It’s now been three weeks since I joined the gym and in that time I’ve been really good and have pretty much stuck with my 3 times a week thing. The first week and a half I really had no idea what I was doing, so I stuck to cardio and some dumbbells. I’ve discovered that I love the bike and I’ve already notice a huge improvement in my cardio fitness from doing bike sessions. The first time I got on the bike I was dying after only 5km on level 4, now I’m already up to doing an easy 5km on level 10-12. Biking is actually really fun and I love to chuck on some good fast-paced tunes, and bike along to a course. This takes my mind off actually doing exercise and it’s amazing how fast the time goes. Sometimes I’ll also use this time to jump on social media or reply to emails. One time I got so carried away on Instagram that my workout had ended and I was still pedalling away! 😂
A week and a bit into my time at the gym, I got to spend an hour in a one-on-one personal training session which was included as part of my gym sign up. I found this so incredibly useful as the PT took me around the gym and showed me how to use the resistance machines. I had been way too chicken to give these a try as I had no idea how to use them, and to be honest, some of them looked more like torture devices rather than gym equipment. I didn’t want to be THAT person using the gym equipment totally the wrong way! My PT showed me how to use each machine properly, and what weight to use and now I feel so much more confident hitting the gym. He also drew me up a three day training plan that works my shoulders, chest, arms and legs. I had an operation on my leg when I was 17 to remove a bone tumour (non-cancerous, thankfully) and as a result they had to cut through the muscle in my leg. The strength in my left leg has really never been the same and when I told the PT, he incorporated strengthening this muscle into my training plan. I can already feel my leg getting a little stronger, and while I know it will never be the same as the other leg, I’m so happy to be noticing some improvement.
I now feel so confident at the gym and I will happily jump on one of the resistance machines and do my sets. I’m still on some of the lower weights but I can already feel myself getting so much stronger and fitter and I love it. I’ve also lost 2cm around my waist (which is all my Christmas food) and I’m back to feeling like myself. I really can’t explain how much I love the gym and each time I leave, I can’t wait to go back. I have been a bit sore the day after my workout so I’ve been going every second or third day, just depending on what I’ve been working (and how much it hurts!). Even when I’m in pain, I can’t wait to get back!
Also I should probably just make a little disclaimer and say that I joined the gym on my own accord and I pay for it all myself. I’ve seen a lot of bloggers lately with sponsored gym posts, and I can promise you that this is definitely not one of them! Anytime Fitness have no clue I’m writing this. This is a real post written by someone who is a total beginner at the gym, but I’m having a tonne of fun learning 💪🏼