Top 5 Ways To Enjoy the Gym

We’ve all been dreading this word, but I have to say it…GYM.  I know, I know.  Immediately you groan and images of sweat and grossness are conjured.  Come on guys — exercise is an integral part of maintaining your health.  Here are the five ways I’ve learned to keep myself going back to the gym and have even, dare I say, learned to enjoy it…

1. People watch! I never realized how much fun it could be to people watch until I joined the gym! My gym mates became characters in a twisted story I was writing in my mind (all the while running, of course).  I have nicknamed quite a few of these characters — for instance, there’s Sir Farts While He Runs, Mister Kevin Spacey Look-Alike, Go-Go Dancer Girl and Conspicuous Girl Checker-Outer Dude, just to name a few.  I wonder if anyone else is writing a story in her/his head and do I appear? Maybe as Furrowed Brow Chick?  Miss Hums While She Runs? Sweaty Chick? Maybe It’s better I don’t know…
2. Create a Pre- and Post-Gym Ritual. It is easier to stick to something if it is embedded in a ritual that’s part of your day.  Organize gym time in a way that your life will actually feel off-kilter if you don’t go!  I make specific phone calls on my way to and from the gym.  I center my eating schedule around the gym so that I have the most carb-loaded meals and snacks before and after the gym.  When I am preparing my gym bag, I also prepare what I will wear to work the next day. And give yourself something to look forward to!  After the gym, shower and give yourself the treat of guilt-free relaxation.  Read a magazine or watch a YouTube video (have you seen Charley The Unicorn? Look it up if you want a post-gym giggle). Reward yourself with the feeling of accomplishment.
3. Make it a date! You may think I’m crazy, but I like to use the gym as a meeting place with a couple of my best friends. Making a commitment to meet someone at the gym makes it harder to back out.  But you don’t have to do the same workout as your friend — my friends and I have different routines and we stick to them.  While we, of course, always schedule post-gym plans to truly catch-up, there is a feeling of camaraderie that comes with keeping each other goal-focused and accountable.
4. Go with a concrete goal in mind. I always have a goal in mind before I go to the gym.  For instance, I will have predetermined how many miles I would like to run and at what pace.  Of course, I don’t always stick to it because sometimes you have to let your body dictate what it can do on a particular day, but it’s harder for me to leave after 30 minutes if I told myself I would run for an hour. Become your own friendly drill sergeant.
5. Get inspired! One of the main unspoken benefits of gym membership is that you get free and unlimited sources of inspiration.  When I see other people working hard at their health – I think, “Right on!”  I see the same people coming to the gym at the same time every day and I think, “if they can do it, why can’t I?”  Sometimes I see 50-year-old women with the bodies of fit 20-year-olds and I’m like, “duuude! I don’t even look like that now!” And right when I think I don’t care anymore, some dude gets on the treadmill next to me and tries to outrun me.  Then it’s on like donkey kong!  Healthy competition is a great inspirational tool as well!

Happy exercising!

Tags: accountability, exercise, gym, gym rituals, health, inspiration, motivation, running