Go to the gym

Chances are, if you are a person who usually uses Tiktok, Instagram, and other social media platforms, you may see a lot of videos of people going to the gym, and how they become extremely fit and muscular - both males and females. Along with that, at your high school, there are always those kids who like to share footage of themselves going to the gym and doing some lifts. As we watch this, there is likelihood that through these people, you may reflect back to yourself - “how can I become fit like them?” And because of this, people may become interested in going to the gym, so that hopefully someday we can be as fit as the people shown in those Tiktok videos and Instagram reels. Personally, I have been a usual visitor of the gym, so if you are like the person who I have mentioned above, make sure to give this post a view!

So first of all, I would like to give some warnings to you all: you don’t have to force yourself to change, or use any other people as a frame of reference for you to look at. When your life is all about making sure you can be as good as other people, then suddenly gym or any other things with their initial good purposes, have become toxic things. Applying to the topic of the gym, when you are going there with a reason, it should be because you want to better yourself, not because you want to be another person! With that being said, for example, you are overweight, so then I would highly encourage you to go to the gym, if that means that you will feel better about yourself, and not feel better in the eyes of other people. I know that nowadays, we are heavily emphasizing social validation, but again, at the end of the day you are the person who knows yourself best, so please make decisions that suit you the best! The decision to go to the gym should come from a sense of motivation within you, because I believe that when you have been determined to do something, then even if things are hard and tough, you will be able to get past them!

After you have gained interest in going to the gym, the next step is to do some research about it. With that, I don’t only mean that you are looking for gyms around you with different prices or so, but also your focus when going there. For a lot of people, they may want to target different body parts - they want to get thinner thighs or more muscular arms, for example. But you can also want to work your whole body as well - so make sure to ask yourself this question and do research about which equipment at the gym will help you achieve these goals. You may also want to watch out for cautions for these devices, as some of them may be dangerous for you because of some particular issues.

The next part is when you actually start to go to the gym! I know that for the first time you get there, you may a bit pressured as chances are, you may see muscular men lifting heavy weights or something like that, but it’s completely alright: the purpose of everyone in going there is to make themselves fitter (or more muscular), hence they will certainly not judge you for not being too fit - well, some people will do that, but again, haters gonna hate, right? When you first use these equipment, don’t expect yourself to be able to lift heavy weights or do hard exercises, it is important that you start small, so that you will not get hurt by some certain “machines”. Additionally, I would recommend that you ask people there for help, since they have been more used to using these equipment compared to you, right? Chances are there will be some social anxiety involved in doing that, but personally, I believe that if your nerves are constraining you from learning and making yourself better, then that is indeed very disappointing. Don’t be hesitant to do that please!

Lastly, make the experience fun! The gym isn’t necessarily a place where you have to continuously do different exercises, but also a platform for you to make friends and talk to other people. But if you don’t like that and prefer to do some workouts, then you certainly can wear your headphones - please be reminded that your headphones may get some issues if you sweat into them!