Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

BY CHAD SALYER

Many people make a resolution to work out and diet in January. By this time of year, however, a good number of people have thrown in the towel and decided to just wait till next year.

This is a bad choice for many reasons. There is never a bad time to choose to invest in yourself and there is no compelling reason to wait for the beginning of the year to do so.

The medical data regarding the risks of a sedentary lifestyle have never been more convincing. To get the most out of life, exercise is mandatory. I recommend you break with convention and declare a mid-year resolution to get fit!

“So, how do I get started?” You might ask. Well, unless you are a person that has a functional home gym, the first step is to choose a place to work out. With many new gyms opening in our town, the selection has never been better in the Elizabethton area.

One of the primary considerations is your fitness goal. For most people, this would be losing weight and increasing general fitness, increasing strength, or a bit of both.

There is a good bit of overlap in the plans for these three strategies and there really is not a right or wrong choice. Once you start working out, you can adjust as needed or even change your strategy entirely. The most important thing is to get started and be consistent.

If losing weight and increasing cardiovascular fitness without a lot of fuss is your priority, you should consider one of the commercial gyms in town.

You might browse their website to see if you like what they have, and then check them out in person. Most local gyms, if not all, will give you a free day pass to check out the equipment and atmosphere before you commit to a membership.

You should look for plenty of cardio machines like treadmills and exercise bikes and there should be some available for use. Overcrowding is rare in a gym, but it does occur.

The staff should be present in the workout area and attentive to the people working out. A person assigned to supervise the weight room who is on their phone or otherwise distracted is a bad sign, for example.

Because this fitness goal is very common, you will have little problems finding like-minded people in any gym you choose. The new Planet Fitness gym has a very modest monthly cost and seems to fit the needs for this goal well.

If strength gain is your primary goal, you might consider a smaller gym that specializes in powerlifting or bodybuilding. Alternately, the larger commercial gyms almost always have a subset of their customers that specialize in strength training as well.

These tend to be a smaller percentage of the customers and so you may need to ask the other customers or staff about groups of strength-focused lifters you could work out with.

Many of the athletes I have formerly trained and who are focused on strength gain work out at the Workout Anytime 24-Hour gym by Amigo’s restaurant.

If you are interested in a hybrid workout strategy, CrossFit is a good choice. Several local gyms like Star Fitness specialize in CrossFit-style training and would be an excellent choice.

This is a very intense workout plan and while not for everyone, can make incredible positive differences in your body and fitness quickly.

No matter which gym you choose, consult with the staff and get advice on how to schedule and program your workouts.

There is very little you can do for your future self that will be as beneficial as getting involved in working out and staying fit. Make a positive choice and get your workout in today!