Q & A with Meg! This morning, I received this question from my longtime friend and sister, blackjackchazzy: “Psst! Hey sis! I was wondering, do you work out in the gym or by yourself? I dislike working out in public. I feel like everyone is judging me but when I work out alone I feel like I’m doing it wrong, even if I have videos. Any suggestions? — blackjackchazzy” This is a PERFECT question. WARNING: it WILL be a doozy! 1. Yes, I use a gym. No, I do not work out on my own (alone). But, I DO work out “on my own” (without gym equipment) at home as well. I also hate working out in public. I go now with my boyfriend, but I used to go with my mom. It’s much better to have someone there to not only keep you company and encourage you, but also make sure you’re using the right form, etc. If you don’t have a workout buddy, it’s fine. There’s mirrors everywhere in gyms and you can watch yourself and make sure you’re getting the most out of what you do. Honestly, I can tell you no one looks at you or judges you while you’re working out. It may feel like it, but they’re not. Ex: The other day, I was going hard doing some deadlifts. I was huffing, gross, sweaty, and I had no makeup. After I finished one of my sets, I looked around to see if anyone was watching. They weren’t at all. People really don’t care. Everyone cares about themselves at the gym. They’re there to work and if they DO look at you, it’s for a split second. They’re not going to pointedly observe/judge. The gym is a great tool. I use Planet Fitness. $10 and you get a great variety of machines for cardio and lifting. (I’m a free weights person, and luckily they have a large selection of those, too.) But I digress. So, you don’t like working out in public? Don’t worry about it! No one cares. You will be fine. (And love, this is coming from the QUEEN of self-esteem and perception issues. I HATE people looking at me and I hate drawing attention to myself.) I would really recommend a gym or fitness club. They are great. But, if you still don’t want to brave the crowds, you CAN work out at home, and quite effectively. There are toooooooons of videos online that are very quick, very intense, but very effective. My favorite youtuber for fitness is sixpackshortcuts. http://www.youtube.com/user/sixpackshortcuts http://sixpackshortcuts.com/indexa.php Mike may look like a meat head and you may think his approach looks daunting, but it’s not! There is a lot of truth to what he says. You need to eat right, sleep well, and make sure you fit in a few minutes of activity in every day. This can be walking, running, jump rope, trampolining, etc. Or, even just one of his videos. He breaks down quick routines for cardio, muscle groups, etc. At home, Doug and I have laid out a cardio plan derived from his videos. Why? We hate cardio at the gym, too. I’m not a runner, and I don’t do elliptical anymore. We have created a cardio routine to do at home from Mike’s videos. The best part is that a lot of the workouts he is showing you are along the lines of P90X and Insanity, which I know my darling inspiration, Rae uses. (GO CHECK HER OUT SHE IS A GODDESS AND MY COMPLETE INSPIRATION WHEN IT COMES TO FITNESS. GOOOOOO. She is so sweet and kind and could definitely answer this better than me!) Anyways. Doing circuit-esque bursts of cardio at home are actually quite effective. Now, I’m not discrediting running. Running is great. But, I am not a runner. But, I still want intense, fat-burning cardio. So, I took a leaf out of Mike’s book and I do his exercises at home. I use the gym for WEIGHTS & STRENGTH and I stay at home for CARDIO. Every day, it all takes me about 1 hour - 1.5 hours. Sometimes, we might have time for just one. But, that is OK. Staying ACTIVE, regardless of the intensity, is important. Don’t have time for all that? Take a couple power-walk/walking laps around the floor of your dorm with some friends. Then, come back and do one of Mike’s 5-minute videos. Trust me — it’s very high intensity and you WILL feel it. It’s amazing and quick. To your last point about doing it wrong: it takes PRACTICE, darling! I was rubbish in the beginning! But, I began to look at myself and ask for critique when I had someone with me. I began to learn and acclimate my body to certain positions and exercises. You will learn fast. When I used to do squats, I did them all wrong. My legs went out, my posture was terrible, and I didn’t spread my arms apart enough to support the barbell on my back. But, I learned. Doug gave me tips, I changed my stance, and now it’s second nature! You will learn. Do NOT worry about it. Also, a great indicator of form (even if you can’t see yourself in a mirror or something) is where you feel the workout in your body. Ex: If you are doing knee to elbow bicycle crunches (one of my favorites), you will feel it in the targeted muscle group, the abs. Or, if you’re doing a bicep curl, you should feel it in your bicep. It seems obvious, but it’s the truth. You should be feeling resistance in specific areas as you do specific exercises. The internet and youtube are goldmines for disambiguating all these weird names and slang for workouts. So, in short (lol) 1. I use a gym for weights and I do cardio on my own at home. I understand your fear of judging, but don’t worry about it. Life is too short to care, and if you want to be healthy, go for it! You can do it! 2. Form comes with practice and education. Don’t let it scare you. Everyone starts out somewhere. Did I answer your question adequately, honey? Let me know!
