Why the Christmas period is actually the best time to get over gym-timidation
Most people seem to think January is the time to get after new goals and establish their fitness routine, but at WeGLOW we believe the ideal time to do so is actually December. We know that diaries are busy, but with some careful planning and realistic expectations, you can make use of quiet gyms to build confidence in movements and establish a solid foundation you can build upon in the new year.
Gyms are notoriously quiet in December, so if you’re new to strength training or are simply looking to build back some confidence then December is a great time to familiarise yourself with different machines and exercises. Busy gyms can often create pressure to “get in and get out”, you can feel rushed and as a result can lack the focus you need to have your best workout. Use this quiet period to slow down, analyse your form for different movements and get familiar with what weights feel good to you for different exercises.
Be realistic in your expectations for December – if you’re out socialising a lot, maybe drinking more etc – then it’s unlikely you’ll be hitting the gym five times a week or achieving PB’s, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a few quality sessions where you focus instead on your form, tempo and execution of different movements. Moving away from that ‘all or nothing’ mentality and instead working on just keeping up a good baseline of fitness will allow you to hit the ground running come January and reduce the likelihood that you’ll burn out just one month into the new year.
So instead of feeling like you’re caught in the ‘rat race’ of January and all the fitness resolutions that surround that month, use December to quietly start to build some of those healthy habits, along with building strength and confidence that you can take into 2023.
