Staying Fit without hitting the Gym (for Women)

When it comes to physical fitness, most people (not just women) believe that to achieve the most gains, they should head to the gym. With the all the equipment and facilities provided by a gym, it can certainly be of great help to those looking to shed a few pounds.But there is a recurring problem with regards to women and the gym. Most women are anxious and afraid of working out in the gym. When we dig deeper into the human psyche, this will seem to be very natural.

When people go to the gym, they have one goal in mind – and that is to be fit. For most people, their desire to be fit stems from a decision to improve their bodies. They are going to the gym to change what they currently are. And inside the gym, most people are already fit. It becomes a scary experience that we may get judged by people we don’t know. This mentality is particularly strong in women. The whole process of working out in the gym becomes an intimidating ordeal. It’s not necessarily the exercises that intimidates them but the unfamiliarity of the place and people in it. They are afraid that the unfamiliar people inside the gym will judge them on how and why they are working out. This is compounded by a lack of concrete knowledge of the proper form, disadvantages, advantages, etc. of the workouts they are performing.

This mental stress will only stop these women from having actual gains from their training program. Most likely, they wouldn’t be able to see results or are expecting too much too quickly and they quit the program altogether. So how would a woman be able to become fit without going to the gym? Well, there is actually no better place to get in shape than the gym so you can try first to familiarize yourself on the equipment and facilities of a gym. Then find a low-stress environment you can first go to. This could be a gym that you can go to with a friend, a private gym, or a women’s only facility. Just try to ease your way and don’t immediately go to the large unfamiliar gyms. If you have a friend who already has a gym he/she visits, that would be best. If not, try a smaller or friendlier facility.

Having said that, though the gym is the best place to get in shape, everywhere else is a close second. You don’t necessarily need to go to the gym to get in shape. With sufficient planning, you can perform your workout regimens anywhere – from your house to the park. You are the one who decides where you will work out – be it in a gym or in the comfort of your own home. The first step to becoming fit without going to the gym is to take care of your diet. Even if you work out, if you still eat unhealthily, then you are just setting up your body to weight maintenance or even weight gain. But there is no need to take this to the extremes. You don’t need to fast for 48-hour periods or only eat vegetables.

The important thing is to eat well-balanced meals and not pure-fiber or pure-protein meals. No single type of food can supply all of the nutrients that the body needs to function well so you would still need to eat a lot of different types of food – though overall just a moderate amount. Watch your calories so that the amount of calories you take in is less than the amount you burn. A good way to prevent over-eating is to eat 5 small meals in a day instead of 3 big ones. But it doesn’t end there. If you are truly serious in getting fit, you should move your body as well. Try to achieve a more active lifestyle. Physical fitness isn’t necessarily doing the perfect workout in the perfect place but doing everything you can, where you can. Even the occasional 30-minute walk can have good effects on the body.

But don’t forget to mix in a little resistance training with your cardio exercises. While cardio burns fat, resistance training will be the one responsible for getting your body to the shape you want. Most women fail to realize that strength training is important to achieve a perfect bikini-body. And no, I’m not talking about the muscle-bound she-hulks that frequent fitness facilities. I’m talking about the type of bodies that will fit a swimsuit perfectly. A little resistance training is still required in conjunction with your cardio training – for you to tone your physique to get it to the shape you ultimately want.

Wherever you are planning to work out, remember that the environment is just as important as the exercise itself. Don’t work out in an environment that you are uncomfortable in. You can choose to join a friendlier or women’s only gym so that you’ll be at ease as you work out. Or you can even just stay at home. The place is for you to decide. Just remember that our end-game is physical fitness.