Q&A for How to Motivate Yourself to Go to the Gym

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How can I stay motivated to keep going to the gym?

Francisco Gomez
Fitness Coach
Francisco Gomez is the Head Coach at the FIT Potato Gym, a training gym established in 2001 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Francisco is a former competitive runner who helps endurance athletes train for major marathons like the Boston Marathon. Francisco specializes in Injury Rehab, Flexibility, Marathon Training, and Senior Fitness. He has a B.S. in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology & Running.

Francisco Gomez

Fitness Coach

Expert Answer

Try setting specific goals that you'd like to achieve. For example, you may set your goal to run a mile in under 6 minutes or to complete 50 push-ups.

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What's the recommended minimum time one should spend working out for an effective gym session?

Michele Dolan
Certified Fitness Trainer
Michele Dolan is a Fitness Trainer based in Sidney, British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002, and was certified as a Personal Trainer by the British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association (BCRPA). Michele is also a Registered Clinical Counselor, and uses her 20+ years of fitness coaching experience to help clients understand their mind-body connection. She is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and Certified Clinical Counsellor (CCC), certified by the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors and the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. In her work, Michele uses the tools of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectic Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. She practices and teaches mindfulness and acceptance in all of her coaching work. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology.

Michele Dolan

Certified Fitness Trainer

Expert Answer

If you are very efficient, you can get a full cardio and weight workout in as little as 30 minutes. This would involve circuit training, which means moving straight from one exercise to the next. Doing multi-joint exercises, such as burpees and squats to overhead presses, can help you combine upper and lower body moves to get a complete workout.

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Question

How I develop my chest muscles?

Michele Dolan
Certified Fitness Trainer
Michele Dolan is a Fitness Trainer based in Sidney, British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002, and was certified as a Personal Trainer by the British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association (BCRPA). Michele is also a Registered Clinical Counselor, and uses her 20+ years of fitness coaching experience to help clients understand their mind-body connection. She is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and Certified Clinical Counsellor (CCC), certified by the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors and the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. In her work, Michele uses the tools of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectic Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. She practices and teaches mindfulness and acceptance in all of her coaching work. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology.

Michele Dolan

Certified Fitness Trainer

Expert Answer

Try reading this wikiHow for advice on how to build your chest muscles at the gym.

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Question

How can I learn gym workouts and exercises?

Community Answer

The library has books on these subjects. Also, there are plenty of instructional videos on YouTube.

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Question

What if I don't have anyone to go to the gym with? I feel more motivated if I have company, but my friends and family are usually busy.

Community Answer

It can be tough to exercise alone. If you work, maybe you could ask a co-worker if they'd like to go to the gym after work or even during your lunch hour. Otherwise, try making friends with people at the gym. Just strike up a conversation with someone nearby. If all else fails, play music or get a book on tape. It's not exactly the same as having company, but it helps!

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What if I have a medical condition which decreases my energy levels?

Community Answer

If it is a physical condition, see your doctor about different ways you can exercise or maybe even see if they can provide you with supplements that help. If it is mental, routine helps a lot over time.

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What if I don't like going to the gym?

Community Answer

There are many other ways to exercise. You could buy a treadmill, weights, or other exercise equipment to keep in your home. You could walk, run, or ride a bike outside. You could play sports. Or you can find a variety of exercises you can do at home online - YouTube has many tutorials.

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What happens when I try skills I have never done before?

Community Answer

There are most likely people working at your gym who will gladly show you around and give you pointers for the various different machines and how to work them.

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Question

Is it good for my health to go to the gym twice a day?

Mathew Penn

Community Answer

Too much of anything is bad for health. So going to gym twice a day can increase the probability of injury risk, insufficient recovery, overtraining and burnouts. But with following right approach, it could help achieve your fitness goals (muscle gain, core strength) faster. 1. Do not double up every day and schedule a rest day in between. 2. Avoid two super intense workouts together in a day, like for example, start with cardio in mornings and end with yoga for the other session. Balance the intensity of workout. 3. Take advice from your trainer before starting, and track the fitness goals and results. 4. Focus on consistent sleep patterns, nutrition and daily activities too is critical.

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