10 Persuasive Reasons to Join a Gym

Your health is most obvious of reasons. If you exercise regularly, you’ll increase your metabolic rate, which helps you burn more calories. This in turn helps you lose weight, which is the tip of the iceberg.

The NHS details a long list of diseases and conditions (including heart disease) associated with sedentary lifestyles. This means there’s a corresponding list, equally as long for the preventative health benefits of exercise. See below.

Unfortunately, this isn’t guaranteed. Not unless you join a state-of-the-art gym with its finger on the pulse.

Gym equipment is designed to make getting fit and losing weight easier—and buying this equipment yourself would cost thousands. Also, at home there’s always a vital exercise that’s impossible to do without professional equipment.

This is sometimes overlooked. We’re joining the gym to get fit, not chat. The thing is, gyms are usually full of friendly people, just like you, at various fitness levels. There’s always someone on a similar path, and it’s great to find solidarity.

The journey to getting fit is not always an easy one—the trials, tribulations and glories bring people together. You never know, you might make friends for life.

And, teaming up for workouts is fun—you may get even more out of it.

Google is one thing, but people able to use an experienced personal trainer and speak to knowledgeable professionals is invaluable. Many choose not to join a gym because they’re afraid they’ll be teased for their lack of knowledge.

It’s the opposite that’s true. It’s all about learning—where would the experts be without those in need of their expertise? Out of a job.

There are many ways to exercise inefficiently and incorrectly (doing damage to yourself)—with proper support the sky’s the limit.

Unless you fancy star jumps in the rain? As lovely as the outdoors is, in winter or when it’s rainy it’s no fun exercising.

Even breaking your routine for a couple of days can put you out of the swing of it. There’s no annoying weather in the gym. Come rain or shine you can get stuck into your personal routine. Consistency is key to achieving the results you want.

Exercise improves every aspect of your body, including your brain.

It’s common knowledge that exercising improves your circulation. Your brain loves nothing more than a fresh supply of oxygenated blood.

It’s thought that exercising increases the size of your hippocampus, the area of the brain involved with memory and learning. It also promotes chemicals being released that help your brain grow new blood vessels and synaptic pathways—ultimately affecting the health and longevity of your brain cells.

Few of us are immune to the stresses of daily life. With a lack of natural predators in the modern world our threat response, which is a basic instinct, lacks an outlet.

So, rather than a surge of adrenaline readying us for our escape from a wild beast, we feel threatened in response to life’s demands. As a result, many of us experience surges in adrenaline and stress hormones frequently.

When this response goes haywire it becomes anxiety.

The primary stress hormone cortisol increases blood sugar levels, hinders digestion and weakens our immune systems.

On the contrary working out at the gym can help balance your levels of cortisol and releases feel-good chemicals—blissful endorphins.

It’s possible to feel tired, but also buzzed—when your mind has been over stimulated. When your job isn’t physical and relies solely upon your brain it can be difficult to fall asleep. Difficult to turn your brain off.

Physical tiredness after exercising is a more wholesome feeling aided by endorphins. Your mind hasn’t been taxed so it’s calm and sleep becomes a close friend rather than a distant acquaintance. Falling asleep is easier.

Furthermore, exercise improves the quality of your sleep—allowing you deeper rest, so you’ll awake refreshed rather than groggy.

It’s not certain why exercise affects sleep, but it does, which is what matters.

Some gyms are gyms, and nothing else. Others are part of a wider wellness complex, with pools, spa treatments and saunas. We don’t visit gyms to unwind, but why not if it’s on offer?

A full body workout followed by a dip in a pool or a relaxing massage is a perfect combination. How about a turn in a Swedish style sauna to ease achy muscles?

With the intensity of life, time to ourselves isn’t always a given—sometimes we must take it or make it.

The most important reason to join a gym and start exercising, is obviously your health. That said, an unfortunate side effect of getting fit and healthy is the way your body looks. You’ll be toned, stronger and your skin will thank you.

Exercising releases feel-good chemicals, yes, but another strong psychological response is how you’ll feel about your body, and yourself. Health issues caused by sedentary lifestyles are concerning, but that’s not to say everyone should have a six pack and be able to run marathons.

If you feel that shaping up is what you want, then go for it. It’s something we do for ourselves, not to meet society’s prescribed image of how we should look. We do it to feel better in our own eyes.

Joining a gym and starting to use your heart and muscles properly is daunting, but once you get started the rush of giving your body and mind what it wants it intoxicating.

Perhaps before too long you’ll be showing someone else the ropes?

Our Salt Gym and Alchemist Spa at the Woolacombe Bay Hotel in North Devon have been purpose built for wellness.

We use experienced trainers, scientifically proven fitness equipment, hot tub & pool, swedish sauna, and our own bespoke spa treatments. Everything you need to get fit, get healthy and chill out.

It’s not just guests that can use our facilities either—visitors are welcome too.

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