How to CRUSH IT: Going to the Gym

It's a new year and everybody is hyped up on healthy. Gym memberships rocket, blah blah blah, we know it all. Yet apparently, in recent years, Britons have wasted over £35 million in gym memberships they don't use, while it takes Americans only 24 weeks on average to give up going to the gym after signing up in the new year. Which would be, for this year's New-Years-Resolution-Gym-Splurgers, coming up in the next few months.

So - and I think I'm being very observant here - there may be an issue with the connection between leaping out of bed in January and flinging your precious monies at a fitness institution, and then... Actually attending said institution. So I would like to address:

What puts us off going to the gym?

I wracked the brains of some fellow students to find out...

"I found it intimidating..."

"I do go... But only when it's quiet," says one friend, while another comments that he finds "you get people who look down on guys who aren't ripped". Both of them seem to be speaking for a large majority.

It's a common problem: therein lies (but only briefly, between crunches) a sea of girls with funky-print Victoria's Secret yoga pants or Blogilates gym tops, doing so many squats that if you held up a magnet, their now-iron thighs would come hurtling towards you. Good God, you think, they're so preppy and focused and driven. I can see the kale smoothies and chia seeds burning in their eyes! Abort! Abort! - Why would I even try?! You try to escape, but alas, you run into a wall of men lifting dumbells the equivalent weight of their own extended family after Christmas dinner, producing groans that make you wonder if an ambulance should be on stand by. And you feel simply inadequate.

What, this? Oh, just a light warm up.

Another friend commented that she would feel "judged for using lighter weights"; remember that everybody started somewhere. Yes, even the Taylor Lautner wannabe in the corner had a time in his life wherein he couldn't use a shoulder press.

Blast some tunes if you want to ignore the outside world - but tell yourself that it's not about what they're doing. And fake it 'til you make it.

"I don't like people looking at me exercise..."

Another common issue seems to be an expectancy of looking your best when doing exercise. Frankly, I'd wager most fitness experts would suggest that if you look in tip-top condition, sweat free and ready for a photoshoot, you ain't doin' the whole exercise shebang right.

Seems legit.

Peers have made comments such as, "I feel put off by the pressure to look attractive": from where has this idea sprung that going to the gym is about looking sexy or meeting life partners? It's difficult to enjoy exercise if you're worried about your eyeliner smudging, or your quiff careering off-center. Stop treating the gym like a runway, and take a friend along to be your delightfully sweaty pal. Break down those friendship boundaries.

...No, they bloody well sweat.

"I'm too lazy..."

Less often an excuse of university students, as gyms are likely to be a closer and for a discounted price, but numerous people reported that being lazy was still the main reason they don't go to the gym. One friend made the suggestion that attending exercise classes can solve this: "the person shouting at me was quite motivating." It's true: you're much more likely to attend if you've paid for one particular commitment.

Make your Future Self hate your Present Self. Book those classes. Set the alarm. If you think you'll regret being "too lazy" later on, don't let yourself get away with it.

"You need fresh air..."

Perhaps a less predictable response, but one that came up a lot: "I think exercising inside is weird", and this may be a solid point: why pay to run on the spot indoors when you could be getting a healthy dose of the outdoors for free? Others made similar comments, such as "I'd rather get the fresh air" - a valid point unless you're looking for specific gym-residing equipment.

So the only thing left to say is that if you get a spurt of motivation and want to be "a gym-goer", maybe consider if any of the above might be a potential difficulty. Then grab an action plan, make it work, and go to the gym anyway.