By: Mary J. Downs

Not scientifically reviewed by Dr. Stair

Motivation is usually the biggest obstacle for people trying to get in better shape and improve their health. Sometimes they lack the motivation to even get into a rhythm, while others may give up or take their foot off the gas pedal once they reach a certain plateau. Motivation and discipline are things that are not always innate and you will have to develop them. Thankfully, there are plenty of things that you can do to make things easier for you. Here are a few ways to stay motivated when starting a gym routine.

Join the Right Gym

One of the most important things is making sure that you pick the right gym. You want to go to one where you will feel comfortable and where it isn’t focused on performance only. You need a gym that has a wellness component and will look at your entire lifestyle. You also want to go to a gym with great instructors who will be able to push you and have your best interests in mind.

If you’re living in a small town, the choice might be limited, but you should still be able to find something that suits you. If you’re living somewhere like Chalfont St Peter, for instance, GDN fitness is a great Chalfont St Peter gym that you can try. Their team is dedicated to helping their clients become the best version of themselves and will assist you at every level. They also have a wide variety of small group classes that will make working out much more fun. This brings us to our next point.

Make Cardio Fun

Cardio is usually the part people hate the most about training. And the worst thing is that the results often tend to be underwhelming. That’s because the strenuous effort of cardio is not necessarily translating to more calories burned.

One hour of jogging at a moderate pace will burn around 500 to 600 calories. This means that you would have to run for a whopping 7 hours to burn one measly pound of body fat.

Instead, we would suggest that you get your cardio workout elsewhere. Engage in sports, whether individual or competitive. Do fun activities like swimming that will get you the same fat-burning benefits but will be much easier on your joints and morale. And, when going to the gym, either go for classes or focus on strength training.

Strength training tends to be much more enjoyable and will allow you to burn energy during and after your sessions since muscles need energy for maintenance. We would also suggest that you get yourself a bike if you don’t have one already. Use it to run errands and go to work on it if you can. You will be able to get your cardio time in effortlessly and in a useful way.

Join Your Fitness Freak Friend

We all know someone who’s crazy about fitness. Now would be the right time to get in touch with them and see if they would like to become your fitness partner. They’ll be able to push you and hold you accountable. You’ll also be more comfortable first entering a gym environment with someone you know.

These are all tips that you can apply to stay on top of your game when first going to the gym. Try to look at alternative ways to work out and get as much outside help as you can in the beginning.

Check out Dr. Eeks’ Causes or Cures Health Podcast.