10 tips when starting the gym
1. Decide if this is really for you. There is no point in joining the gym if you know full well you’re not going to enjoy it, there’s no point spending that money if it’s just going to be wasted.
2. Correct clothing. Once you have joined you need to make sure you have appropriate clothes and footwear, why in the world would you show up in jeans and a sparkly t-shirt? No, you want something comfortable and unrestricting, enabling you to take part in all activities. Wear comfortable shoes, trainers might not be the most fashionable but your feet will thank you later on. Along with clothes and footwear be sure to tie your hair up and remove all jewellery, there is nothing worse than your hair getting in your face and that necklace getting caught when you’re running on the treadmill.
3. Eat. It is so important that you eat something substantial before you go to the gym but it is also crucial that you let your body digest it. Give your body approximately two hours to let it digest and then you will have more than enough energy to keep you going through your session.
4. Warm-up. We are no strangers to the fact that we need to warm-up before we exercise: if you skip that warm-up your muscles will not function as well during your exercise. You could injure yourself, and your body temperature will fluctuate, with all these things your muscles will become sore and you’ll wished you’d have warmed-up.
5. Start slowly. We all want to get straight onto the treadmill and start burning those calories but you need to let your heart rate increase slowly so that the blood flow is frequent and doesn’t all rush around your body at once. Start with a gentle walk and gradually get faster. This way your body warms up and the blood is pumping faster – preparing your body for more vigorous exercise.
6. Vary your exercise. Try not to spend too long on one machine, give other parts of your body a rest and work other parts. If you run for 10 minutes, go work on those triceps for 5 minutes while your legs have a break, doing an all over body work out is much more beneficial than just working on the cross-trainer for 45 minutes.
7. Drink water. This is vital, your body is between 65%- 75% water. So when you exercise: you sweat, you lose water from your body, you need to make sure you put it back by drinking water all the way through your workout. Do not wait to be thirsty: keep drinking every 5-10 minutes just have a few sips, and this will keep you nice and hydrated to help you through your workout.
8. Don’t over-exercise. Your body needs a break from exercise, especially if you have only just started frequently exercising. You will feel it when the muscles start working more, but you will need a break. That burn that you feel in your arms and legs the morning after is good, but you don’t strain yourself. Give them a rest so that when you work on that muscle again, you’re not hurting yourself.
9. Cool down- Cool-downs are just as important as warm-ups. Your body has just gone through a serious workout, and now your muscles have lactic acid running through them. To prevent any muscle soreness we need stretch that out, allowing our heart rate to slowly come back rest rate.
10. Don’t expect things over night. Your first session at the gym will leave you feeling great (perhaps a little sore) but don’t go into the bathroom that night and expect to have lost 5 pounds: unfortunately our bodies don’t work like that. However, stick with the gym and eating correctly and you will notice fast results.
If you have any tips for the gym, a great workout, or just healthy living in general, let us know in the comments, or Tweet us @HerCampusCCCU