Why the Hell Did I Get a Gym Membership?

“New Year, New Me Baby!”

Yes, I was part of the wave New Year’s Resolution-iers who signed up to the gym at the start of the year because they said that they would get fitter. To be fair, going to the gym was a resolution from the previous year and it has been something that I was always swearing to my friends nonstop that I was going to do. Some time. Hahaha.

2019 was just different for me and I wanted to be more proactive not just in my body really, but in my overall lifestyle. I know that I have what it takes to go the gym. I am very disciplined and hard on myself. I was a masochist in a way where I loved going through the pain and pressure of following a certain goal. I always want more workload. I always want new challenges because I somehow needed to prove to myself that I can do it? The only thing really in the way was being super clueless and having a blank slate of a body to work on.

You can imagine your dream body all you like with wide shoulders, a big chest, rippling abs and big guns. How do you exactly go there when even that toothpick of the arms you have now is filled with nothing, but fat? Regardless, nobody is entirely hopeless and you can’t just give up when you’ve barely even started.

“BAM! I have a gym membership?”

It was just a random day in the mall I was passing by on my home from going to Church that I suddenly signed up for a gym membership. It was really out of nowhere and I really had no actual plans to actually be part of a gym community. It was more like a distant idea I was gonna take my time to get to.

I just happened by Anytime Fitness and learned that they had a newly opened branch which was real close to my house. When I was taking a peek inside, their sales person, Marga suddenly told me to come inside and she was just very nice and encouraging. Like I swear they were such good sales people because when I left the place, I was already signed up and was gonna start going to their gym the next day. Yes, it was pretty expensive and impulsive like I just seriously signed myself up for a 1 year commitment of going to the gym because the people were just so nice and it was the last day of a freaking promo. But I also knew that if I left that place without signing up, I may not ever have started going to the gym at all. I would still be putting off the idea for eternity.

“I’m here! Wait, what do I do?”

Okay. I didn’t just sign up for gym and suddenly knew what I was doing when I got there. Oh no, it was a freaking mess. I went my first day feeling happy and excited. I’ll just ask around what work outs to do and which machines to use. But nope, I was there without any idea what I was supposed to do and without anyone at all to help me figure it out. Personal training session are available and encouraged, especially when it’s your first time at the gym, but they were too expensive. I didn’t want to spend money I didn’t have so I was left to take care of myself.

So after that first day of desperately looking asking around for help and assistance and looking like an idiot not knowing any concept of a workout, I took it upon myself to do a bit of research. You see being a nerd does not make me a wimp. I also really felt guilty that maybe the money I’m going to be putting into the gym won’t amount to anything if I will be discouraged to actually go.

“Let’s do some research. Let me take some notes.”

I did a very thorough research study on work-out-routines for beginners in order to build a training schedule for myself. I went through blogs on the Internet, YouTube videos online, and a lot of helpful pins on Pinterest.

Like I didn’t know what “reps” and “sets” were. I didn’t have any guy friends at all so I didn’t have anyone to ask about going to the gym. I was by myself like always and really it was totally fine. It’s like that in the gym any way. You have to focus on yourself because you’re the one performing the work out and it is your own body that you’re building.

“Your brain isn’t going to lift these weights for you!”

Even when I was digesting all of this information and paying attention to every tip and insight I could get online, putting it in action was just not that easy. My mind had an action plan sure, but my body just can’t catch up to the impossible expectations I have for myself. I tried to do sets and sets of workouts, familiarizing myself with all of the machines I could use in the gym. I have to take advantage of the resources I just invested in.

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I looked like an idiot though attempting to do all of these work-out that were clearly just so new to me. I felt so weak and useless because I couldn’t lift at all and cannot complete a full rep of even just one set. I even remember puking water because I pushed myself too hard and had no food in my stomach at all.

I was very book-based and even when I thought I was following all of the rules and doing all of the things right, there was always something wrong. There’s always just some random guy or coach who will correct me every time. I appreciate that really because I’m not really confident to ask them for myself. But it really does make you feel embarrassed to continue and work-out in front of them because you’ll get scared of being told off.

“DOMS, pleasure in such pain.”

The shock that my body took that first week though was really rough because I just felt pain and soreness all over my body and it was difficult to move around. That was because it was the start and my body was just not used to the amount of physical activity I was suddenly putting it through. I have really gotten to love the pain really. Like, I would look for the ache in my body a day after every work-out. I don’t know. My body just suddenly feels awake. If I don’t have that, I can feel like something is missing. Weird, right?

It was really funny because I thought that going to the gym was really boring because you’re just doing the same things over and over again. Like what was the point in exhausting all of that energy for nothing? Then, I actually discovered how fun it is to focus on work outs and counting the numbers in your reps. And when you really get into it, gym can actually also be a place to calm yourself and clear your mind. And you won’t actually get tired from everything that you did. Oddly enough, you’ll be more energized and up to go the work and just annihilate the day.

“Just hang on, it gets easier over time.”

Even when I did struggle with going to the gym, I learned to get used to it after some time. It will take some time and you have to get into it slowly. Listen to your body to know what you can and cannot do yet. You will get to your goal, but you have to be patient and disciplined with it. Like you should just really believe in yourself. Just because you can’t do it today, doesn’t mean you can’t do it tomorrow.

The exercises and work-outs that I weren’t able to do before I am now doing with ease. It’s about familiarizing yourself to it, practicing. When you get it, you can continuously challenge yourself to do more and push yourself harder. Every time you go the gym, you’re only getting stronger and before you know it time has passed, and you can already see the results of your hard work in your body.

Life has gotten in the way a bunch of times and I don’t exactly go MWF anymore, but I always make sure to still go 3 times any day of a week. Honestly that is the only thing that keeps that voice in my mind quiet that I am not wasting my money in all of this.

“I’m not there yet, but the important things is I don’t stop.”

Okay so again, I am no expert at all. 4 months in and I am still struggling and making a fool out of myself every time I go to the gym. The important things is I still continue to go. I have to a lot of work on and I’m actually at the point where I have to change my work-out plan to see more improvement, but I will get around to that I promise. I don’t have my dream body yet and I am not fully confident parading it around for the world to see, but I feel better and just a bit healthier which is good.

If a scrawny sissy-ass wimp like me can start going to the gym, what stops you from going? You’re gonna do much better than me. I know that. Bring your friend or someone to share fitness goals with you. Working-out can be fun and you don’t have to immerse yourself to torture like I did. That was just my version of fun.

You don’t even have to go to the gym. You can also work out at home or play some sport with your pals. The real important thing with this is when you start, you have to continue and don’t stop. You have to incorporate your work-out strictly into your routine, even if with just a few minutes into your day. Why would you stick with staying in bed and feeling bad for yourself. Get up and skip some rope and feel like a little girl again. Isn’t that just so precious?

What happened after 10 Months? Find out by Reading my 10-Month Gym Progress and Everything I was Doing Wrong.

Thinking of going to the gym yourself? Check out some 7 Helpful Tips for Gym First Timers!

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