Dear New Year Resolutioner’s,

For all of you who have committed to a healthier new year and are pursuing your fitness goals at the gym. I know that starting at a gym can be intimidating under normal circumstances, but after your first week at the gym you may have noticed the harsh spotlight of being the newbie at the gym in January. The eye rolls of the put-0ut gym rats and the snarky comments, you might be questioning your decision to start at the gym.

Please, Keep Going! I am not one for unnecessary profanity, so trust me when I say this one is necessary. I need you to adopt the mantra of FUCKEM!! Genuinely, fuckem, you are not there for any of them.  You are at the gym for you! Because you deserve to treat yourself right and you have every right to purse the best and healthiest version of you. Anyone in the fitness industry worth their weight would greet you with a big smile, a high five or maybe even a nonsexual rump slap and cheer you on as you pursue your fitness and health goals.

I know it can be overwhelming to walk into a gym, already uncomfortable in your skin and unsure of where to start… or maybe how to to even use the crazy contraptions standing in front of you. Don’t let that discourage you. You are not alone and it is okay! We all have to start somewhere! Hell, I know how to use every piece of equipment in the gym. I know how to pull together an effective sequence of workouts and the significance of compound movements. I am certified to stand in front of groups of people and lead a workout. I stepped onto the gym floor this January, fully aware the jiggle in my thighs and snug fit of my top from the extra 80 lbs gained with my last pregnancy. I know how it feels to be riddled with insecurity and have your mind racing with thoughts of finding the darkest corner where no one will see you.

Shake it off, Don’t Hide! Scan the room for a smiling face, odds are there is someone else there just as unsure who would be relieved to see another smiling face. Reach out and ask for help if you need it. I know that I would be more then happy to have some one join me in my routine and show them how to use the equipment. Any decent personal trainer would gladly help you figure out how to use a piece of equipment, if not because their entire career emphasis is on helping people attain their best health, then at the very least it benefits them to be warm and kind in hopes that you may seek them out again as a paid trainer.

So, to all the New Year Resolutioner’s ;
Walk in head high proud of the commitment you have made to a healthier you! Know that you deserve to be there. Don’t hide, find that smiling face in the crowd, ask for help. Embrace the Fuck’em mantra for those who are to ignorant to welcome you! Rock your fitness journey, because in a few months those same eye rollers will be gawking at your smoking new body. Keep going, you will never regret it!

Sincerely,
Emily, your fellow gym goer who is stoked to see you at the gym in January.