How to get yourself back into the gym!

First of all, apologies for the late post but I am flying out to America (literally, I’m on a plane writing this) to spend Christmas, NY and my birthday with my husband so earlier this week I was a little pre-occupied with packing. Anyway onto the blog…enjoy!

We all know that this time of year we will catch ourselves saying “oh well, it’s Christmas” or even being told “oh go on it’s Christmas” and before we know it that giant box of chocolates has gone. Don’t get me wrong, I am definitely a sucker for Christmas treats and goodies but when that tree comes down and the decorations are put back in the loft for another year, all you and I are left with is some extra weight that we can’t wait get shift. So I have created a little list of the best ways, in my opinion, to get yourself back in the gym or at least motivated to lose those few pounds you may have put on over the festive period.

1. Find a gym that’s close to you or on your way home from work.

Okay so if you are thinking ‘there’s no way I’m joining a gym’ then please don’t stop reading, keep reading and laugh at any typo’s I’ve made or skip to number 4 where I discuss ‘getting fit without a gym’. I’m lucky, the gym I am a member of is both of these so it’s convenient for me on any day of the week (gives me no excuses really). Convenient is the key word here, if you find it hard to motivate yourself to even get to the gym and I get these feeling a lot, then the best thing is to find a gym that you almost have to drive past to get anywhere.

2. Take FULL advantage of your gym.

When I first joined the gym, me and my friend were so pumped about joining this new gym we tested out everything that they had to offer. We tried classes, we used a couple free personal trainer sessions and we even took advantage of the sauna and steam room (well she did, not me) but this was definitely a great idea. For the first few months we mainly mixed between classes and our own workout that one of the personal trainers had shown us, but as the weeks went on and we both got a little un-motivated or lazy, we tended to stick to the classes. Classes are great when you can’t really be bothered of thinking up a plan, because the qualified instructors tell you exactly what you need to do and how to do it. The classes that are offered at my gym are Les Mills classes which are a new brand of classes that are literally sweeping the country by storm so if the gym you join has these I would definitely recommend giving them a go. So if you don’t want to try out the classes and you just want to do your own thing but have no idea where to start…ask. I used to be a little wiry of the personal trainers at the gym as predominately they are males who have huge muscles (not being sexiest, but this used to be the case) and look slightly unapproachable…however times have changed people and female trainers are just common in gyms now AND some are even more brutal than the guys. If I am ever unsure on how a piece of equipment works or which machine will help with a certain muscle, I just ask.

3. Find yourself a gym buddy

I remember going to a Body Balance class years ago with one of my best friends Hannah who has represented Wales in Hockey (so she’s in pretty decent shape) but little did we know that this class was pretty much like Yoga. Well…a footballer and a hockey player trying to balance and bend in places we didn’t even know you could, it’s safe to say we both failed miserably but we didn’t care. We gave it a go, fell over a couple times and definitely burned off a few calories (even if this was mainly from laughing at each other), the point being we tried it and probably wouldn’t have if we were on our own. So anyway back to the present time, like I mentioned earlier, I joined the gym with a friend and it really helped because you don’t feel as conscious as when you are on your own. This doesn’t always need to be someone you already know. When my friend was away for a few weeks I just started talking to others in the classes and you soon find you’ve found another little gym buddy who even if you don’t work out with them, it’s a friendly face to see around. What I find best though about having a friend to go with is on those days where you are feeling really tired or just lazy, your friend will be there telling you to get over yourself and get your workout on. This will work both ways too.

4. A gym isn’t always needed…workout at home.

So those that skipped my gym paragraphs and came right here you are probably saying “I don’t have time to get to the gym” or “I don’t want to pay for a gym and be signed into a contract” and fair enough. Gyms aren’t for everybody but don’t worry, there are still things you can do to shift that Mince Pie weight. Pinterest, is by far one of the best things ever for DIY stuff and this also goes for workout plans. There are hundreds of plans on there, yes some are advanced and use home equipment that not many people have just lying around but there are plenty that don’t require any equipment and are short, I think I even saw a workout on there the other day that was less than 5 minutes...now you can’t tell me you don’t have a spare 5 minutes. Check out my Fitness Board on Pinterest for some of the ones I’ve tried and think sound worth trying.

5. Try out some gym tech

Over the past few months I have been using a free app that has pre-loaded routines on it and keeps track of all your workouts on it. The app is called Jefit and as I mentioned it's free so no harm in trying it. You make your own profile, add goals and targets, find a workout that suits you (or make your own) and then track it every time you hit the gym or workout...easy as that. It even has little videos that show you how to do each exercise that play without having to leave the app. It's a great little tool that has definitely helped me with knowing what to do. I also just bought my husband a Fitbit Surge which he has yet to try but it is meant to be great for working out and keeping track of all your stats. It also syncs to your phone and lets you know when you have a text or call, he now has no excuses heehee.

6. Finally…splurge out on some new gym gear.

Now I do like having branded stuff from time to time especially when it comes to trainers but with most things I don’t care where it’s from as long as I like it and it doesn’t break the bank. My ‘gym’ wardrobe is made up of brands like Nike, New Balance & Adidas but a big chunk of it was bought at shops like H&M, Forever 21 and even Primark. I find that when you buy a new purchase that is specifically for the gym or working out then you are more likely to workout (so you can show it off, I mean try it out). This doesn’t mean you have to go and buy a whole new wardrobe of clothes just for the gym but just having something new helps. For example, I bought a pair of Nike’s with my birthday money about 5-6 years ago when I was studying in the States and boy did this make me want to go to the gym. Yes, I’ll be honest I wanted to flaunt my new kicks and next thing I knew, my gym motivation had rocketed through the roof. On a side note, I still have these trainers however they do now have a few holes in so I will be replacing them while I’m in the States over Christmas, but they lasted me ages! Check out my new funky shorts that I love and were super comfy working out in.

Well I think that sums it up really but if you have any other ideas of how else to get motivated for the gym or working out, please let me know as my motivation has been known to hit rock bottom from time to time.