People who manage to go to the gym on a regular basis usually are what you’d call “well fit”, and who wouldn’t want to be in good shape? So it’s hard to tell why we don’t all go. If I’m honest for a minute, I’d have to say that I’ve tried going to the gym regularly after joining one a few years ago.
I made the best of the first 4 or 5 weeks of my 18 months contract, and just when I thought I’d settled in a sporty rhythm something mysterious started to happen: almost every time I wanted to go to the gym, something else came up. It was as if I’d I totally jinxed myself and my sporty endeavours!
Needless to say that I stopped going completely after a while, and my guilty conscience weighed me down every time my account statement showed me the costs of the monthly fee.
Finding the right thing for you
Earlier this year I’ve joined another gym, and this time I got into the gym groove, which can be a very infectious rhythm! And it’s not because everybody is naked – the Greek word gymnasium means “school for naked exercise” – I just learnt to appreciate the variety, and I concentrate on the things that I like.
In the times of ancient Greece, a gymnasium was a place for the physical education of young men. This included gymnastics and all types of different exercises which were performed naked. Doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, but it was very popular in those days as the old gyms also had a spa, and it was a welcome diversion from studying or military service.
The good stuff
Today, a good gym may offer a great diversity of facilities including running paths, swimming pools, squash courts, tanning beds and saunas. And, of course, a well equipped work-out area should always be part of a good gym, but for me it’s two other things that make my days at the gym a truly enjoyable experience: boxing and aerobics.
What may sound like an unlikely combination at first glance actually turns out to be a pretty smart and holistic programme. Boxing requires a certain amount of physical strength that can be worked on by means of strength training.
If you see a gym from the inside about 3 times a week, you’ll build up some muscle by doing sets of 20-30 minutes each time you go. And doing aerobics will give you the fitness needed for doing 3 times 3 minutes of sparring. You may say that 9 minutes doesn’t sound like a lot, but you’ll feel like a hero once you manage to pull through such a session without feeling ultimately beat!
Just do it!
So my tip would be to look for a gym with lots of group exercise classes on offer. Aqua aerobics is becoming very popular, and a great way to train a variety of muscels. It’s more fun when you can do stuff in a group, and it’s motivating to do these classes with others. Next to aerobics, you can also do yoga, Taiji Quan (shadowboxing), pilates and other spin-cycle exercises.
What to wear
In the gym, you’re mostly faced with the same gear by the 3 or 4 big fitness brands. It’s really nice to stand out from the crowd with personalised gear, check out our gym T-shirts for inspiration. Of course you can create other custom products as well, like shorts, breathable T-shirts, sweatpants and hoodies. Put a bit of fun into your work-out gear with our funny gym T-shirts and make your fellow trainees smile – your workout will go as easy as the ABC.
