I know you’ve all seen them before. They lurk in the corners of your gym, they spend hours upon hours just standing there talking to trainers, talking to staff, heck they have probably even talked to you. They appear to be on their phones more than the time they spend lifting weights. They walk up, down and all around, attempting to look somewhat busy but who really knows what they are doing. You have probably even caught them uploading a cheeky selfie to social media. By now you have probably guessed I am referring to the procrastinators, the time wasters. The people that think, that by just turning up they will somehow be magically fit and healthy. But hey, there has probably been a time where we have all done a bit of time wasting at the gym.
I am here to tell how you can get the most out of your workout and limit the procrastination.
Track your progress
If you know where you started, it will mean so much more once you see how far you have come. Whether you record your lifts in a notepad or store everything in an app, tracking progress is a sure fire way to stay motivated every time you are at the gym. Better still most PT’s or CrossFit box’s have software in place already that will track every workout for you, you just need to attend and the owners do all the hard work.
Make a plan… and stick to it
I am and always will be a planner. If I don’t write down what I am doing for the day, I can guarantee I won’t get anything done. This applies to my training life as well. I ensure every detail of my program is written out, along with a time frame in which I am to compete it by (never more than 50 mintues of high intense work in one sitting). This is really the only way I can push myself to achieve the most of my workouts.
Mix it up
I have mentioned this many times before, so hopefully the point in sinking in. The truth is, if I stuck to lifting weights every day. I would get bored. Therefore, I have 2–3 weights sessions a week, a combination of Muay Thai training, as well as some yoga and pilates on the side. And that works for me! But don’t just take my advice for it, go out and do it. If you can find a training facility that caters to multiple forms of fitness. You’ll find you will never be short on options.
When in doubt, class it out
Attending fitness classes has always kept me honest about my workouts. I go in knowing what I am going to do and I come out knowing I have worked my hardest to get through it. During a class I don’t have time to check my phone or talk to the person next to me, nor do I really want to. For that one hour I am there my focus is on lifting the lext weight or how many jump squats I am doing to complete in the allocated time. Use these classes as a way of zoning out the noise of the world. I’ll let you in on a little secret, it will still all be there when you are done, the only difference being, you have worked your butt off in between.
Nutrition and hydration
As the old saying goes “80% diet, 20% exercise”. Whilst this saying may be slightly outdated, it’s somewhat true. For changes to be recognised, there should be a focus on what you are putting into your body more than anything. You aren’t going to get anywhere eating chips and drinking Coke (although it would be nice).
And there you have it, a few simple things to keep in mind for when you set foot in the gym.
Aim to make the most of each and every workout. Better still take this mentality into your everyday life. You’ll notice how much more you achieve on a daily basis.
Naomi Wallis
Product Manager
Naomi speaks all things functional movement. She loves it so much, she adopted it into her daily fitness routine. To say sport was ingrained in Naomi is an understatement.
In fact, she loved it so much, she went on to study sports science at university and has worked for some of the best NRL teams in the country.
Her world is revolved around the sport and she brings this enthusiasm to the table every single day.
