Gym Put-offs

IT takes a lot of discipline and determination to attend the gym regularly and stay on till the end so as to achieve the desired result.
The reasons for failure on the part of some gym attendees vary. These range from distance to the rigour involved and time factor. Those who are able to persist till the very end, however, soon discover that working out regularly at the gym becomes an interesting and even enjoyable venture. At this stage, it becomes somehow difficult to let go.
Such is the case with William Bassey, a fitness buff who patronises a reputable gym on Victoria Island.
“Initially, it was very tough keeping to the schedule at the gym,” Bassey recalls. “I’m a businessman and so has many things to do. Twenty-four hours is not enough to attend to all the programmes I have in one day. As a matter of fact, we were four friends that enrolled but the others have since stopped coming because of the pressure and some other reasons.”
Bassey had to carry on with the daily workout when his doctor informed him that he needed to dislodge some of the fat accumulated in his mid-section and which was indirectly affecting his heart. With this frightening situation confronting him, he was forced to register at a nearby gym after discussing with a professional trainer on how to deal with the problem.
“I won’t tell you it has been easy but along the line, I have settled down into the programme and I’m even beginning to enjoy it. Before I started here, I was weighing over 110kg. Now, I weigh a healthy 85kg, which is very okay for my height. I don’t joke with my exercise routine and I no longer find the schedule tedious or rigorous. It has become a part of my daily schedule,” he enthuses.
Beatrice on her part came to the gym purposely to firm up her thighs, stomach and hips. She was advised to do so by a friend who had had a previous experience of the many benefits of attending a gym. Is she noticing any difference? “Yes, there is a lot of difference between how I was looking then and now. Although I started three months ago, I can say confidently that I’m feeling and looking better.
“Initially though, I wasn’t quite sure I would get positive result and also it wasn’t that easy. But the trainer encouraged me. He also made the whole thing interesting by introducing me to some other things on the side. Right now, I don’t need external motivation. The compliments I’m getting from everywhere and the way I feel are enough to keep me on,” she says.
David Ogbeide, a trainer at the gym enumerates some of the factors hindering gym attendees from coming regularly even after they must have registered to include lack of determination and will to see it through, impatience, time and the inability to see the act of working out as an essential part of living.
“You will be surprised to know that some people enroll for a whole year, which is quite some money. They pay all the fees up-front but then, they don’t turn up for the exercise. They attribute this to lack of time and pressures from other areas of their lives. But I can tell you it is because they haven’t come to realise that being fit and in top shape is also a very important aspect of life.”
Perhaps one of the best ways to sustain interest is to attend with a spouse or a close friend. As explained by Ogbeide, when people have a loved one also working out in the same gym, they feel motivated, more relaxed and focus better. The interest can be quite high in such situation.