It’s the time of the year when we’re all given a fresh start to set our goals for our New Year’s resolutions – find a new hobby, save more money, or improve our fitness. However, albeit a popular resolution, the latter can be particularly difficult. Not to mention, a busy gym can be intimidating for those who are new to fitness resolutions, and it can even be discouraging.
New research has discovered the most popular and least popular times to visit the gym, so those looking to get into shape this year know when to avoid. The busiest time and day to visit the gym is Tuesday at 5 pm, while the second busiest time to workout is Monday at 5 pm.
Plan exercise in advance
While January is a quiet time for your social life after plenty of catch-ups with family and friends over Christmas, returning to work and adjusting to a busy schedule can be hectic. When work gets in the way, it can be easy to make excuses to not exercise.
Block out your calendar with your work schedule and any extra-curricular plans – make sure to consider the times when you may finish work later, or it might be your turn to do the school run. Once you have added these to your calendar, you can figure out the days you have free time for exercise, whether that be a morning, afternoon, or even a whole day. By taking an organized approach, you avoid neglecting fitness while ensuring that you have time for other activities.
Stick to full-body workouts
If you’re just getting into fitness, it can be daunting to visit the gym almost every day. Doing too much too soon can also cause burnout if you’re a beginner, or even if you’ve had a long break over the holidays.
Full-body workouts are an excellent way to keep your physical activity up while also leaving room for resting. Doing so means you no longer need to make several trips to the gym during the week to train a different body area in each session. Exercise classes like Pilates and HIIT are a great way to target all muscles in an hour or less, so they’re perfect for when you’re on a time crunch.
Socialize while you workout
Not only does working out with a friend make exercise seem less intimidating, but a fitness partner can also be a great way to push yourself further and keep you motivated.
Whether you head to the gym together, partake in a class, or go for a run, bringing a friend along makes you much less likely to cancel or make excuses, which, in turn, keeps you in the habit of exercising. As well as this, you can track one another’s fitness progress to recognize when either of you has met a goal, whether that be short-term or long-term.
Eat healthy foods to compensate for treats
If you’re holding back on indulging in treats due to your fitness goals, you can implement healthy foods into your daily routine to ensure you consume enough nutrients after having a treat. Without having a cheat meal or snack now and then, you take the risk of quitting completely – so it’s perfectly fine to indulge on occasion.
Vegetables are a great way to consume nutrients from your meals if you’ve had a cheat day; for example, broccoli and carrots are both packed with nutrients, such as vitamin C, an antioxidant that protects your cells and keeps them healthy. It’s important to remember that steaming vegetables is the best way to cook them instead of boiling them, as doing so retains the nutrients that you need to stay healthy. Without doing so, you may miss out on an abundance of nutrients that would have made up for eating a treat.
If you want to miss the crowds at the gym, Sunday at 11 pm is the quietest time to head to the gym, with Sunday at 10 pm being the second quietest time.
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