You know how important it is to take regular exercise, how beneficial it is for your health and wellbeing, and that’s why you bought that gym membership; but are you getting as much out of it as you hoped?
Most people join a gym with the idea that they’ll work out at least three times a week, and when the gym sells you your membership, they make it seem like a bargain because it works out to be a low cost per session. However, if you’re only going once a week it suddenly becomes a costly investment for which you see little return; and the next thing you know, you’ve stopped going altogether.
If you want to get more for your money and get the benefit from your gym, you need to be using it regularly. You should have been given an induction when you started to make sure you know how to use the equipment and what sort of exercises to start on, what weights to use, how many reps per session and so on.
In some gyms, they’ll continue to offer advice and assistance, but in others, they leave you to get on with it. If you’re struggling because you’re not sure what to do next, you lack confidence, or you’re afraid of embarrassing yourself, you need to be somewhere where you can access the right level of assistance.
Fitness instructors and personal trainers sound like they provide the same kind of services, but in fact, there are differences. A fitness instructor usually covers the gym inductions and equipment maintenance, offering a basic level of advice to members. Personal trainers have additional qualifications that provide them with a higher level of expertise, and they can work with you one-on-one to improve your fitness.
Find out what services are available at your gym, and if you’re able, get a personal trainer to work with you as often as you can. You should always make sure they have the correct qualifications. You can find gyms with personal trainer salary options as standard, and you can even consider becoming a personal trainer yourself. You’ll find a personal trainer can motivate you and boost your confidence, and it can make you far more likely to turn up for your sessions if there’s someone giving you the proper advice and encouragement.
You should also see what other facilities are available to you that are included in your membership, or that you get at a reduced rate. Many fitness suites are part of larger complexes with swimming pools, squash courts, gymnastic equipment, and many other facilities that you could use in addition to your workouts in the gym. If you have access to other forms of recreation, you could add a great deal more to the value of your membership by making use of these additional facilities.
Finally, don’t forget that in order to get the most out of your gym membership you need to be prepared to put the effort in. If you find it hard to motivate yourself, don’t throw in the towel; try new approaches and ask for help, but keep at it and you’ll find you’re feeling the benefit and finding the experience more enjoyable.
