Do You Need to Go to A Gym?
We all know we need to move our bodies more. So that begs the question, do you need to go to the gym to do that?
Like a white boy at prom, many people at the gym are not enjoying being there. Really what everyone wants is the result of being there. After all, they aren't at the prom because they want to go. They feel guilted into it or understand that it is something they should do vs. something they want to do. Begrudgingly they wander into the gym, hopping from thing to thing until they have checked some unknown box, and then they leave.
It is good to go to the gym and be active regardless of what got you there in the first place. Sedentary rates are climbing, so getting people in the gym is good for reversing that trend. But the problem is that they don’t stay there once they get into the gym. So why don’t we tend to stay?
The (probable) psychology behind why you don’t want to be at the gym
Working out is hard
There is no goal or thing you are looking to get better at because you are there out of guilt or obligation.
It is easier/more fun to sit, eat dark chocolate sea salt caramels with wine and watch k-pop videos on Youtube. *if this is your guilty jam, we should be friends*
What Will Keep You At the Gym?
Most people head to the gym for exercise and not to train for anything. It is terrific that they are at the gym, but there is no planned movement pattern or progression for what they will do there. Without a plan, it is hard to see progression or change; without that change, it is easy to stay home.
Here is a different way to relate this concept most people can relate to. I am guessing everyone who is reading this knows how to drive. But just because you know how to drive does not mean you know what to do to make your car go faster or perform better. For that, you get a mechanic. The mechanic has a plan and the knowledge on what to replace or fix first to boost your car’s performance. That plan was formatted by someone who went to school and succeeded in plans like this before. They have put time and practice into understanding where to start and how to tweak things intelligently.
What Keeps us At The Gym—Random Exercise vs. Planned Training
I drive my car almost every day but wouldn’t know the first thing about how to change its performance, and I know it. But I also know that when I started working out before college, I would regularly think I could train myself to perform better. Most people believe that they know how to structure exercise. We know our bodies better than anyone else—thus, we tend to be biased because we don’t need someone to tell us how to move them well.
Most people in the gym go there to do machines or weights. Again it is GREAT that they are in the gym, but they typically will stop coming at some point and pay for an unused gym membership for years. When you get to the gym and do a little bit of this and a little bit of that without tracking anything or planning anything, you won’t see a change, and you won’t feel a change.
Let’s say you are a bit better than the average gym goer and use weights or equipment until you feel your muscles are fatigued. Feel is a fickle thing. How you sleep and what you eat will change how you feel while you are working out. If you are working out based on how tired you feel, the amount you will do will be inconsistent, and it will be hard to make gains.
Each of our bodies responds best to progressive stress—the right amount at the right times. Your bones get stronger, and your muscles can do more for longer when you progressively stress them. This is true regardless of your age. There was a pretty kick-ass case study done on a guy that was 102. With planned training, his muscles changed in size, and he could tolerate more exercise for longer.
When you work out without a plan on how to progressively load and stress your body, you can get disillusioned fast. If you are making time to go to the gym, you have a small window to make that change count. We are human, and if we don’t want to do something in the first place and see little to no change from that time investment—we will quit. We probably won’t be back until a negative health event scares you into getting on the elliptical again. Even with a health scare, you won’t stick with it this time either because you are not planning out your time and see zero results.
Planned training prevents us from getting on a hamster wheel at the gym. When you have a plan, you will have a goal for the day. You will get in and get out faster. You will be efficient with your time. You will see and feel changes that will keep you coming back.
What Keeps us At The Gym—Community
Humans are a social species, and even the most introverted among us still are programmed to exist in groups. There are so many health problems associated with loneliness that Steve Cole, a researcher at UCLA, refers to loneliness as a “fertilizer for other diseases.” Social isolation and loneliness are associated with higher risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, obesity, and depression.
Research on weight loss has shown that women who rarely or never experienced social support were less likely to lose weight. In contrast, women who experienced frequent social support were likelier to lose weight. A supportive social environment is strongly correlated with being physically active.
We are more likely to succeed with exercise when part of a community. Communities have camaraderie, and they go after common goals. People in the community relate to where you are because they have been there too, and they will cheer enthusiastically for you when you succeed. Exercising in a group helps us stay committed and not cheat ourselves, especially when we are entirely unmotivated. This is because the community shares its energy among the members, motivating them to push themselves. Lastly, community exercise is planned by someone else who specializes in the human body, as a mechanic does in engines. Community exercise gets you to the gym and keeps you there because it helps you love what you hated about the gym.
The Crux
Emotions create habits, not repetition or frequency. Seriously, that is the science behind habits sticking around. Not just do it 67 times, and then it will stick forever like a unicorn sticker to your nice furniture #girlmom.
Going to the gym is a habit most people want, and few people keep it if they are able to start it at all. This is because when we finally make the time, we don’t take the time to be intentional with what we are doing. Without being intentional and planning what we will do, we see little to no change, and then we lose any motivation we might have had when we started.
Exercise communities create positive emotions around gym time by establishing a social support system that helps you celebrate your gains. Celebration helps build momentum, and it literally changes your brain. Plus, in community exercise, gains are easier because you exercise your body in a planned progression that allows for steady improvement. Can you work out all alone? Sure. But if you want to stick with it for more than this week, this month, or this year, working out with others will create a space where the best is yet to come.
Dig Deep Action Steps
Get Deliberate: Research group exercise programs in your area. I love my CrossFit gym. The people are genuine and are people who help me celebrate my wins. When I lived in different states, I loved spin classes, hot yoga, and group weight training classes at a gym. In Physical Therapy school, a group of us would work out in someone’s garage together and take turns planning out the exercises for the day.
Get Inspired: Watch this👉video. Seriously this video makes me tear up EVERY TIME. I posted this two weeks ago, but it is good enough to post again. This video inspires me with happy tears.
Get Going: Maybe you are not ready to join a group class. Call a friend and start walking together or running together. Find someone that you can meet with and work towards seeing how far you can go together.