Instead of waiting until New Year’s Day to start going to the gym, why not start working out today? When we were younger, participating in sports and P.E. class happened naturally. Now that we have independence to choose how to spend our days, we’ve taken on the responsibility to exercise on our own time. Walk into a gym and you are bombarded with several different places to go and types of equipment to use. The gym may seem daunting at first, but once you become comfortable with the basics, you can walk in with your head held high.

Usually, you can divide a gym into four separate zones. The first zone houses free weights, having dumbbells, squat racks, benches, and sometimes platforms for Olympic lifting. You can usually pinpoint this region by finding the mirrored walls. The second zone holds the collection of weight machines, such as the leg press, lateral pull-down or an assisted pull-up machine. The machines usually have directions. This allows for experienced and new people to use the machine properly in their workout. The third zone has the cardio machines. Treadmills, stair steppers, ellipticals, spin bikes and row machines all allow one to get a great cardiovascular workout. Finally, the fourth zone of an average gym is the open space. This zone allows one to train without machines or weights, and instead do calisthenics and stretches.

With this in mind, you can walk into a gym knowing your choices of where to go. Next, you must decide what exercise to do. It helps to vary your workouts each day so that you don’t focus too much on only one component of fitness. To start, decide how many times a week you want to workout. Then, choose what each workout will focus on. For example, on Monday, focus on upper body weight training. Tuesday, complete a cardiovascular workout and then on Wednesday, focus on lower body weight training. Use Thursday as a rest day and then on Friday and Saturday do a strength training and cardiovascular workout. The key to maximizing your level of fitness is to diversify your workouts. Doing back squats every day only leads to burnout. Running on the treadmill at a steady ten minute per mile pace will initially give your heart a good cardiovascular workout, but soon your body will adapt. Vary the exercises you do and your fitness level will constantly improve.

Walking into the gym can be intimidating. If you have a plan, approaching the crowded area to lift weights or getting a good sweat on cardio machines will be easy. The key is to focus on improving your own level of fitness. Some people recommend working out for 60 minutes, five days a week. However, this may be too heavy of a load, or too light. Depending on your level of fitness, tailor your schedule to you. Exercise does not have to be long and dreadful. Dance classes, running with friends, or playing sports not only are great workouts, but they are fun and enjoyable activities. Don't wait to set a New Year's resolution to get in shape when you have the ability to start now. Just show up and do it!