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Gymtimidated? | Danyelle Mastarone

Posted on May 22, 2017 at 12:00 AM

If you are new to the gym or fitness in general, read on for some tips to help you get started!

Don’t know where to start? Are you gymtimidated?

Everyone starts somewhere. Your fitness idol had their first day in the gym. The pro athlete starring in TV commercials started with little league. You don’t need to be fit before you start going to the gym, that will come in time.

If you have been following my blogs and read my bio you will know that fitness has always been a part of my life, starting with “Get in Shape Girl” as a child. But trust me, all the hours I spent sweating along to workout videos still left me scared of the actual gym. You know the one with other people and the big, heavy weights. Yes, I was terrified of the “boy side” of the gym. I certainly didn’t want everyone to stare at me while I did everything wrong. Just as my fears were over-exaggerated, yours may be as well. So let’s dispel a few myths and talk about how to get started.

Maybe you are gymtimidated? I promise you, everyone else is focused on themselves, not you. I repeat, everyone is staring at themselves in the mirror, not you! And if you do catch someone watching, they probably want to help. As a trainer myself, even when I am off-duty I constantly want to help someone I see struggling or with poor form.

This leads me to my next point, ask for help! Ask questions of people who know what they are doing. If you aren’t ready or financially able to commit to a trainer (which I highly recommend) start by just asking questions. Use all resources available to you. Fitness is constantly evolving, so I utilize videos and articles to educate myself on new techniques, exercises and training plans. When I first started weight training, I prepared note cards with stick figure notations on how to perform each exercise. I would have been mortified had someone caught a glimpse of my cheat sheets, but it worked for me and my inner nerd.

Next, don’t psyche yourself out. Convince yourself that you belong there, because you do. Everyone does. You do not need to be fit before you can go to the gym. Rather, that will happen with time and consistency. Ideally going to the gym will build your confidence and fuel your motivation to keep going.

The only way to start is to just start. Lace up your sneakers, set your mind to determination mode and just go to the gym. Balancing a nutritious diet with proper supplementation will help to enhance your workout and recovery. I start each day with PEAK ATP followed by HMB three times daily with meals.  The gym is my happy place and hopefully it will become yours as well!

- Danyelle Mastarone, NPC Figure Competitor/Fit Mom

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