There are various ways to put your body to work and get in a good sweat. The best thing about fitness is that it comes in so many forms- there is something for everyone. But when it comes to working out, there are a few things everyone should know.
Take it slow. Walking into a gym can be so overwhelming, especially if you are new to it. A wide variety of machines and equipment stand before you and you have no idea where to start. Don’t stress. Most machines have directions on them showing you how to use it and worse comes to worse- that’s why there’s YouTube. Additionally, when you join a gym, there are going to be people lifting triple times what you’re lifting. It’s easy to get discouraged, but you must remember that results and progress do not come overnight. Do not overload yourself with too much too fast. Not only will you get frustrated that you can’t accomplish something, but you’ll injure yourself. Take it slow and don’t bite more than you can chew. The progress will come.
One type of exercise isn’t better than the other. There are people who swear by running and doing it everyday is what works best for them. Others will maybe touch cardio one a week. Working out is something people do to feel good and they should do whatever that means for them. So many people are at different phases of their fitness journey and everyone has different goals and habits, so don’t feel like you should add in an extra arm day because that’s what your friend does. Do what feels best for you and trust in your own workouts and routine.
Be confident. In the gym, on the field, or even working out alone in your room. Wherever you break a sweat, you need to fully trust in yourself.
Follow athletes and fitness inspirations on social media. Sometimes I will be at a loss for what I want my next workout to consist of. It’s so easy to run out of ideas and do the same workouts over and over. Switching up your routine every now and then is also crucial so your body doesn’t get used to the motions. A little bit of stress on our body is good and this comes when we throw our body a curve ball every once in a while. When we adapt to a workout and do it often, our body doesn’t need to work as hard to accomplish it which can slow down results. Fitness influencers can provide us with new and creative workouts we may never heard or seen before. They can show us how to hit a muscle group when we are lacking free weights and other materials, as well as giving us some advice. One of my all time favorite fitness influencers is Whitney Simmons (@whitneysimmons). Not only does she have her own workout program that you can follow along, but she’s very active on Instagram and I can always turn to her page for some motivation and pre-workout pep talk.
Never ever forget to take a rest day or days. This may be difficult to understand because when you are working towards a fitness goal or overall just trying to benefit your physical health, you might feel the need to workout everyday. You may even believe that one day or rest ruins several days of hard work. But in fact, the opposite is true. Giving your muscles time to relax and heal is so important, especially if you are aiming to grow muscle. Overdoing the workouts can be counterproductive and lead to injury, which will slow down your fitness journey way more than a rest day or two.
And lastly, it is absolutely crucial to have a cute working out outfit. Not to be biased or anything, but I highly recommend GymShark. Whether you’re looking for a squat-proof pair of leggings or a crop top that will highlight your toned arms, they really do have it all.
Working out comes with so many benefits and in order to truly experience them all, I recommended simply doing what you feel is best for you and taking it day by day. With these grounds rules established, a good workout is guaranteed.