Speaking of working out, I had to park like waaay in the back of the parking lot at the gym tonight. Can we just skip ahead 2 months so I can get back to parking up front? I go to the gym to workout, I don't want a workout heading to the gym HAH!
I have a few words of advice for those of you that decided to become gym rats for the New Year, advice that is both encouraging and catty:
It is going to hurt. For a long. Long. Time. That is how you know you are doing it right. Don't let that keep you from the gym because when you decide you want to start working out again, it will hurt just the same. Just get past the first few weeks of soreness and you will feel much better.
Just because you workout doesn't mean you can eat crap. Unless you are like in the 18-23 age range with no kids. Those years are when you have the most amazing metabolism and you can eat & drink whatever you want and not gain an ounce. But if you are hitting the gym, you obviously don't fall into that category so you will need to supplement your workouts with a good diet. Have you ever heard the saying that abs are made in the kitchen? Its true, I swear it on my daughters life (see how serious I am?!). If you feed your body crap, your workouts will be crap. You need to feed your body the right amount of food (don't starve yourselves) and the right kinds of food. Need a place to start? Keep a food diary. They have tons of apps out there, my fave is Lose It! You can set goals, enter in your meals even customize them, and add in you workouts. There are lots of diets and meal plans out there, research them to find one that works for you.
Now for the catty part...when you buy gym clothes there are a few important things to keep in mind. Please please please PLEASE make sure your black yoga pants are not see through. So when you buy those new gym pants, keep the tags on. Bring them home, and try them on with the brightest color granny panties you have. Then in a brightly lit room in the safety of your home, bend over in front of your mirror. Your best friend. Your husband. Your 3 year old daughter....and ask them, "What color panties do I have on?".
Another note on the panties, what is the point of wearing thongs to the gym? How in the hell is that comfortable?? Maybe that is why people quit going to the gym...People you can go commando under your crop pants for an hour while you are at the gym. Your gyno might agree with me!
The point of a sports bra is to keep those puppies locked in place during exercise. Do you know that Victoria's Secret makes a PUSHUP sports bra?? You have got to be frickin kidding me. If you are wearing one of those to the gym, I hope your boobs slap you in the face while you are running or doing jumping jacks. That is just ridiculous. Maybe if I was a single gal or one of those scandalous military wives I would be concerned about how perky my boobs are at the gym. Honestly folks if you are that worried about how you look while you are at the gym, how can you be concentrating that hard on your workout?
I am probably just bitter because I have no boobs.
Lastly, if you are going to take up space in a packed gym class then at least put forth a half ass effort. I don't get it, why show up if you are just going to smack your gum and do the exercises whenever or however you feel like it? I understand if you are new to the class and are just learning, so I'm not talking about you guys! You peeps are actually trying. What I am talking about are the people that are busy chatting with their friend, smacking their gum, and putting forth zero effort. That is just annoying to me. I bet that person got one of the parking spots right in front of the gym too....
By no means am I trying to discourage anyone from keeping their New Years resolution. I just wanted to give a few friendly bits of clothing advice and vent about having to park a whole 4 rows back from the front of the gym....
In all honesty, if you have any questions about how I lost my weight and how I'm keeping it off I will gladly answer them! Just message me on here or on my Facebook page. I know its hard to go to the gym when you are overweight and self conscious. But I find the gym to be the one place where I can wear baggy clothes, no makeup, and get sweaty without being judged. Maybe its where I workout, maybe its because when I go to the gym its about ME and not about anyone else.
Just remember, all the people at the gym have the same goal: Get Healthy and Stay that Way!
Also gym-newbies should invest in good shoes. Don't wear Ked's or Converse to the gym. It's not about looking cute. it's about being fit!
ReplyDeleteYES! Very good point, also don't go out and buy the most expensive shoes out there because they may not be the best for you. Go to a running shoes store to get evaluated or research before you buy!
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