the gym can actually be counterproductive. It's probably better than doing nothing, but it can be overwhelming and most people don't realize that the only thing you really need to do is get your heart rate up.
If you are grossly overweight the way that i was, getting muscle definition that the gym can deliver shouldn't really be on your radar for a while.