Let’s Get Moving – The starting point of your exercise journey.

By Neil Perkins

The gym is something that is spoken about on social media, the web and in magazines. There is so much information out there with respect to the style of exercise you complete, the people you train alongside, the person you train with and environment you should train in.

Very often in a society that falls in two broad categories of ‘Gym Rat’ and ‘Gym Avoider’, the ‘Gym Rats’ forget about how daunting exercise is to the ‘Gym Avoider’. It is hard to find any middle ground and the casual gym user is very often daunting into stepping into this new world with this variety of training modes. How do you go from Gym Avoider to Gym Rat?

I am an oxymoron when it comes to the gym, yes some would describe me as an elite level coach and former elite level athlete that has grown up on the ‘Gym Rat’ culture, yet I am every bit a ‘Gym Avoider’. The reason for me is that exercise is a daunting thing, whether I am ‘Rat’ or ‘Avoider’ I am 110% alpha male and for me not been stronger, hitting harder or doing more than the next man is a bitter pill to swallow. The reality is that these issues are not judged by other but purely by myself, it isn’t the gym that is daunting – it’s my own mind.

When it comes to beginning an exercise routine and looking to make positive changes on your metal health, physical well-being and outlook on life (yes, exercise can do all this for you) don’t get caught up on whether it should be HIIT, weights, boxing, yoga or Bootcamp…just get moving. Exercise is based on movement and fat loss (which most gym goers desire) is based on creating a calorie deficit. This is simply summed up as ‘Move More, Eat Less’. Aim to move more two to three times per week, its great if you can drop down Henrietta Street Gym we will always welcome new faces but a gym isn’t always the best solution. Sports can sometimes be more fun and engaging, riding your bike to work a few days per week or even replacing your Sunday afternoon down the pub with an afternoon countryside walk can all be part of your strategy to move more.

The key here is make your movement fun. Find a way that you like to move and move more. We have such success with boxing training for this reason, but boxing isn’t for everyone. If you’re unsure of what movement you’d like to adopt try a variety of classes, sample some personal trainers and then look to start moving more.

Good luck starting your journey.

Move more.

Neil