New year, new me. All of us have made this fateful promise as the bells ring at midnight but most of us will fail before the month is out. The gym is a natural choice for a new year’s resolution. People decide this will be the year they get into shape and start their fitness journey but usually their goals and expectations are too high. They see fitness as a quick fix and get drawn into scams such as ‘2 week abs’ or ‘drink this tea and reach your dream body’. Sometimes it takes going through these bizarre fad diets and fitness crazes to realise how totally ridiculous they are.
Thomas Moir is a personal trainer at Dundee JD Gyms and witnesses the January fitness frenzy every year. “I get a lot of people at new year with the goal to lose weight after spending time overindulging. They feel like they need to come in and lose some weight.” When results do not show after a few weeks, the start of year motivation wears off and people abandon their journey before it has even started. “People set their goals far too high. People realise it takes a lot of hours, it takes time, it’s not overnight.” Moir explained a reason why many give up. “At the moment there is also the cost-of-living crisis. If you’ve got a PT or a gym membership, would you rather spend that for something else?”
Gym culture in January can be quite toxic towards newcomers with many regulars acting like they have more right to be there. Everyone is paying the same membership and everyone was new in the gym once. Moir believes the gym is often unsupportive to less experienced people.
“There is a lot of junk culture out there, especially with Facebook and Instagram people being videoed and made fun of. These people are just coming in to work on themselves.”
He went on to suggest ways the gym can become a welcoming place for all. “If someone is not too sure about an exercise just ask someone or a PT, 99% of the time we will be really cool. Even just little things like saying hello, a little goes a long way, I’m totally normal!”
Molly Jamieson has been going to the gym for a week. Her initial reaction was that it was already a nerve-wracking activity to take up. “When I was getting used to new equipment, I felt like regulars were staring at me and sort of making me feel pressured to hurry up and finish my set.” She is determined to continue her gym journey as she knows it will benefit her long term. “People give up quite easily because they don’t give themselves enough time to fully get used to it.”
The reality is, most fitness new year’s resolutions fail within the first few weeks because people approach the gym as something they must do rather than want to do. They start the gym because everyone else is doing it and they want the results without the hard work. To enjoy fitness and see results it takes consistency, time, and a love for what you do. Social media trends, such as mocking newcomers at the gym, are part of the reason around 43% of gym resolutions fail within the first month. We need to create a friendly and non-judgmental environment for all to use. Moving your body and falling in love with fitness is for everyone and there is no right time to start. If you are someone who was intimidated by the gym and already gave it up, why not start again today? How about we normalise starting new resolutions at any time of the year. It is time to walk into the gym, head held high, taking up your own space and remember, you have as much right to be there as anyone else.
