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Coping with Anxiety About Joining a Gym

Would you like to join a gym like our Greenville sports club — but you’re inexplicably nervous about it?

It’s completely normal to feel a little anxiety about starting a new activity that may be outside of your comfort zone. Gyms come with a lot of stigmas about the kind of atmosphere they offer and the kind of people who use them. But don’t worry, we’re not one of those pretentious fitness clubs with only model-sized people working out like graceful athletes. We have classes and activities for every preference and skill level, plus a staff that can walk you through getting started and answer any questions you have until you feel perfectly at ease at our Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym.

Here are a few of the most common concerns we hear from new and prospective members, as well as ways you can get past the intimidation:

  1. I need to look thin to go to the gym. A lot of people get the idea that everyone else at the gym will be in perfect shape and they’ll stand out. But fear not — even the sveltest athletes had to get started at some point. Our gym boasts every shape and size. No one is here to judge you. Our staff and members welcome and celebrate anyone who’s just starting out. Joining for the first time means you’re committed to a healthier lifestyle, and it’s one that every member shares and enjoys — so you all have something in common right from the start, no matter what level someone else is at right now. And remember, in a matter of time you will get to your best body, too!
  1. I’m not going to know anyone there. It is great when you have a buddy for the gym. But if you don’t have a friend, family member or co-worker who’s willing to sign up with you, don’t worry. You can easily make friends at the gym who shared the same workout schedule as you. The more you come, the more you’ll chat with new people and recognize some of the same faces. One great way to build your gym community is by joining weekly classes. It’s one of the most social aspects of Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym, and we have a wide variety!
  1. I won’t know how to work the equipment. When you walk into a gym for the first time, there might be a lot of machinery that isn’t familiar to you. But that’s no reason to turn around and walk back out. When you’re exploring our space and thinking about membership, it’s a great idea to ask someone on our friendly team to escort you. You can talk about the types of exercise you’d like to do and what your fitness goals are — and then your guide will introduce you to some of the equipment that fits. Over time, a personal trainer can teach you how to work out expertly and use the machines in the correct way to achieve those goals. Sooner than you might think, you’ll start to feel like an old pro.

Next week, we’ll offer a few more easy tips about how to come in and get started.

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Getting Motivated, Part 2: Fulfilling Your Ambition

Last week, we talked about the importance of setting a goal. This will fire you up for a challenge and give you a reason to add a boost of motivation to your regular old routine. But setting a goal is easy – the challenge is, of course, actually following through.

There are some common obstacles to look out for when you sit down to set an exciting new goal, and we have some solutions:

  1. First of all, you want to be realistic about your aims. If you’ve only been running about 10 miles per week, you may not want to sign up for a competitive 50K.
  2. Second, you want to make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. If someone else is pressuring you to achieve more, you may wind up resentful toward your efforts rather than feeling good about them as you should.
  3. Third, you have to be honest with yourself about your limitations. If you’re a procrastinator or someone who gets in their own way in other areas of life (like at work), then it’s possibly that you can set a goal only to become frustrated when it doesn’t seem like you’re going to achieve it. To counter this, you can enlist a support team or personal trainer to help keep you on track and make your dream more realistic. But other people can’t do it all for you; you’ll need to make a strong commitment as well.
  4. Fourth, the idea of fulfilling your ambition is going to be very appealing, but you want it to be more than a fantasy. Make the entire process more concrete by breaking down the process in advance. You’ll want to come up with specific mile markers and time frames, figuring out how much training you’ll need and how long you’ll need to accomplish it. If you can’t get in enough conditioning in one month to bike a 20K, then you might need to look for an event that’s coming up a little more down the road.
  5. Fifth, you may become discouraged if you have any setbacks or if the goal at hand seems so far away that it may as well be a mirage. One way to counter this unsure attitude is to build in a system of rewards along the way, so it’s not just about the big final payoff. Get creative – maybe you’ll buy yourself a treat each time you hit a new marker, or maybe you’ll make a bet that you can do it and enjoy the satisfaction of being right. Maybe loved ones will treat you to healthy meals or your significant other will owe you a massage for your hard work. Pulling other people in to witness and support your accomplishments can certainly help. The important thing here is that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, the journey should definitely be part of the fun!

Got a specific event coming up? Want to set a goal with a group? Feel free to share your story with us or reach out to others to join you at our Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym.

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Winter Makes or Breaks Good Gym Habits

The clocks have changed, the holidays are upon us, and we’re starting to feel the true chill of winter descending on our neighborhoods. These aren’t just apparel cues to let us know it’s time to buy some new gloves and break out the wool coats. This is the seasonal transition where you have to make important decisions about your gym-hitting habits in order to make it through to those guilt-inducing New Year’s resolutions unscathed.

To start with, many people like to mix up their Pivotal Fitness Greenville sports club visits with some exercises outside – like jogging before work or biking through the park on the weekends. When frigid weather forces you indoors, you may be cutting off some of your important contributions to your health and weight loss practices. You can anticipate this change and start adding some new routines now, easing into the change when it still feels like a choice and you haven’t entirely surrendered your outdoor habits yet. Our staff can help you replicate the workouts you’re missing so that your running or biking or swimming muscles are still primed for when its time to head outside once again.

There are others who might have considered or even tried our Greenville gym, but haven’t yet committed to membership (you know who you are). This is the critical time to make up your mind about whether you want to buckle down and start building fitness into your lifestyle or if you’re going to put it off for another few months. In the depths of winter, it’s proven difficult for people to integrate new elements or habits into their schedule. Think of it as a kind of motivational hibernation. When it’s ten degrees outside and there’s a foot of snow on the ground, you’d rather hunker down on your couch and marathon your favorite TV series than get up and check out our wide range of equipment or learn how a personal trainer can diligently push you to achieve your workout goals.

But right now, you can pause and make the smart decision to come by and talk to us about getting your fitness goals on track to coast through the end of the year with high spirits and strong self-confidence. By the time you’re shedding layers for spring, you’ll be revealing a toner, fitter, healthier you!

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The Buddy System Fitness Plan

Do you find it difficult to get out of bed and visit your local Greenville gym? Does it often seem easier to just pick up fast-food on the way home than make smarter eating decisions? One of the hardest obstacles when you’re trying to stay fit and healthy is finding the motivation. But there is a tried and true system to stay motivated, and that’s the buddy system.

When people feel like they’re trying to meet their fitness objectives alone, it can seem daunting. When you skip a trip to the gym or do 5 reps instead of 15, no one’s going to hold you accountable except for you—and this can make it easier to cheat or slack. But when there’s someone else nearby who you trust to keep you on track, suddenly your successes become even more rewarding and you find a new drive to succeed. Creating a workout buddy system for accountability is one of the easiest, most powerful ways to stay focused on your exercise and diet aspirations.

Your buddy doesn’t necessarily have to be your best friend. You could ask someone from you office to join you, or even your spouse. If you visit our Greenville gym often, you may notice others who frequently come in at the same time as you. You can approach someone and ask if they’d like to be your gym buddy, someone who might make plans to meet you at the treadmill at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays or regularly grab a smoothie with you after your spin class. And this person will notice when you’re not there. Just knowing that someone other than you is paying attention to your successes or failures can be a powerful motivator. Of course, a personal trainer is someone who will always keep you on track and be a helpful participant in your fitness regimen.

You can also invest in a generalized support system, where you constantly keep your family and friends updated about your workout goals. You can keep them abreast of the gym classes you’ve joined, or discuss how you feel about your latest workout or weight loss. By sharing your experiences, it welcomes others into your world. They can offer feedback or just listen. Either way, it gives you a personal team of cheerleaders to encourage your positive, healthy actions–ultimately helping you stay motivated and meet all of your fitness aspirations.

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What Does It Mean To Be “Healthy”?

Most of us aspire to be healthy, but we all define this goal in different ways. For some, this means seeing the doctor every six months, while for others it means hitting the Greenville gym three times a week. For some it means not smoking, while for others it means an organic diet. So how can we know if we are being healthy or when we’ve achieved this elusive goal of “good health”?

Nutrition

The USDA does not currently restrict the word “healthy” when it’s applied to food labels, which is one confusing aspect of eating right. This can refer to calories, fat, sodium or well-rounded, vitamin-rich ingredients—just to name a few. New guidelines published in January have recommended basic rules for eating healthy. Specific emphasis was placed on lowering sodium—especially in frozen, canned and preserved foods—and always aiming for fewer than 2,300 milligrams of salt per day.
Exercise

When it comes to exercise, setting goals is a very personal matter. How much or how often you should work out depends on your body type, activity levels, health and schedule. There aren’t specific guidelines regarding how muscular a person should be, but there are regulations regarding weight according to height and size. The Body Mass Index is a general, objective tool that can tell you if you’re proportionally healthy.

Medicine

For all other health concerns, it’s important to regularly visit your doctors. Typically, individuals see their general health practitioner every 6-12 months. They may visit the dentist every quarter-year, half-year or—in rare cases—once per year. Specialized visits, from cancer screenings to chiropractic visits, vary by person—but it’s always important, especially as you get older, to stay on top of any dramatic changes in your health and speak with professionals about how long you should go between doctors’ appointments.

The most important thing when it comes to being “healthy” is to know that there is no one-size-fits-all definition. Typically, you want to increase your lifespan while improving your quality of life. But striving for impossible goals can be detrimental to your health and morale. Following the latest health news is the best way to know about nationwide developments. You should consult with experts—from doctors to your personal trainer or nutritionists—to be sure you are taking active measures stay healthy.

Please never hesitate to ask the professionals at your local Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym how we can help you target and meet all of your health goals. Check back next week for a more expansive look at the USDA’s recently published dietary guidelines for healthy Americans.

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Greenville Personal Training

According to the latest study by the National Weight Control Registry, individuals need more than just diet and exercise to stay in shape. One of the critical elements of health and fitness that’s often overlooked is the need for social support. At Pivotal Fitness’ Greenville gym, you can meet with a personal trainer for regular, one-on-one sessions that exclusively focus on you and your unique workout needs.

Personal trainers not only tell you which activities to perform each week and teach you the best ways to execute each exercise. They also provide support, encouragement—and sometimes the firm, honest feedback that you need to meet your strength and weight-loss goals. Feeling like you’re not alone as you work on attaining your best body is paramount to long-lasting success.

Pivotal Fitness’ Greenville health club offers a range of services and plans that come with personal training. Options fall into three main categories:

  • VIP Series
  • Traditional Series
  • Buddy Training

And all new members receive one free training session with a personal trainer to talk about your goals. You can target that one spot on your body you’ve always wished was more tone, seek overall muscle conditioning or simply kick up your metabolism to have your body always working for you–even when you’re not working out. Our Greenville personal trainers can also talk with you about nutrition and help you institute daily dietary practices into your own life to complement all the hard work you do at the gym.

Learn more about Pivotal Fitness Greenville – Personal Training.

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Thintervention

On the new show Thintervention with Jackie Warner, the celebrity personal trainer puts a group of clients through intense circuit training workouts to jump start their weight loss. The first episode chronicles the first week of training ending with all of the clients losing between 4-10 pounds. If you have seen this show you might be wondering: what is circuit training and how can I use it to reach my goals? As your partner in health and fitness and your Greenville health club of choice, we will break it down for you:

What is Circuit Training?

Circuit training is a workout that combines cardiovascular fitness and resistance training. By allowing only 30-90 seconds between each resistance training exercise (station) your heart beat rises and a cardiovascular workout is incorporated. You can incorporate as many as 6-10 workout stations in a circuit and then repeat the circuit 3-5 times. Circuit training is a great way to mix up your workouts. With so many exercises to choose from you don’t ever have to do the same circuit more than once.

Why does Circuit Training Work?

By combining your cardiovascular workout with your weight training you will be getting greater results in a shorter amount of time, reducing the need to spend long hours in the gym in order to reach your fitness goals. Plus fewer rest periods encourages the stimulation of hormones which help your muscles to grow (which increases your metabolism and fat burning capabilities).

If you are interested in incorporating circuit training into your fitness routine but don’t know how to get started, stop by and visit our personal trainers who can take you through a circuit training workout routine. Pivotal Fitness Greenville personal trainers are required to have NCAA certification and attend ongoing continuing education. As a member of our Greenville gym you are entitled to one free personal training session, so stop by today and find out how circuit training can work for you.

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Weight Lifting Helps You Slim Down

Many people, men and women alike, resist the notion that weight lifting is a critical component in a weight loss program. Somewhere along the way they got the notion that weight lifting adds bulk when it can actually help you slim down. Here are the top reasons you should add weight lifting to your fitness routine:

1. Weight lifting burns fat. By including weight lifting in your workout routine you are building muscle which burns fat so you increase your metabolism and burn more calories throughout the day, even when you are not working out!

2. Weight lifting maintains muscle. If you are combining cardiovascular exercise with a low-calorie diet you are probably losing muscle as well as fat, decreasing your metabolism and making it more difficult to lose weight.

3. You will feel stronger and more toned. By doing the right exercises you will quickly see results as your body parts become leaner and more toned. If you are not experienced with weight lifting and don’t know what exercises to do, hire a Pivotal Fitness personal trainer to get you on the right path.

4. Your energy will increase. Increasing your muscle mass will not only increase your metabolic rate and help you shed pounds, but you will also start to gain more energy, increasing your quality of life!

If you want to lose weight or get in better shape, weight lifting is a must. At the Pivotal Fitness Greenville health club we can help you get on the road to meeting your goals with tips like these. Our personal trainers and fitness specialists are experts in health and fitness and can help you change your life.

If you are not already a member of our Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym come in today to get a free 7 day pass.

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