Gym Attendance Motivation

by Ger Dowling - gym instructor, rugby coach, health club manager

The following is an article by a former colleague of mine & friend Ger Dowling. Ger was one of the first people to eagerly respond to my request that others write articles to be presented through my website. As Ger proves steve-dunne-fitness.com is a great place to have your views & opinions on the health & fitness industry be presented for all to view.

The following article is about a very important topic; motivational issues regarding going to the gym. Gym going consistency is the greatest barrier to those wishing to achieve their health & fitness goals.

Read the following article as it will help clear your mind on the importance of setting yourself up so that you will always find an excuse not to stay away from the gym, but to always make time for the gym.

- Steve

Gym Attendance Motivation

By Ger Dowling

I have been involved in the health & fitness industry for almost a year & a half now. I also have a background in rugby playing in Junior & Senior cup teams while in school in Templeogue College. I also played U20's rugby for St. Mary's College R.F.C. before deciding what I wanted to do in life. I gave up playing rugby fro coaching & a carer in the health & fitness industry. From a young age I have found that motivation has a lot to do with taking part in many things. I have a huge sporting background in my family, so I had no choice but to be a sporty person. My days of playing rugby thought me a lot. I was a believer. I was someone who believed in something that other people thought was too much. My belief & self motivation allowed me to achive many of my objectives.

Now, as a rugby coach & a gym instructor, it is my job to motivate other people. I now know how hard this can be. I find it very hard for other people not to understand motivation, or to just not be motivated at all in the gym envirnment.

"-I was in work very early this morning, - I was in work late, - I think I might go for a drink this evening instead". These are many reasons why people will not go to the gym from day to day. Your mind is telling you one thing, while your body is just waiting for a workout. Believe it or not, your body is right.

It has been proven that exercise will help your lifestyle, health & mind in many different ways. It's just a matter of putting it into practice. People can not find the motivation to make it down to the gym from day to day.

Try putting together a daily or weekly training plan. What I mean by this is putting in order what you intend to do everyday, starting with the first thing in the morning till the last thing at night. That is, everybody must get up in the morning at a certain time in order to prepare for work, actually going to work happens with very little questions on your mind. Try fitting the gym into the plan next. People who go to the gym from day to day know how good it feels after a workout, some people will go as far as saying they feel reborn after every workout. You may feel tired at first as your body adjust to working out, but stick with it & you look forward to every training session.

You must find the inner belief that you can achieve anything that is important to you, with the gym it is something that will make you feel & look great - plus it's a very important part of a healthy lifestyle. Trying to find that inner belief or motivation is hard for the majority of people who have gym membership. I also find that one thing people must do is to keep telling yourself that becoming fit & healthy is something worth achieving, You might find this strange but if you keep telling yourself something & you belive in it, then it will happen. No challengeis too big for anyone in this lifetime. There is a saying that "no dream is too big & no dreamer is too small".

Some people believe that you need a goal like a wedding or holidays to motivate oneself to use the gym regularly. That is not true, all you need is an objective to achieve something. Just keep setting yourself goals, one at a time. Maybe you want to run one more kilometre, lift 5 more Kilogrammes or tone up the midsectiona little more. You need to live a healthy lifestyle & get your body into healthy shape. Go make that plan, get the help of a professional such as a personal trainer to do so if you have to, find the motivation from within & get down to the gym!

- Ger Dowling

Carlisle Health & Fitness Club

Edited by Steve Dunne

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