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People go to a gym for a lot of reasons. Not all of the reasons are good ones. Some feel like a gym is a great place to meet the opposite sex. Some folks want to go work out just to be seen working out. And some folks are really serious about getting in shape.

Some of the mistakes I have observed in the past:

1. People often join a gym after New Years. In my mind this is a mistake. A New Years resolution gets busted about a month into the new year on average. Join a gym some other time of the year and maybe you will stay at it a bit longer.

2. Bring a water bottle with you and a towel. A water bottle will save you from buying those expensive sports drinks offered at virtually every gym that are probably counter-productive to your work out anyway due to the added sugar. Water is free. It is also better for you. A towel is important to have for several reasons. Reason number one is that you don't know who just used the machine before you and you might want to clean it off before you lay down on it. Reason two is the opposite. You do know who just used it (you) and now it might be nice if you cleaned it off for the next person. Reason three is that if you are working a sweat then you might want to wipe your face once in a while. If you aren't sweating then you probably aren't working out hard enough.

3. People often go to a gym to do aerobic exercise or to weight train. A small percentage of people go to do both. Studies show that weight training for strength and aerobic exercise as a combination is far more effective at reducing weight and putting you in shape. A good regimen should include both.

4. A whole lot of weight trainers tend to ignore major muscle groups that they should be working out. Legs are extremely important. These have very big muscle groups and weight training your legs is important. The back is also extremely important. There are lots of machines at gyms that can help you work out both areas.

5. Some folks go to the gym to see themselves in the mirror. They stand in front of the mirror and work out in front of the mirror. Nothing that I write here is likely to change that. But take this for what it is worth. If that is your gig then find a life quickly.

6. Get to the gym early. It can be very difficult to get on treadmills and bikes at some gyms during peak hours. It is often difficult to get a good workout in a gym that is so crowded you are waiting a long time between stations. One of the goals of exercise is to keep your heart rate at a consistent

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