July 16, 2015

5 things to remember at the gym

We love the #ThisGirlCan campaign and it’s all the more appropriate now summer’s here and the gym membership is more likely to get dusted off and used, but sometimes there are still a few niggles that might trigger the self-conscious thoughts you thought you’d left behind at school. These are, yet again, totally irrelevant, but here are the things you can tell yourself to get over them and get on with our workout.

No-one cares what you’re wearing

They honestly don’t. The only reason I’ll even glance in another person’s direction is if I catch a glimpse of some gorgeous running leggings or cute top. If you’re wearing your baggiest t-shirt, black leggings and best friend’s trainers you’re probably going to be super comfortable, which means that you’re going to work out the best, and hardest, you can, which after all is the aim of the game!

No-one cares what you look like, full stop

Do you jiggle a bit when you run? Do you wiggle in interesting places? Do you shake what you think is a bit too much? If the #ThisGirlCan campaign has taught us one thing it’s that this is so normal it’s boring. WE ALL WIGGLE. So forget what you look like and just get on with it, because I guarantee no-one is looking at you and definitely no-one is being as hard on yourself as you are. (For some giggle-inducing wiggling that will work your core like nothing else, ask a trainer to show you how to squat on a bosu ball!)

If they’re looking at you it’s for the right reasons

When I first started going to the gym I wished I could do so in my own bubble with one-way windows. Doing squats in front of every member of the town? No thanks. But then it was pointed out to me that people are most probably looking at your workout to see if they can learn something from you, whether that’s the proper technique for doing wide pull ups or making use of a kettle bell in ways they’d never seen before. During your rest periods get your head out of your phone and be the person who looks up and around and you’ll soon realise that you aren’t looking and laughing, you’re looking and learning.

Girls are allowed in the weights area 

As much as this area looks like it was built purely for housing testosterone-fuelled men in vests, it wasn’t. And you don’t have to huff and puff your way around to fit in either. Now I know walking into this manly domain can be intimidating, but I have it on good authority (a man’s) that they don’t really care. Yes, they notice but they don’t think ‘oi, get out’. I always like to go into that section and hope that I’ve paved the way for the girl on the treadmill following me up because she didn’t want to go in there alone, so be the girl who leads (and who starts doing weights – they’re a super workout!).

Every little bit counts

So you can only run for a minute, barely do a sit-up and most definitely cannot hold your own body weight? The person next to you running a 2 minute mile probably couldn’t when they first set out either, but 6 months, a year down the line and look at them. I never thought I’d be able to do more than 3 leg crunches but now I can do 10 (it’s not easy and I pull some dreadful faces, but I can do it). You also need to remember that it doesn’t matter how much or how little you’re doing; you’re doing something. Your body is becoming healthier by the workout and it’s thanking you for it everyday.