My top ten tips for gym beginners: We're all beginners once

We’re all beginners once. Around 7 million people in the UK hold a gym membership, and it's one of the most common New Year’s resolutions to get your trainers on and get started on that treadmill. But realistically, how long does everyone last? It’s usually not long until that membership is all forgotten about, but it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to continue your progress at the gym. So, if you’re one of those who are sticking to it, hats off to you!

I still remember my first time at the gym. It was a nightmare that I’m still not over. I wore the ugliest trainers, got hit on by men twice my age (And I don’t mean Johnny Depp look alikes) and tripped over the treadmill more times than I’ve done push-ups. But that’s okay. It’s part of the experience. It wasn’t all that bad, I made friends with my instructor, lost a tonne of weight, and got free chocolate protein shakes too (Shout out to my favourite instructor, Mekè).

But either way, here are my few personal tips for beginners at the gym to get started:

1.Set a goal

The best way to start making any progress at all is by having a goal to achieve. Your brain is more likely to be motivated to get anything done if you have a specific goal to reach. Make your goal specific, too! Don’t just say you want to lose weight. How much do you want to lose? When do you want to lose it by? How much are you going to do daily or weekly to make it happen? All the important questions that need to be answered to produce yourself a target.

Research from neuroscience suggests that our brains use the neurotransmitter called dopamine as an internal guidance system to reach goals. Studies have shown that the dopamine signal in the brain gets stronger as the goal gets closer. A good way to help yourself develop a goal is by using SMART – Make your goal specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time based. Most importantly, in fitness, you need a goal that is realistic. Don’t think you can just magically be Arnold Schwarzenegger in a week. It doesn’t work like that. My tip is to make yourself a SMART goal, and you’ll be a lot prouder and more confident with your progress!

2.Learn about fitness

Yeah, we get it. You’re not in school any more. But learning about how fitness works is much more important than you think. Do your research about your goals and whether they’re a healthy choice or are attainable. I remember trying my best to lose weight in specific areas, only to be told by my instructor that you can’t spot reduce, which is a common misconception. I learnt that there is not enough evidence to support that spot reduction is effective and that instead your genes, hormones, sex, body type, body consumption, diet and other factors determine when and where the fat comes off. Likewise, I finally learnt that your body burns fat by overall fitness, which made me work just as hard to focus on all types of exercises. I also discovered the wonderful world of protein shake after asking my gym instructor a bunch of questions and learning all sorts of new things about fitness. These are just a few examples of how educating yourself on fitness can save you from wasting your time and spending it on working out correctly and reaching your goals in a much healthier way.

3.Start small and build your way up

A golden tip for beginners is to start small and build your way up, which is something I’m glad I now know. When I was 16 and a beginner, I used to spend hours and hours at the gym every day, trying to force myself to lose weight and look better that I ended up exhausted and very sore by the end of the week. Over exercising can cause issues like muscle soreness and injuries and has a more negative impact than a positive one. Take a break. There’s no rush. Don’t damage your body with unrealistic and painful goals when you can choose to take regular breaks and keep your body in a healthy state. So here comes the golden tip, start small and build momentum. Starting small can give your body a chance to get used to the workouts it's doing and motivate you to aim higher, while also assessing what your body is capable of now. Yes, higher, but slowly.

4.Accept soreness

Feeling sore after a workout? Don’t give up. Yes too much exercise can cause excessive soreness, but the one that you feel after your first work out, also known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is perfectly normal. It usually begins 6-8 hours after a new activity and can last up to 24- 48 hours. It is usually due to the inflammation of the muscles after the stress being put on them, which can lead to soreness. Don’t let that put you off! Get plenty of rest and massages to boost blood flow, and this will help you get back up and running.

5.Be consistent

This tip applies to all areas as well as fitness. You can’t expect results doing something once, as you need to be consistent. Make a routine, as this will make it easier for you to fit it in your daily schedule. Try a reward system where you can motivate and treat yourself once the task is complete. Either way, you need to keep going and discipline yourself, as falling off will only take you back to level one and knock out your progress.

6.Mix it up

Don’t just stick to one type of exercise, as this will make your routine extremely boring and mundane. Exercise can already be very tiring, especially when you’re a beginner, so don’t let it be boring too. Mix up your routine! Use different machines at the gym instead of sticking to just your favourite one. Try and experiment other workouts and incorporate them into your routine to keep it new and exciting.

7.Eat well

I know eating a large portion of McDonald's then hitting the treadmill sounds tempting, but you got to watch what you’re eating. Both diet and gym work together, so don’t let yourself forget that. Make sure you incorporate a balanced diet in your daily routine. A boring yet important tip. And remember, a cheat meal is one meal! Not a week’s worth of meals. Learnt that the hard way…

8. Work out buddy

Yeah, humans annoy me too. It’s so much easier to go to the gym, put your earphones in and pretend you're Squidward the whole time, but you’ll then be missing out the perks of having a workout buddy to make you much more motivated to reach your goal. When you got a bit of teamwork at the gym, you’re much more likely to get up and running, so take your bored friend with you and get ready to strut your stuff for the summer.

9. Warm up and be prepared

How could you forget this tip? Warming up is ever so important in fitness and the gym. The purpose is to increase your heart rate and get your blood flowing, which enables more oxygen in your body. And the most obvious reason, who wants to pull a muscle? No. Just no.

10. Drink water

Other than your gym buddy, your water bottle is your best friend at the gym. Keep sipping on your water throughout your workout. The human body is 60% water, and it’s important to replace the water lost through sweat when exercising. Water helps reduce the risk of heat stress, maintain normal body function, and maintain performance levels!

So, there are my top 10 tips on beginning at the gym and things I've learnt along the way. Simple enough? Either way, starting the gym is a memorable time during your fitness journey and a day you'll be proud of when reaching your goals. I know I was. I'm happy to say I stuck with my goal, and it was worth it. So, keep going. And remember we’re all beginners once.

Thanks for reading

KJ