True to my word, I woke up early this morning (before 8 a.m. — on a Sunday!) and headed next door to the gym to begin my workout routine.
For anyone else out there who is thinking about getting their lazy ass off the couch and hitting the gym, I thought I’d share a list of things not to do.
Things that will ensure your workout is successful.
Consider it learnings from my experience.
1. Don’t have a plan for what you will do when you get to the gym.
2. Forget to weigh yourself so you know what your starting weight is.
3. Bring no water with you.
4. Don’t stretch first, before you get on any of the machines.
5. Create a workout mix with Adele on it.
6. Check your email while you’re riding the (stationary) bike.
7. Give up after a short while.
I won’t say how many of those things I did or didn’t do, but suffice it to say, I was smart enough not to have any Adele songs on my workout mix. (Kanye West, on the other hand … I may have put too much of him on it.)
And sure, maybe I could have spent more time on the machines. But it was my first day.
Tomorrow I’ll better prepare and will do more.
You’ve gotta start somewhere. And for me, just starting was a big step.
Got any more tips for me? Share them in the comments field below. Thanks!
Martin's Musings 
get up and go for a walk around the reservoir, then come back into the gym and just do two weight machines. The be done. Repeat. Don’t set yourself up to be discouraged. Add another machine the next week and walk a little faster. Baby steps here, buddy.
Great advice. Thanks, Dan!
Don’t be so hard on yourself. A little Adele is not that bad if you are doing weights.
Don’t work out seven days a week – you need some time off. Three or four is best.
Do make it a part of your life – schedule it like any other appointment.
Do mix it up – bike one day, treadmill the next, elliptical another and the reservoir when it is nice out.
Thanks, Lin! Much appreciated. 🙂
(That said, Adele will not be going on my workout mix.)
They say the hardest part is putting on your sneakers! And with that said, you are doing way better than me! 🙂
You’ve gotta start somewhere, Marissa, and we all have our challenges to overcome. If I can do it, then anyone can!