Almost half of gym goers in Edinburgh (45%) admit they don’t know what they’re doing at the gym, and many just copy what someone else is doing, according to new research from Nuffield Health.
This new research provides an insight into why people can quickly lose momentum and renege on their New Year’s resolutions. Over half (52%) of those joining a gym have no specific goal in mind and, of those that do, 70% don’t set a deadline for achieving their goals.
With New Year gym visits set to peak this week, Nuffield Health conducted the study among current or past gym goers to highlight how people can get more value from their investment by getting a personalised evaluation and workout plan, providing structure, support, and help in setting goals.
Helen Skelton – TV presenter, mother-of-two and fitness enthusiast – is helping Nuffield Health raise awareness of the importance of a personalised approach to fitness. She said, “Wellbeing is so individual, it just makes sense that everyone needs a plan that is built around them and their needs. Copying someone else’s workout in the gym is not only likely to prove ineffective, as it hasn’t been tailored to you, but it could also result in injury.”
Helen continues, “You can waste time in the gym, or you can use it wisely. Every person’s body is different so will respond to exercise in slightly different ways and it will depend on their goals. My training plan for the marathon was very different to when I cycled to the South Pole, and when I wanted to get fit again after having my children. A Health MOT can help identify the best exercises and frequency to help people reach realistic and achievable goals. Without this, people can not only waste time and money, but also lose motivation.”
Over two in 10 gym users in Edinburgh admitted to “making it up most of the time” (24%) and 19% said they felt “largely clueless” about how they should be working out, with almost a quarter (21%) being too embarrassed to ask for help. The lack of direction is such that 18% have even followed someone else’s workout because that person seemed to know what they were doing or looked good physically.
People surveyed also demonstrated a lack of basic knowledge of the key measures that can be used to personalise a more effective workout plan with six out of 10 (65%) not knowing their body mass index (BMI) or their resting heart rate. To track progress, body fat percentage can be a useful indicator, but nearly nine in 10 (87%) of those surveyed did not know this figure either.
Members of the not-for-profit Nuffield Health Edinburgh Omni Fitness & Wellbeing Gym, receive a free Health MOT, which includes looking at resting heart rate, aerobic fitness, blood pressure, cholesterol, waist to hip ratio, existing injuries and sleep levels among other indicators, all of which can be used to plan a bespoke fitness programme based on a person’s goals. Progress is measured and workouts reviewed at quarterly follow-up Health MOTs.
Richard Turner, manager of local Edinburgh Omni Fitness & Wellbeing Gym said, “It’s not surprising that many people in Edinburgh rush into gym memberships in the New Year, when motivation is at a high. However, we find that when our members have a clear idea of what they’re setting out to achieve and a plan of how they’re going to get there, they’re much more likely to stick to a routine for longer and really see the results.
“Our personal trainers will make sure the fitness plan is realistic for the individual at that time and recommend reviewing and refreshing it every three months. Whether people are training for a sporting event later in the year, or just want to tone up after Christmas, a personalised plan can get you to where you want to be.”
| The mental challenge
When it comes to health and fitness, it’s not just the physical that’s important; it’s also the psychological ‘readiness to change’ that can affect performance, and therefore achievement, at the gym.
Tim Hipgrave, Cognitive Behavioural Therapist at Nuffield Health says: “One of the reasons we tend not to start, or stick at, making change is that it can take effort and we tend to have quite vivid imagery that encourages us not to do them – like it will be to cold when we go outside for a run, or it will ‘hurt’ a lot.”
To counter this, Tim advises people to use positive visual imagery and think about: 1. the positive changes you would notice if you kept to your resolutions 2. how you feel after making these changes 3. how you might feel at important occasions when you have made changes 4. what people might say when they notice the changes
Studies have shown that using imagery techniques as above can increase the motivation to attend the gym and frequency of attendance. |
Nuffield Health is offering a free 1-day trial of its Edinburgh Omni Fitness & Wellbeing Gym.
Visit https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/badgymhabits to download a voucher.
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