Part 1 - The benefits of working out in a gym

We all know that feeling, there are certain days when you just feel like doing absolutely nothing at all and spending the entire day tucked in under the blanket in the privacy of your home. Don’t feel guilty - we all get the urge to do this from time to time. However, if you keep reading this article, you will see that there are numerous reasons to fight against it and spend some time exercising in the gym instead.

No one in their right mind could possibly deny that regular exercise can provide immense benefits for your body as well as your mind. In this article, we want to bring your attention to some of the most important benefits of regular gym workouts and the different ways they can help you improve your lifestyle.

Get your body in a good shape

Ok, so let’s start with the most obvious reason why people usually decide to start hitting the gym to begin with - it is the desire to have a more attractive body and to appear more pleasing to other people. In fact, it wouldn’t be farfetched to say that this is the main reason why gyms were invented in the first place. However, there is more to it than just looking good. Going to regular workouts in the gym also improves your health, and that is the most important part. Good looks are just an added advantage of having a healthy body, after all.

As soon as you establish a regular exercise routine, your metabolism changes because it needs to consume more energy and burn more calories. This energy then needs to be replenished using a proper, regimented diet in order to keep your body going. Regular exercise helps your body increase its muscle mass and lose fat. Furthermore, when you exercise, your body goes through a period of increased cardiovascular activity, increasing your cardio-fitness levels and strengthening your lungs and your heart. This reduces the risk of a heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, type II diabetes as well as a number of other stress-related disorders, such as anxiety or depression.

However, the list of benefits to your health does not end there. As you keep exercising, you will increase the flexibility of your joints by continuously stretching your muscles. This substantially reduces the risk of mechanical injury and increases the longevity of your joints and ligaments. Last but not least, you will never feel out of breath again when you start walking uphill or when you run to catch a cab, because your stamina levels will increase as well. So, even though you will get the feeling that you were run over by a truck when you start working out after a period of prolonged inactivity, know that this feeling is only temporary, while the benefits to your overall health are long-lasting and wide-reaching.

Increase your mood and your self esteem

Another great thing about regular exercise is that your energy levels and your mood will increase as well. This happens because your body releases a special kind hormones called endorphins, which influence your brain receptors and give you an overall feeling of euphoria. There is no need to take any sort of pills or other chemical supplements, because your body is perfectly capable of creating this hormone all on its own.

And let’s not forget to take into account that your confidence will improve substantially as well. As much as we hate to admit it, all of us tend to judge people based on their physical appearance to a certain extent. As your physical appearance begins to improve, so will your self-esteem and your mindset in general. It’s quite a simple chain of events, really. You start working out → your appearance improves → you start to feel more confident. This, of course, inadvertently produces a reaction from the people surrounding you. You'll start to notice that your life is getting better when it comes to the relationships with your friends, your loved ones, your boss and your colleagues, etc.

On the other hand, when you start going to the gym on a regular basis, you will come to an important conclusion - that you are not the only one who doesn’t have the body of a movie star! If you take a closer look at other people exercising around you, you will notice that a lot of them don’t look perfect either. You will see people who are overweight, or skinny, or have flabby bellies - the list goes on and on. This realization is a very important step, especially if you are a beginner, which will help you understand that you don't look like total and utter failure when it comes to keeping your physical appearance in order.

Learn something new and improve your technique

As a specialized and controlled exercise environment, the gym gives you a number of advantages. First and foremost, it gives you unrestricted access to a wide array of exercise equipment. This includes various treadmills, cardio machines, bodybuilding machines, weights, fitness balls, etc. At first, all this can look very intimidating, especially if it is your first time visiting a gym in your area. However, you’ll soon find out that this is not the case and that all these machines and devices are fairly easy to master and use.

This brings us to our next point. When you start exercising at the gym, you won't be left to figure these things out all by yourself. In fact, you will be accompanied by a trained professional and closely following the instructions they give you. These instructors are there to help you reach your goals. They will take your needs into account and create an exercise schedule that closely meets those needs. This way, you will be able to achieve your fitness goals, and stay safe and motivated along the way.

Boost your mental capacity

Of course, the benefits of going to the gym do not end there, not by a long shot! In addition to getting a regular dose of endorphins, which will make you feel better, regular exercise also improves your memory as well as your other cognitive functions. When you get into the groove, you’ll find yourself struggling a lot less to remember things that happened some time ago, and you'll be able to solve problems more quickly.

Increase your lifespan

You can’t possibly beat this one! Who on earth doesn’t want to live longer! In fact, self-preservation is deeply embedded in our DNA sequence. We are naturally pre-programmed and governed by our instincts to overcome diseases and other dangerous situations in order to stay alive as long as possible. Regular exercise reduces the risks of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis as well as numerous other chronic conditions. We usually tend to postpone changing our life habits with our I’ll-do-it-later excuses. However, if you want to live to a healthy old age, it’s time to start changing habits now and stop making excuses!

Socialize and find more friends

Another important aspect that’s worth taking into account is the social one. The gym is a great place to meet new, interesting people. There is a common stereotype that gym halls are dominated by vain, brainless people. However, once you start working out, you’ll quickly find that this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, you’ll be meeting colourful people from all walks of life in no time. Once you find someone you find interesting, the two of you can work together as a group. They can be your spotter or your training buddy, and you’ll be able to team up and do all sorts of exercises together. Just try not to completely derail your usual workout routine by socializing with your new buddies too much.

Relieve stress and escape from your daily routine

Are you feeling under pressure or have too much stress in your life? Or perhaps you’re looking for an opportunity to get away from your daily routine? If so, you’ll find that going to the gym is a great way to disconnect from the world, clear your thoughts and spend some quality alone-time. You’ll stay focused on your training exercises and successfully manage to avoid thinking about your day troubles, at least for a little while.

Keep yourself motivated

If you are looking for a place that will keep you motivated and allow you to show your competitive nature? Well, look no further! Working out with your gym buddies will give you plenty of opportunities to nourish your competitive side and keep pushing yourself further. When you start to notice just how much fat your buddies are burning and how much their stamina and muscle mass increased, you’ll immediately feel the need to catch up with them.

Ward off insomnia

A lot of people have trouble sleeping at night. We live our lives in a fast-paced world and many of us find it extremely difficult to leave their daily problems behind and unwind for the night. This is why we toss and turn in our beds all night and have to resort to various sleeping medication in order to get a good night’s sleep. Well, regular exercise is a solution to this problem as well. It naturally depletes your body of excess energy and results in longer and sounder sleeping time. After finishing a good workout session, you’ll pass out as soon as your head barely touches the pillow.

It’s a good hobby to pick up

Everyone should have a hobby. If you happen to ask some people in your immediate surrounding about this topic, you'll find that most, if not all of them, have hobbies. Some people play an instrument, another choose a sport of some kind, others collect stamps and spend their time admiring their collections. Here’s a thought - why not make going to the gym your hobby!

If you think about it - this idea doesn’t sound crazy at all, because regular exercise has everything that a good hobby should have. First of all, there are quite a bit of new things that you can discover and learn about as you keep going. Secondly, body building gives you a sense of progression. There are an infinite number of goals that you can set for yourself to achieve. And your progression curve can be as steep as you want it to be. Plus, there is the added satisfaction of being able to watch yourself achieve those goals and keep track of them. So, why not say to yourself - going to the gym is my special hobby, the one that keeps my body healthy and helps me achieve more goals in life!

Reinvent yourself and create a ‘better you’

Going to the gym has one major goal where everything ties in together, and that is to get you to start changing your life for the better. As you start putting in effort, you’ll notice your body giving you the results you hoped to achieve. It will get a lot stronger and healthier, and you’ll start to gain better physical appearance, act more confident and start leading a healthier lifestyle. Even if it might take a while for you to get to where you want to be, as long as you stay dedicated and committed to your goal, there is no room for failure!

You got this!