It can be hard to drag yourself to the gym if you're not feeling motivated to work out, but the equipment and resources available there are among the best for encouraging healthy and sustainable weight loss. You don't have to pay a trainer to suggest exercises for you. Instead, use your membership to its full advantage and create your own free plan that will help you burn calories and build a stronger physique.
Finding Plans
Find free sample plans to follow if you don't like the idea of creating an individualized plan. Check with gym staff to see if the facility has printouts or promotional DVDs it can provide that include recommended exercises for weight loss. If you come up empty, stop in at your local library. There, you'll be able to check out books and programs from a variety of personal trainers and fitness authorities that contain free plans for you to use.
Flexibility
Include elements of flexibility, aerobics and strength training in your workout plan, as the American Council on Exercise recommends for weight loss. Flexibility and stretching exercises are useful for warm-up and cool-down periods. They can help you prevent injury and encourage you to work out harder by easing your muscles into strenuous exercise. At the gym, walk or jog lightly on the treadmill for about five minutes to begin your routine. To cool down after your workout, find a mat for a series of stretches and yoga poses.
Aerobics
Do several weekly sessions of aerobic activity, as it burns more calories than strength training and is phenomenal at inspiring weight loss. As you push yourself to do more vigorous activities, you'll burn a greater number of calories and lose weight more rapidly. If free aerobics classes are included with your gym membership, attend a few times a week. According to MayoClinic.com, high-impact aerobics burns more than 500 calories per hour for a 160-lb. person. Otherwise, hop on the treadmill or elliptical for an hour. Sixty minutes of jogging at 5 m.p.h. burns close to 600 calories.
Strength Training
Strength train two or three times a week if you want to see improved muscle tone and a more streamlined physique. Ask a friend to spot you, or watch your form during difficult moves and make sure you stay safe. At the gym, use a barbell or dumbbells for squats, deadlifts and bench presses. Then make use of the weight machines in the strength training area for chest flies, leg presses, dips and pullups. Don't worry if you only see men on the machines. According to the Women's Heart Foundation, "when it comes to strength training, anything that is considered a healthy practice for men is also healthy for women."
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