So you are looking for what to know before joining a gym. You might be a little bit timid at first. You have probably seen how gym goers are portrayed in the movies and media. Not a good first impression.
By the time you are finished reading this article, you are going to have a little bit better of an idea of what actually goes on at the gym. And why you shouldn’t be worried.
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It is not as scary as you think
So many people are terrified to join a gym because unfortunately our media has turned people off to the idea. We are conditioned to believe that people who go to the gym are self centered and judgemental.
In fact, without naming names, there is even a gym chain that prides themselves on the fact that they are a non judgemental gym.
What you are going to find though is that no matter what gym you go to, nobody is going to judge or bully you. Maybe learning what to know before joining a gym is going to be a good primer for you to change your life.
How do I know this? I have been going to the gym for the past 18 years. And I have never once witnessed anyone being bullied or people talking bad about another gym goer.
I used to be out of shape myself. I was so skinny that one girl at school called me the scrawny guy. But never once in the gym did I experience that type of bullying.
This is important because I think this is why a lot of people don’t ever step foot in a gym.
The reality is that if you show up to the gym regularly, you are going to start seeing results. And people are going to see those results and be inspired. I promise you that there are people that look just like you in the gym.
We are all just trying to improve ourselves, and the gym is no exception.
Make sure you are ready to make it a habit
The gym isn’t just something that you make a new years resolution to do and then give up in 3 weeks.
Well, that is what the majority of our population does. But not you. Learn how to make exercise a habit before getting that gym membership.
Make sure that the gym you choose is easy to access. If it is out of the way, you will probably find excuses not to go.
I will give you a good example of this. I have a friend who never worked out a day in his life. But he wanted to start building muscle. So one day, he started looking for a gym.
There weren’t really any convenient gyms to him until one day he realized on his way to work that his own community had a free gym he could access. So he started leaving a few minutes early for work everyday and just spending 5 minutes in the gym.
After a while, he started expanding his time spent there. Now he works out there regularly and is building muscle.
You need to find a way that exercise comes easy for you. Make sure that you are incorporating it into your weekly schedule that you are working out 3-5 days per week.
Maybe you don’t have a gym near you. Building a home gym with limited space might be something that you are interested in.
It is a lot cheaper now
It is shocking how affordable gyms are nowadays. I don’t even know how they make money. But what I do know is that I am now saving a ton of money compared to what I used to pay.
Living in Florida, I was paying $35 per month for my gym. When I came in last month, I was greeted by a sign that the new price was $10 per month. You can’t beat that!
With the pandemic slowing everyone down, I think that gyms have been hit very hard. Which means that the savings can be passed down to you.
If you live in a location that doesn’t have a gym, maybe building your own home gym is the better option. But in built up areas, you are going to find that gyms are competing against each other to get the customers in.
You will meet people in your shoes
Did you know that 73.6% of the U.S. population is overweight? That means that theoretically over half of the people in your gym will be overweight. Learning what to know before joining a gym is very important for reasons just like this.
If you are trying to lose weight, you can meet some people in your gym that are on the same path as you. And if you are trying to build muscle, you are going to find people on that path also.
The more time you spend in the gym, the more people are going to notice. And you will build some great friendships.
One of the best things that you can do for engineering your circle of influence is by meeting like minded people.
Your circle of influence is what drives change in your life. And if you currently have a circle of influence that is very negative towards your goals, of course you are going to be less likely to achieve those goals.
This is why I find it very important to show up to the gym regularly. You will establish friendships that will help propel you to the next level. Even if they aren’t deep friendships, just seeing familiar people showing up will help you take it to the next level.
There is a saying in business that you will only be as rich as your 5 closest friends. The same concept can be translated to fitness. If your friends are all out of shape and have no interest in getting in shape, you will be more inclined to follow that trend.
There are always exceptions to the rule though, and I firmly believe that with hard work and conviction, anyone can break out of a negative cycle.
Main Point: What to know before joining a gym
If you have made it this far, you now understand what to know before joining a gym. Is joining a gym as scary as you initially thought it would be?
Here is the thing. Too many people buy into the idea that people who go to the gym are self centered and judgemental. As I mentioned previously, with 18 years of going to the gym under my belt, I never found this to be the case.
In fact, I realized that everyone who goes to the gym has the goal of improving themselves in mind. And they can be very helpful when you are in need.
To take advantage of going to the gym, make sure that you focus on making exercise a habit. Do everything that you possibly can to show up to the gym. Even if it really is only for 5 minutes per day.
Establishing those habits is the number one priority. Don’t let yourself cancel gym plans for anything. And then in no time you will find yourself getting into incredible shape.
If cost was a hangup for you, it shouldn’t be anymore. With gyms popping up everywhere, the competition is fierce. Which means that prices are lower than ever. Although inflation has gone up, gym prices have gone down. Take advantage of that.
Lastly, I will say to you that you need to be conscious of who your circle of influence is. Don’t be afraid to meet people at the gym who have similar goals to you.
When you establish the habit of going to the gym, you are going to learn exactly who those people are. And over time, you will get to know them. Don’t rush it.
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