Pump it Up

A big shout out to all the guys who want to trade their family pack for a six pack:

What puts you off going to the gym? Is it the fact that you’ll be sharing it with lycra clad beauties and hunks who obviously don’t need to be there? Do you feel that the gym is only for twenty somethings? Maybe it’s just the fact that it looks like bloody hard work?

Well, yes there are going to be people there who look like they don’t need to be but that’s simply because they have spent so long there in the first place; to create a toned and muscular body takes time and dedication but the results that you can achieve are certainly worth it.  Don’t forget, we don’t just build muscle when we work out, we also strengthen our hearts and bones as well as keeping down our weight and body fat. Exercise that tests us and pushes our bodies is also a great way to relieve stress which means that we will then worry less and sleep better which will, in turn, give us a greater sense of well-being.

Saying that, the first time in a gym can be intimidating, you might feel as though everyone is looking at you as you go round with your instructor who introduces you to machines that, at first glance, look like instruments of torture. There will be a lot of information to take in and you might feel a little bit overwhelmed by it all but, it’s like anything else, you will learn over time. In my experience, because gyms are places where everyone is there because of a common interest, it’s really easy to get help if you need it; people are usually more than willing to give you the benefit of their experience if you ask. Consequently you very quickly get a sense of belonging and will probably make new friends too.

You will also find, if you combine your workouts with a healthy diet, that you’ll see results pretty quickly; you’ll notice that your body changes shape and you’ll begin to develop muscles where you didn’t even know you had places ;O) For this reason alone it’s easy to keep motivated and to keep working towards improving your physical condition. If you chose to work with a personal trainer you’ll find that you’ll see any even more rapid change as they will work out a programme tailored especially for you.

As for gyms just being a place for twenty somethings, check out the guy in this video; he looks a hundred times better at 50 than he did at 40! The hard work that he has obviously put in at the gym has paid off big time – at age 49 he was adopted as the ‘poster boy’ for the MegaGym Group. His dedication to transforming his body is proof that you don’t need to be a teenager to start working out.

Maybe you used to work out when you were younger but just reached a point when you decided that you were too old to continue? Forget that, have a look at someone who started training young and just carried on – a 69 year old Arnold Schwarzenegger show us that you don’t have to stop when you reach a certain age. His body still looks incredible and yours could too if you stop reading this and get yourself off to the gym!

This wonderfully inspiring man shows how building strength in our bodies can help to keep our minds and our spirits strong. He has cancer but he is determined to keep it at bay by working out. He trains with and motivates a guy who is 87 years old and, as he says, “It’s never too late to start working out”

Many in the medical world are right behind the idea of working out to help reduce the risk of illness but also to reduce the symptoms of chronic illness. There is also research to show that regular exercise can reverse the aging process. The author of a recent study, Larry Tucker, claims that there is a definite link between physical activity and aging at a cellular level so if you want to live younger it’s time to get off the couch and get in the gym….