8 Reasons I Love The Gym

1 February 2016

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Since late last year, I have started attending my local gym around three times a week and I absolutely love it. At first, I thought it was something I would never do, but now I spend most of my time telling people about how much I love the gym and why. 

#1 Judge-free zone
Before signing up to the gym, I always figured going was going to be really uncomfortable, people were going to stare at me and judge me for not being stick thin. I used to always say, “When I’m skinny, then I’ll go to the gym.” But that’s completely the wrong attitude to have. Since attending my local gym, I’ve found that it’s a total judge-free zone. The people that are there, are there to either help or get on with their work out. There are no sly remarks, judgemental looks or uncomfortable rooms. The floating ideas of being judged or assessed were nothing but anxiety – my imagination is absolutely nothing like reality. My gym has sections for women only, which is also useful; but I still find that the mixed area are perfectly fine. 

#2 Great music
Some of my favourite tracks are ones I’ve discovered while in the gym. Songs I would previously consider “noise” are now some of the most played tunes in my playlist. The gym I attend plays some great motivational music, that has a beat you can run to and use really well for interval training. Often, it’s regular chart music that’s remixed for a faster beat, other times there are old-school jams that mix it up. The mood and general atmosphere is always affected by music, so the better the music, the better the gym. On days where I bring my own music, my Bluetooth headphones are perfect for staying in the zone and avoiding distractions.

#3 WiFi
Although I should really be concentrating on achieve my goal weight and size, when there’s free WiFi in the gym, I can’t help but sneak onto Twitter or even YouTube and catch up on the day. I will reply to emails, watch my subscriptions and play games while I’m there, which is a method I often use when I’m too tired and really don’t want to be working out. When using the machines I secretly detest but know are really good for me, I will put on a long YouTube video (or Captain America if I have the battery life) and distract myself from working hard. After about half an hour, I’ve burned the right amount of calories without noticing. 
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#4 Weight loss
One of the number one reasons I decided to join the gym was to lose weight. As I don’t have a personal trainer or set plan, I can do which exercises I want and enjoy the time I have, moving at my own pace. During the first few weeks, I didn’t see many results, but as I’ve done more research and learned how to make the most out of a work out, I can see my body shape slowly changing. There’s no chance of me become a super healthy freak soon, but the more I see change, the more I like going to the gym.

#5 Motivation
Whenever I finish a session at the gym, I feel really motivated. Not only am I ready to eat healthier and work out more, but I also feel motivated to blog and increase my work ethic. I’m currently trying to start a perfect career as I’m not ready to blog full-time. When there are so little jobs in my area, it can be quite difficult to stay positive, but going to the gym really boosts my mood. I can return home very tired, but that doesn’t stop me from job hunting or coming up with new blog posts.

#6 More to learn
Every time I work out, I learn something new. It could be a new recipe, how to use a machine or the best way to burn calories in thirty minutes. I’m a little geeky in the way I love to learn new things, so going to the gym means I receive the opportunity to gain knowledge in things I would never normally understand. I know which exercises best suit me, and how to focus a specific work out to a certain area. Similarly, I know how to properly use a treadmill and follow the pre-set programmes which help to keep me going. 
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#7 New friends
As an embarrassingly shy person, my confidence isn’t very high and I find it rather difficult to come out of my shell. However, since going to the gym, I’ve noticed my “I don’t care” attitude coming back more and more each day. The opinions of others should never affect your self-esteem and going to the gym often reminds me of this. Hard work and a good heart are way more important that a back-handed compliment. Making new friends at the gym boosts my confidence and mood each time I visit. The friendly atmosphere also enhances the all-round ambiance of the gym.

#8 Improved health
I’ve has asthma since birth and always have check-ups to ensure it’s under control. One of the reasons my asthma was previously so bad was poor health. I spend all day sat down, typing and talking. I then come hope to type and probably talk a little more. With the lack of movement, my metabolism slows down and I have a lot less energy, resulting in a real struggle when I do have to move quickly. Since going to the gym and being motivated to eat cleaner, my health has improved so much more, as well as the amount of sleep I get and my general mind-set. I don’t get tired after running for long periods of time, and I can take lovely long walks without struggling for breath. 

Do you go to a gym? What do you love the most?

31 comments

  1. Lovely post, all these reasons make me want to go to the gym. And nothing can beat free wifi haha. <3

    Valentina from FASHION with VALENTINA.

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  2. Duh, if my gym would have wifi I'd maybe go there more often :DD

    Love, Kerstin
    http://www.missgetaway.com/

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  3. I am not the biggest fan of gym as I prefer other exercises such as hiking, bicycling or running. But I see why you love going to the gym so much :) As they say: each their own! x

    -Leta | The Nerdy Me

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  4. Love these revelations! I simply go the to gym in my apartment complex, but yes before I started doing so I was really shy about it. I find that bringing a friend along really helps.

    xo, Alice || a l i c e / T Y P E N U

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  5. Love this post! Been back at the gym for 2 weeks consistently now and love it!
    www.katherinerosie.blogspot.co.uk
    x

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  6. Love this! I sooo wanna join gym this month! Defo on my todo list. Thank you for sharing this with us darling. Visit me www.its-dominica.blogspot.co.uk whenever you can. Kisses, Dominica S. xXx

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  7. Love this! Makes me want to go to the gym

    www.susannahzabelle.com

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  8. such a cute post! I love new work out music!


    kelseybang.com

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  9. Anika! You're so right about all of these. The gym is so important to me as well. I hurt myself and required knee surgery and not being able to go to the gym was the worst part of recovery!

    Glad to see you're out there killing it!

    Taylor
    http://foreverlywild.wordpress.com

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  10. My goodness I wish I felt the same way haha! This has helped though I will say! I totally agree with #1! I used to think that I would be so judged but people were so nice instead! Gotta love when that happens!:)

    Shannon Sage

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  11. I hope your love for the gym is contagious! I need to go more often :)
    xoxo

    Novelstyle

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  12. Thanks for stopping by on my blog, Anika! I love your blog too!
    Ah I am considering myself to go to the gym or not. My goal is also the same, to improve my health. But I've been thinking to go to the dance club also. Now I am motivated to go to the gym HA!

    x, Ivana | www.ivananatashas.com

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  13. I love your post, and i want to do sports

    Linda www.missydressesau.com

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  14. My gym doesn't have free wifi. In all seriousness though, I was so self conscious when I started going to my local gym. I felt like everyone was comparing themselves to me or just watching my every move. Now that I've been for about six months I've learnt that no one cares what I'm doing. Everyone is there to improve their on health and wellbeing.

    Sally ~ DiagonSally

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  15. Though I don't go to a gym anymore (I end up paying all the fees but never going and there's a beach with running track at the end of my road so!) I totally agree with all your points here - especially the first one. When I used to go to one I found everyone just zones out to what else is going on around them! Fab post :) x

    Viva Epernay | Lush Giveaway ❤

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  16. great post! I should start going to the gym haha :D

    xo
    itsevelina blog

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  17. I don't really gym, but if it meant having an excuse to buy all that Nike stuff, I would. ^^
    Minaali
    The Snap Narrative

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  18. Ok so I get why you love it... now can you convince me to join up? :D I have no dedication to fitness whatsoever and the further I get into my 20s the more I feel the fat settling - help!
    www.MarinaSays.com

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  19. I want to start to go to gym so much...!!

    www.brooklynglam.com

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  20. Me and one of my bffs have just recently gotten into going to the gym and I must say I am hooked as well. Unfortunately ours does not have wifi though! I wish it did, because it would make workouts go a lot faster if I were able to catch up on youtube videos while sweating it out on the elliptical or treadmill!

    Rae | Love from Berlin

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  21. I prefer working out at home, but many find it easier to focus in a gym.

    Have a nice day!

    http://modaodaradosti.blogspot.hr/

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  22. Love it! I had fun reading this.


    ** I'm inviting you to join Love, Beauty Bloggers on facebook. A place for beauty and fashion bloggers from all over the world to promote their latest posts!


    BEAUTYEDITER.COM
    Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

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  23. I went to the gym years ago and I like it :) but now I don't have money and time!!

    aishettina.blogspot.it

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  24. I love the all black! These are great reasons!

    http://www.theaisleofstyle.com/

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  25. I love gym too :)))

    xoxo
    www.bellezzefelici.blogspot.com

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  26. This post is motivating me to go the gym! Great post.

    Kayla xo // Kayla's Vibration

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  27. I started gym in November and couldn't be happier with it! Absolutely obsessed (in a healthy way). Need to sign up for more classes though :) Loved this post & your reasons for loving it, I agree with each and every one of them. I feel bad reading it in a way because I skipped my training tonight (awww, shame on me!) but planning to catch up tomorrow, Thursday & Saturday :)
    xox Nadia
    http://www.mielandmint.com/

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  28. It sounds like you've found a great gym! I work out at home, but sometimes find it hard to get motivated. I'd love to find a gym close by that had wifi and I felt comfortable going to.
    ~Lili
    www.thefashionsalt.com

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  29. Working out is great for you for so many reasons!I agree with you that it's an amazing mood-booster too!
    http://carolinapage.eu

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