7 Gym Myths by Jane Thurnell-Read

I’m a very keen on going to the gym; people are often interested in asking me what I do there, but then make some negative comments too. Here are some of the gym myths I’ve encountered and my response to them:

1.    I’d love to go the gym, but it takes up too much time.
This is very rarely true; most people spend time doing things that are much less interesting and potentially rewarding. Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihaly says that many people assume that popular activities like watching TV are enjoyable, but his research shows that people are happier when they do things where they feel involved and active. The other thing about the gym is when you are fit and well from going to the gym, the rest of your life is easier: shopping takes less time, you run up stairs rather than walk, you get sick less often , etc.

2.    Going to the gym is boring.
It definitely can be, but in most gyms the instructors are happy to give you a new routine every 6-8 weeks. At the very least change your routine before you get bored. Do some classes too – many gyms now offer spin bike classes, Pilates-type classes, body combat – vary what you do. This can keep you motivated and stimulated.  One of the main reasons people find gyms boring is that they don’t push themselves, so they don’t see much in the way of improvements. Once you start to see how your body is changing, you get more and more motivated, and a gym workout becomes one of the most intensely absorbing things you do all day. If you go along and go through the motions, it will be boring.

3.    I’ve tried the gym, but it doesn’t work.
This needs to be rephrased as: “I tried the gym, but I didn’t work, so it didn’t work.” It is not enough to pay your money and turn up; you need to work and sweat and challenge yourself. You may find the going difficult at first, but try to build up rapport with one of the instructors. Ask him/her to tell you when you are doing things wrong. Tell the instructor you want to push and challenge yourself, but you may need their help and encouragement to do that. If you have a concern about a particular area of your body, tell them. Most gym instructors love working with interested, committed people – it makes their day a lot more interesting and satisfying too.

4.    Going to the gym will give me big muscles.
If you’re a man, it might, but you’ll have to work very hard for that. If you’re a woman, it won’t (you don’t have enough male hormones to do that), but it can give you a lovely toned, strong body.

5.    Gyms are only for young people. 
Some gyms do cater mainly for young people and aren’t welcoming for older people, but this is definitely not true of most gyms. As you get older, there are even more reasons for you to go to the gym: it will improve your bone density, reduce your chance of getting some cancers, reduce your chances of falling, make you look younger.

6.   I'm too fat to join a gym.
n the gym you will find lots of slim people, but if you talk to them, you will find that many of them have become slim as a result of going to the gym and not before they went to a gym.

7.    You have to be fit before you start going to the gym.
I am not going to dignify this myth with an explanation of why it is wrong!

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