It’s that time of year when many of us are ploughing through our New Year’s resolutions, and fitness goals are often top of the list.
Whether it’s building up your strength, achieving new personal bests, or simply getting active for the first time, the new year provides an opportunity for us to focus on our fitness and wellbeing goals. However, making sure our resolutions stand the test of time can be tricky, especially when trying to fit exercise around hectic daily routines or other commitments. New research has found that, on average, most New Year’s resolutions fail by the 19th of January, meaning many of us fall short before the new year has even kicked off.
If you’re serious about getting into shape in 2022 but are worried that you may not be able to stick to it, joining a gym may be one trick to make your New Year’s fitness resolutions last.
Steven Virtue, fitness development manager at Total Fitness, has shared some of the top reasons why joining a gym is the perfect choice for helping you to stick to your fitness resolutions and help you to benefit from the joys of exercise in 2022.
1. Plenty of choice
Whilst it may seem easier to work out in the comfort of your own home, you are fairly limited to the types of exercise and workouts you can do. Even if you’re lucky enough to have a treadmill or bench set tucked away at home, this doesn’t compare to the variety of high-quality equipment that gyms offer, from cardio machines to weights and resistance machines.
With such a wide variety, you can try out different machinery and equipment to find which work best for you, allowing you to build a workout routine around the equipment that you feel most comfortable using.
Gyms also offer a range of organised activities, whether you want to try large group workouts, smaller group sessions, personal training, or a game of squash with your friends. Participation in organised activities and workouts will add further variety to your workout routines, allowing you to build a well-rounded routine that will help to motivate you to stick with your goals, allowing you to enjoy your new gym experience.
2. Easy access to expertise
For those with limited exercise experience, knowing where to start can be a struggle, causing some to give up before they’ve even really started. By joining a gym, you will have access to a team of experienced fitness professionals who can help guide you and suggest some of the best exercises to start off your first workout routine.
For those who still find the prospect of working out daunting, gyms also offer personal training sessions. Personal trainers will not only build you a personalised workout routine, but they will also help to guide you through this week by week, helping to motivate you through your workouts and pushing you to hit your goals. Personal trainers will also hold you accountable to your workout routine, helping you to stick to your fitness resolutions throughout the new year.
3. Prevents boredom
Whilst working out can certainly be fun, it can also feel monotonous and a little boring at times if you don’t switch up your routine and try something new. Feeling bored is a sure-fire way of stopping your fitness resolutions in their tracks.
Therefore, breathing some fresh air into your workout routine every so often is important in making sure you stick to your goals. With the variety of machines and equipment that gyms offer, it is the perfect place to try out some new exercises and change-up your workout routine, helping them to stay fresh and enjoyable.
Switching up your workout routine will also allow you to discover new exercises, allowing you to enjoy whole new ways of working out that you may not have been able to try at home before.
4. Sociability
Whilst the primary focus of a gym is to workout, they’re also a great space for socialising and meeting new people. Joining a gym with a friend can be a great way for the two of you to have fun together whilst working towards your respective fitness resolutions. What’s more, having a ‘gym buddy’ also helps to hold you accountable to your workouts, meaning you’re more likely to stick to them.
Gyms are also great places to meet like-minded people. Whether you get chatting to someone on the next machine, or make a friend during a gym class, having the chance to socialise with new people is great for your wellbeing and can also encourage you to go to the gym, helping you to stick to your new goals.
5. All-weather workouts
Nothing can put a stop to exercising quite like poor weather conditions. For those who look to take to the outdoors for their exercise, bad weather can easily put a rain on your parade, stopping you from exercising and confining you to your sofa.
However, gyms offer a range of fitness equipment all under one roof, meaning poor weather conditions won’t stop your from enjoying some exercise in the New Year. Whether you’re looking to start running, cycling, or build your strength, gyms offer a range of cardio and weights equipment in a dry and well-ventilated environment, meaning you can exercise all year long no matter the weather conditions, allowing you to hit your fitness resolutions.
So, if you’re gearing up to start your new fitness journey in 2022 and are worried about how you will stick to your goals, joining a gym may be the perfect choice for you to hit all of your goals and turn exercise into a regular habit.
