In my last post, I wrote about how after years of being sceptical about the gym environment, I now find myself shamelessly addicted and quite the convert. I admitted that my scepticism came from my preconceived ideas about gym-buff stereotypes and not liking some of the trends that sweep through the fitness industry.
I think it’s such a shame that I missed out on years of building bone density, getting high on body-pump-induced endorphins and enjoying the sense of community, all because I let my pre-conceived judgements get in the way.
I’ve learned that so long as you go into the gym with your own set of goals and a common sense philosophy about fitness, recovery, nutrition and self-care, then you can totally have a ball, and just turn a blind eye to the people drinking fluorescent-coloued sports drinks or leaving class before we have finished a proper warm-down.
Please allow me to share my top tips for staying true to your unwavering sense of self care as you venture into the super-fun and uplifting gym environment. I’ve found that I have to play my own game in there, abstaining from getting caught up in the majority of fitness industry’s hardcore mottos and philosophies.
Trust your body and the signals it’s giving you …
We’ve all heard that motto “no pain, no gain” haven’t we? It’s clever, because it makes us push through pain barriers, defy our body’s requests to take it easy, and push through at maximum capacity actually seeking out painful experiences, believing that this is what success “feels” like. It’s a survival instinct for the body to favour energy conservation and thus temp us to resist any sort of muscle discomfort. For those of us that have gotten into a fitness routine of sorts, we know burning sensations to be a sign that we are making a difference … like the heat of success felt in the legs after a long round of squats. However sometimes, the body needs to be trusted, not silenced by the trainer’s encouragement to “push harder all the way home“. If you’re in genuine pain, and can intuitively distinguish it from the friendly burn of muscles resisting fatigue, then that’s a good time to stop or at least slow down. As you grow fitter, you will be able to stand longer repetitions. If you go too hard, too fast you risk injury. Better to go easy and keep the body in top condition – I am speaking from experience here.
Resist the temptation to compete with long-time gyms-buffs …
There’s no way around it – gyms are competitive environments. You’ll attend the odd class where the trainer reminds you to just focus on your own goals, but I’ve found that these instances are few and far between. It can totally be good times to let your competitive streak out for a while, but from experience, this can be where injury occurs. Maybe you’re wanting to get lower on your squat than the dude next to you, or do more burpees than the super-fit, lycra goddess in the front row. If you genuinely feel up to the challenge then fan-freakin-tastic, good for you, this can be a fun “game” to play and give you that extra dose of motivation. However, feel no shame in staying rational, recognising that for where your body is up to at the moment, or even just for how you’re feeling today (maybe you’re still a bit sore from yesterday’s class?), getting competitive isn’t going to do you any long-term favours. Remember even if you’re taking all the easy options and using the lightest weights, you’re still running metaphorical laps around everyone that didn’t show up to class. Which brings me to my next point …
Take every option you need …
Group fitness instructors (or at least the fan-freakin-tabulous gang at Brighton Fitness) are really good at modifying exercises to suit special needs in the class and/or cater to different fitness levels. These options aren’t “soft” they are to keep you safe. If you haven’t yet built up the strength in one particular body part, say the core, then all surrounding body parts will suffer if you try to do the trickiest version of a workout. So use the modifications as you need them, with time you’ll more than likely find yourself ready to do the full exercise, but know that there’s no rush. Sure the instructors might joke with the old regulars, saying things like “I think you could add a bit more weight to that bar”, or “come on (insert name here), try a few pushups on your toes”, but they are mostly having a LOL, not dropping hints to the rest of the class. That’s not to say you can’t try things out to test your limits, but be mindful of the first few tips; know when your body needs to step it down a notch and focus on your own workout, rather than getting self conscious because everyone else seems stronger, faster and fitter than you today.
Remember to stretch after your workout …
Some classes, such as body pump are great, because you are constantly given stretch breaks and then at the end there’s a 5 minute warm-down. However other classes, such as CX works, which is only 30 minutes long, skips the stretching side of things. It’s tempting to think “well, that’s my workout done, now I must rush home to cook dinner, feed pets, answer emails etc.“, but stretching is so important. I know I used to disregard it, thinking “yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll stretch a bit later” – it rarely happened and I’d forget, wondering why I was waking up stiff and sore the next day. These days, even if I’ve got shit to do, I always make sure to stretch after class, be it downstairs in a vacant studio or back at home. I’ve seen people leave the class just as we begin a series of warm-downs, probably seeing it as an “optional” extra, rather than the only way to release muscle tension. Unless we stretch to release the tension build-up, we risk pain and injury.
If you can make it to a pilates, yoga or body balance class at least once a week, this will help to counteract the more intense activity you do …
For those that are in to the high intensity and/or heavy lifting classes, body balance, Pilates and yoga probably seem like a major step down in terms of fitness training. However they are technical in their own unique ways and a beautiful complement to your regular training schedule. Plus, you’ll pick up on some basic postures that you can do at home after other classes to release tension in certain parts of the body. These aren’t “soft” options and though far less intense than say an RPM or body attack workout, they still have an important place in maintaining a strong and healthy body. You don’t have to become a chai-tea-sipping, zen-minded yogi to attend such classes – just think of it as “glorified stretching”.
Be smarter than the “calories in, calories out” model that may get shoved down your throat …
This one will vary from gym to gym. The instructors at my gym generally don’t bang on about calories too often, but that lingo still rears its head from time to time. Sure burning energy feels good and don’t we all love feeling extra keen for dinner on those days where we do a little more? I LOVE being extra hungry for dinner – it makes it all the more enjoyable. However, considering the cardiovascular, lymphatic, neurological, muscleoskeletal, gastrointestinal, hormonal and skin-related benefits we gain through working-out, do we really want to make our main focus to be burning off what we ate before our workout?
Exercising out of pure love and respect for your body, rather than out of fear for something you ate the day before is so much more uplifting.
Exercise isn’t an excuse to put franken-foods into your body or eat your body-weight in refined carbohydrates. It’s a pillar of health, alongside a nourishing diet, adequate sleep, a healthy social life, a fulfilling life purpose and avoiding toxic chemical exposure wherever possible. So when your trainer says something along the lines of “come on, push harder so you can eat more when you get home” or “make your body work for all those glasses of champagne you’re going to consume on the weekend”, try thinking of something else, like heart attack prevention or the endorphin-rush and then go home and eat something nourishing – as much or as little of it as your body is asking for. Trust that your body knows how much it needs for maintenance and repair.
Get your protein from REAL FOOD …
There’s still a major protein-shake-obsessed culture at most gyms. Remember these two posts?
Where Do We Stand With Protein?
A franken-food-filled shake that comes in flavours such as “birthday cake” or “rainbow sprinkles” (WTF?) is not something your precious body needs after working hard for you. It needs hydration; so pure water or maybe coconut water if you’ve really had a good sweat, plus something simple, such as fresh fish and veggies or ripe banana coins smeared with nut butter. REAL protein-rich foods are easy to find. Don’t get sucked in by the notion that you “need” a specially-formulated drink just because you did a pump class … I think your body will be okay sticking to things that mother nature (rather than the supplement industry) provided.
Respect the philosophies of your instructors, but know that you don’t have to take them on as your own …
I love the instructors at my gym – they are funny, kind and amazing at their jobs. I respect that they have dedicated their lives to the fitness industry and this has been their headspace forever. They are conditioned to believe that pain is positive, struggle town is the ultimate destination and that harder is always better. Plus they often sport constitutions that can handle these mottos – you should see the muscles on these kiddlets. Group classes wouldn’t be as fun or as motivating if they yelled stuff like “just take it easy today” or “keep enough in the tank for tomorrow” – it’s their job to kick your ass. Just don’t fall for the trap of feeling guilty for not always going at 1000%. If you genuinely want an easy day then take it. Maybe today you came more for the atmosphere and community than you did for a hard-earned sweat. The default position for fitness instructors is to motivate you to push your limits. I love this, without their encouragement I probably would end up being too soft on myself and not realising my full potential.
I’m just very mindful to take each workout as it comes, knowing that some days I’ll push harder than others and that this is COOL BANANAS … it’s my own fitness game and no one else really needs to judge me for it.
I hope this post gives you permission to stand strong in your personal power and enjoy immersing yourself in the gym culture, but without being pressured into decision-making that results in injury, calorie-obsession or kidney damage (from synthetic protein-shake consumption).