In the 24th episode, we are looking into the Joy Superpower of Fitness and Wellness, with a deeper dive into the topic of going to the gym, with Ian Worthington. Ian is a fitness expert, coach and the owner GymWolfPT, where him and his team help over-worked, overweight and over-stressed people enhance their lives by feeling fit, healthy, energised and ‘loving ‘life’ on a daily basis, without the standard “one fits all” approach of unfeasible gym workouts and starvation style eating and drinking.
Here are some highlights from the episode, however a lot more related topics were covered, so you might want to go and have a listen to the full podcast!
Ian’s journey with fitness and joy
While Ian didn’t become a business owner until 2017, he’s trained in gyms for over 30 years. After a long career in the corporate world, Ian realized that while he was doing well and climbing up the ladder, he was in fact on the wrong ladder – and thus GymWolfPT was eventually born. Ian likes to look at the long-term relationship with fitness and joy – in addition to the short-term adrenaline boost, fitness is something that comprehensively affects his happiness, mental health and how he is with other people. For Ian, exercise, fitness and joy are all wrapped together: fitness is something that brings him joy in life week in and week out, it’s who he is and what brings him back up when he’s feeling down.
How to get past “gymtimidation”?
Gym anxiety or “gymtimidation” is a common occurrence for gym beginners. It’s human nature to feel a little intimidated in a new environment. Ian reassures that the majority of people are just pleased to see other people at the gym also working on themselves and bettering themselves since that’s what the gym is for. The key thing is to not overthink it, it’s rare that someone would judge you. After all, they were all beginners like you once. Ian’s tips for shaking gymtimidation are to go in with a basic plan that works for you, it doesn’t have to be anything complex. Naturally as time goes on, you’ll become more confident. Another tip is to go in with a friend or a family member to have that ally and additional support, or to get a coach if that’s feasible for you. Getting a coach, even for a short period of time, will help you get started and get your plan in place – after that, you’ll be good to continue on your own.
“You can look at the fittest person in any gym, and they all started somewhere.”
Sticking with your fitness plan
Sticking with your new fitness journey and having the patience to wait for results can be difficult. Ian suggests to having a plan, and shaking that plan up. “Although routine is great, just changing things around on a regular basis is important”, he says. People tend to get bored and de-motivated, so switching up your routine and trying out some new stuff might be beneficial. He also reminds to follow the process, stick with it and to not expect immediate results. “The key is consistency, doing the right things over a certain length of time and hopefully building habits that you carry on.”
Ian’s key fitness tips
- Take action! Many people tend to set themselves up to start their fitness journey and learning about the topic, but end up holding off from actually starting. Ian says that knowledge is great, but knowing stuff and not implementing it won’t get you far. “Knowledge without the action is no good whatsoever”, Ian says.
- Don’t compete with others. It can be easy to feel discouraged and de-motivated as a beginner, when all the way from social media you’re constantly bombarded with other people seemingly doing amazing on their fitness journey and being better than you at something. Ian encourages you to look at it from a different perspective: “I’m here now, where can I be tomorrow? Where can I be in a weeks’ time?” He reminds us to only compare yourself to yourself, and to strive to be better than you were the day before.
- Stay hydrated. Ian’s last tip is quite basic, but very important. He explains that too many people are in a constant state of dehydration, and there’s an easy fix for that. If water is freely available to you, drink it. It will benefit your body, mind and how you function – and this applies to everyone, not just gym-goers.
“Compare yourself to yourself and strive to be better than you were the day before.”
To find out more about Ian and his work, visit his website https://gymwolfpt.com or check out GymWolfPT on LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook. If you want to listen to the full podcast episode, you can find it here or on your preferred podcast platform by searching The Art and Science of Joy. Remember to subscribe to the podcast for more episodes on Joy Superpowers, and inspiration for you to start living a more joyful life!