If you are like many people, you are looking to start a new diet fitness program to drop those unwanted pounds and improve your health. You might want to take out a gym membership to help you achieve your fitness goals.
Of course, going to the gym can be a little intimidating at first, especially with all the options and exercise equipment available to you. Here are some tips to help you as you embark on your diet fitness program.
The first day at the gym is generally fairly easy, as most facilities will provide an introduction day to help you learn to use the exercise machines. However, the second day can be tough, because you are trying to determine which workouts to do and often times can't remember the purpose of each machine or how they work.
If you are a complete beginner, you will probably find it beneficial to hire a personal trainer, at least for the first several days to help you get stared on your diet fitness program. If you don't want to take on this additional expense, try to find an experienced friend who can help jumpstart your routine. Remember you can either spend a lot of time learning by trial and error, or take weeks (and even years) off your learning curve by finding someone who's already in shape and modeling their success.
On the first introductory session, take a notepad and pen, and write down the name of each machine and their purpose. It's nearly impossible to remember in your head what each machine does; putting it down on paper will remind you when you are first starting out at the gym.
Don't push yourself too had at the beginning. This could very well be the most important tip of all. Many people quit after just several days or weeks of a diet fitness program because they overwhelm themselves at the outset.
A better option is to go easier on yourself at the start, and gradually increase your repetitions and the difficulty of the workout. Don't try to do too much too soon.
Rome wasn't built in a day, and you won't reach your fitness goals that soon, either. However, you will be amazed at how much you improve by just upping the repetitions by a few each day.
When using the treadmill, instead of increasing the speed, try increasing the grade instead. You may actually find that this method, even at a slower speed, actually burns more calories than jogging.
Don't spend a lot of time socializing at the gym. As you get to know others at the gym, it gets to be very easy to get sidetracked by talking and losing focus of why you are there in the first place. Don't let this happen to you. Be polite, but keep conversations brief and you will find that you reach your fitness goals faster than you ever believed possible.
When you are first starting out at the gym, it can be pretty intimidating-especially if it seems like everybody else there is in shape and knows exactly what they're doing. Don't worry about it. Just relax, follow the above advice, and you will find yourself reaching your fitness goals faster than you ever dreamed possible, and actually enjoying your diet fitness program.