Make fitness a lifestyle
After a holiday season of eating and drinking, many gyms see their memberships double each January, however by the end of February, the enthusiasm is gone and gym attendance is usually back at its normal capacity.
Ever wondered why gyms are always full at the beginning of the year?
January is always the busiest time of the year for gyms because year in and year out, people always list ‘going’ to gym as one of their top priorities but not everyone follows through with their gym plans.
After a holiday season of eating and drinking, many gyms see their memberships double each January, however by the end of February, the enthusiasm is gone and gym attendance is usually back at its normal capacity.
Personal trainer, Blessing Ndlovu, urged people be realistic when planning their resolutions.
“One of the reasons why most people don’t follow through with their gym plans is because they don’t understand that fitness is a lifestyle. Before you change the outside appearance, you need to understand that the change has to start from within before it can happen on the exterior.”
Blessing said he is not a personal trainer but a ‘body re-constructures’ and said people don’t need to have special powers to stick to their fitness resolutions.
“People just need to change their mindset. People go to gym for different reasons; it can be to lose weight, gain weight, tone and to maintain their weight. You just need to understand that this is a lifestyle. You cannot want to change your situation if you are not willing to make the changes necessary for you to achieve that goal. People make career goals and make the changes that are needed to reach those goals; fitness goals are no different because you cannot perform at your best in your career if your body is not in the right state, both in the interior and exterior,” said Blessing.
He also said that people stop going to gym because they get discouraged when they don’t see the results they were hoping for.
“Fitness is a journey and before you even begin with your exercises, you need to learn and understand your body because our bodies are not the same. What works for somebody else might not work for you. When you understand your body, you will then understand which exercises work for you because having access to all those gym machines does not mean you need to use all of them,” said Blessing.
He urged people to plan their the fitness the same way they plan their career.
“Fitness is like anything in life – its not easy, so people must understand that they have to put in some work in order to achieve their goal. Companies should have fitness centres in order to keep their employees in good health because a healthy mind means the company will also benefit a great deal,” said Blessing.
He said leading a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean giving up eating certain items because that is the reason most people go on diets which never work.
“You can still treat yourself with your favourite treats but too much of anything is bad for you,” he said.
