When I was in college, the gym was life. I’d wake up well rested, had an overflowing amount of energy, didn’t have little people to worry about. Most of the time I flew by the seat of my pants. I’d work out in the mornings and catch a kickboxing class on my way home in the evening, maybe even play an indoor soccer game a couple times a week.
Since moving to Knoxville SIX YEARS ago, times have changed.
The biggest change is that my husband and I have started a family and have two children under the age of five. I’m sure some of you moms can relate when I say, “taking care of me” hasn’t been the biggest priority in recent years. My consistency with the gym is one of the first things that went out the window and although that was necessary for a while, I’ve made the decision to get back to it and make sure that Mama is taken care of too!
Gold’s Gym in Knoxville has provided an amazingly friendly and comfortable atmosphere as I’m getting back into my groove with working out. I’m about a month into my work out routine and have noticed some great benefits — areas of my body that I expected to see changes and ones that I didn’t expect (yay bonus!!!).
Here are 10 reasons why working out at the gym ROCKS:
Working out causes your body to release endorphins. Say hello to a natural high of positivity and happiness! Goodbye stress!
Physical changes feel good. I love being able to fit into my summer clothes once that warm weather hits. HELLO swim suit season! They say it takes four weeks for you to notice your body changing, eight weeks for your friends to notice and 12 weeks for the rest of the world. Don’t quit.
Gold’s Gym offers FREE Introductory Training. If you’re nervous about going to the gym, this will put you at ease: The trainer helps you figure out a good work out plan for you and will show you specific exercises to do and HOW to do them properly. This gave me a ton of confidence!
It’s good YOU time. Don’t you dare beat yourself up about leaving your kids at home with Dad or putting them in the Kids Club for an hour. Going to the gym falls under SELF CARE in my book and if Mama ain’t happy, ain’t NOBODY happy. Ha! We all need a break every once in a while.
Breaking a sweat helps your body detox. Sweating is one of the ways our bodies flush toxins. WIN!!!!!
Sets an example for your family. How can we expect our kids to live healthy lives and make good choices if we aren’t modeling the behaviors to them? At the Kids Club at Gold’s Gym the kids can run around an exercise AND they can see a lot of the gym activities through the glass windows.
You’ll have better sleep. Can we all say AMEN to better quality sleep? I think YES!
Bonding time with friends. Gather up some girlfriends and enjoy some time together working out and challenging each other. I’ve found this to be amazingly fun and encouraging! Kick each others’ butts!
You’ll have more energy. Working out will help you feel more energized throughout the day. I have found that I’m MORE productive on the days that I’m breaking a sweat at the gym.
You’ll get sick less often. Studies have shown that people who work out regularly are less likely to get a cold than those who don’t work out. That alone is reason for me to keep working out — Mama can’t be sick!
