When you signed up for that pricey gym membership, you promised yourself you would get your money’s worth. This time was going to be different. You vowed, neigh, swore that you would hit that gym once a day. And, in fairness, you’ve managed it. You have dragged your sorry self to that sweaty room every day since. But, for some reason, you still don’t feel like those payments are worth your while. In fact, you’re sure you could get more exercise done if you got stuck in at home instead. The trouble is, your discipline here would slip if you cancelled those monthly payments.
The thing you need to ask yourself, then, is why your gym workouts aren’t hitting the mark right now. More often than not, issues like these have an apparent cause. In some cases, you may need a personal trainer to talk you through the proper uses of equipment. You may also need to branch out to those machines you’ve been avoiding until now. Or, the solution to getting results from your workouts could be about nothing more than preparing better before setting foot in the place.
While going straight to the gym from work is a good habit, it could well be the thing which is setting you back. You won’t exactly be ready to go when you get there, after all. As such, you may waste massive amounts of gym time not actually working out. If you think this is your problem, it may be worth heading home first and engaging in these pre-gym behaviours.
Get dressed before you go
Ahh, the gym locker room. The ideal place to waste time and avoid getting down to business. If you set aside an hour for this each evening, it’s all too easy to waste half of that time under the guise of ‘getting changed’. But then, you bump into some gym buddies and get chatting. Oh, and you need a shower before you get going to wash off the day. And, goodness, where did you put your locker key? You get the idea. After twenty minutes of actual effort, it’ll be time to embark on the whole distraction again. Cut this out of your gym routine by getting changed and washed at home. That way, you have no excuse but to hit the gym floor the moment you get there. That in itself could make more difference to your value for money than you know.
Warm up at home
Speaking of doing things before you go, it’s also worth warming up at home. Think about it; there’s no reason to do this in your gym itself. The main benefit of your membership is the access it offers to machines you don’t have at home. Don’t waste your access by doing something you could have done before your arrival. Instead, take time out before you head off to do a few stretches. That way, you’ll be ready to go the moment you sign in. While this won’t necessarily work if you live a fair distance, most of us only have around ten minutes travel. As such, there’s no excuse not to get around to this.
Focus on fuel
Another issue with hitting the gym straight from work is that of fuel. If you haven’t eaten since lunchtime, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to keep going for long enough to complete an hour session. Before you know it, your hands will start to shake due to a severe sugar low. You’ll then have a choice between either passing out in front of everyone or cutting your time short. Be honest; how often do you leave early because of this? Of course, going home and eating a heavy meal is no way to get your money’s worth from the gym. But, heading home and taking a quick fuel stop could. Even grabbing an energy bar could work here. You could even prepare a quick drink using something like this c4 cellucor supplement to give yourself an easy boost. Then, you can be sure that you’re ready to go the whole hog. You certainly won’t risk embarrassing yourself by passing out in front of all those gym rivals.
Trust us; you’ll feel better about that gym membership if you take heed of each of the above points. No longer will you shudder when you see that fee turning up on your bank statement every month. Instead, you’ll be able to flex those muscles and remind yourself why it’s worth it.
