Busy gyms, packed out car park and classes are fully booked. I can already here some dickheads tutting and rolling their eyes, and to be completely honest, I used to be one of those dickheads. As an unsociable gym goer, I liked my peace and quiet and repeatedly lifting heavy objects on my own. The thought of queueing for equipment was a sad prospect and losing my pump before the next biceps exercise was devastating.

You will be pleased to hear that I have moved on from such vain and shallow times. I am much more well rounded in my fitness experience and believe in other means than just lifting weights to make my arms bigger.

 I think the more we make fitness inclusive for all, the better the gym environment will be and a healthier society we will live in.

There are a few things we can do to beat the January rush in the gym and I am going to share them with you today.

Don’t be a dick

You were once new to the gym. It is an intimidating place and most people are fearful of looking a bit of tit (even all 5 blokes hovering around the bench press). The gym should be a friendly welcoming environment. We are all trying to achieve similar goals and have taken it upon ourselves to be better. This should be celebrated and welcomed from everyone, not ridiculed and secretly filmed if someone is doing it wrong.

If we were all a little bit nicer and helped each other out, people would be much more likely to stay past February and there would be no January rush. People would just exercise together like one big sweaty family. Try it out this year. Welcome someone new, make some friends and just say “hi” to someone that is looking nervous.

The gym is not the only option

Home workouts, running, cycling, sports or signing up to one of my incredible online personal training options are all on offer. If you do not enjoy ‘traditional’ exercise such as lifting weights or running, then try something else. The gym is one option out of thousands available. Exercise should not be seen as a chore or something you ‘must do’, it should be seen as something you want to do that puts a smile on your face and makes you look good naked.

Use it as motivation

The busy hustle of January fitness is a great time to make progress. Motivation and willpower is sky high and everyone is willing to get involved. Use this opportunity wisely and contain that excitement into actionable results. Use the buzz from other people and get excited about making positive changes for your health and wellbeing. More people trying to achieve a very similar outcome can only be seen as a positive, not an inconvenience.

Start Slow

Instead of rushing out and spending £400 on an Under Armour outfit, a fancy gym membership and a new protein shaker, why not just start changing small things at home. Try to make one actionable change per week. Hitting 10,000 steps per day, drinking 2 litres of water per day or eating 5 fruit or veg a day. Going from 0 -100mph is going to be a tall order for most and will usually mean reverting back into old habits quickly. Why not spend the whole of January working on these simple ‘at home’ habits and then look to slowly build the gym (or any other exercise) into your schedule slowly. This slow and steady approach is going to be much more manageable and sustainable for most.


We all need help at times and unfortunately I cannot pay my mortgage with Facebook likes. I have lots of options to suit everyone’s budget. All you need to do is take the first step and get in touch. We can have a quick chat to find out how I can help you best and then we can get started to getting you the results you want.