My Gym Story feat Nuffield Health

This is a post that i never thought i would write in a million years! Lets start with a bit of a back story. When i was younger, i was never one for sports. PE lessons featured sports such as rounders, tag rugby, athletics and netball which never really floated my boat. I did quite enjoy tennis and badminton though and its something i'd love to do again sometime. Since i left school, i never felt the need to start properly exercising. I'm pretty lucky in the sense that i have never been overweight or particularly unfit. Although i've never been overweight, i have never been particularly toned or lean. I've had a bit of excess body fat here and there and have never had the physique that i always dream of.

Over the past two years, my mum has been seriously ill which meant i automatically took over all the household responsibilities and cared for her. Fortunately, she has started to recover and get back to her usual self this past year which meant that i could begin to focus on myself again. While my mum had been ill, it dawned on me that my life literally revolved around work and general day to day chores, add to this the stress that was put on me from looking after my mum and i was ready to look for some release and something to focus on, other than work!

At the time, i had just started to come across the fitness community on Instagram and bloggers/youtubers such as Carly Rowena. This made me think, hey maybe joining a gym would be a good release and new focus for me. After visiting a few gyms close to me, one being a private gym (not so good) and a few bigger chains, i decided that Nuffield Health was the one to go for! From the moment i stepped in the place, i knew it was just what i had been looking for. All the staff were incredibly friendly and informative and the general sense of the gym was great. After an initial tour and discussion with the manager, i signed on the dotted line and walked out being a new fully fledged gym member. Soon after i had signed up, i went and had my induction, programme session and health MOT. All these are included in your membership at Nuffield. Being a newbie gym goer, i found the induction really helpful as i knew how to use the treadmill and cross trainer and that was about it! Without going into too much detail, my trainer asked me if i had any goals and what my reasons for joining a gym were. Together, we devised a great programme for me to help tone areas of my body and he also recommended certain classes which would be beneficial too. 

I've been going to Nuffield for over a year now and it has become part of my weekly routine. When i first started, i enjoyed doing my gym programme and using the pool but at the moment i've really been enjoying the classes. There is so much choice on the timetable that you are literally spoilt for choice, but i have been doing classes such as All Over Body Workout (toning and aerobic exercises), Legs Bums and Tums (self explanatory!), Body Jam (dance style workout) and Body Combat (martial arts inspired workout). I have also just started doing Pilates which i'm hoping in time will improve my flexibility and and Body Pump - which is quickly becoming a favourite!

I've been going to the gym frequently for just over a year and have felt so much better both physically and mentally. Physically, i have seen my body becoming more lean, more definition in my arms and my legs and bum are looking pretty good too! The gym has also really helped me feel more energised throughout the week, improved my sleep quality and has increased my motivation and confidence. It has also made me more conscious of my diet which although has never been bad, there is always room for improvements!

When i first started at the gym, i was a little anxious that i would stick out like a sore thumb and people would be thinking 'what is she doing, she is doing that wrong!' but i've come to realise that people are focusing on their own workout and more often than not, they aren't looking at you. 

So, thats my gym experience so far. In short, i'm flipping loving it! It is something i really enjoy doing. I have to say though, sometimes there are days when i am just not feeling the gym and i know when i'm just not in the right mind frame to go. I try and stick to a routine throughout the week and go four times a week, always after work. I tried to go to the gym at 6am one morning but lets just say, it wasn't for me!

Let me know your thoughts on the gym and if you go! As fitness is one of my interests, i might start doing more health/fitness based posts - most will probably be documenting my addiction to buying fitness clothing though!