MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2019

It’s National Mental Health Awareness Week, and the theme for this year is body image, something that resonates with us here at JD Gyms.

A recent survey found that over 30% of 18-35 year olds are too self-conscious to join a gym, with one in five surveyed saying seeing other people’s gym photos on social media makes them feel under pressure to look a certain way.

We know that body image has profound implications for our mental and physical health, and the more comfortable you are with your body (whatever shape and size), the greater your overall wellbeing. With that in mind, here’s our top tips to help you to have confidence in the gym, whatever your goal or fitness level.

Choose a gym where you feel comfortable

The key to a successful fitness journey is choosing the right gym, one where you feel happy to train each week and enjoy spending time. At JD Gyms our friendly, welcoming team are always on hand to help, and with so many things on offer, from Yoga to HIIT training and relaxing saunas, or just a quiet space on the gym floor where you can train, there’s something to suit everyone, no matter your starting point.

Workout with friends

Joining the gym with a friend is proven to help with motivation, but it can also give you the confidence to attempt a new exercise or class that you might otherwise have been too self-conscious to try. Even if you join the gym alone, you’ll soon find yourself with a friendly group of like-minded people. Many of our members have gone on to form long-lasting friendships with people they have met in the gym!

Remember no one is perfect

24% of those surveyed said they were held back from joining a gym because they were worried everyone would look at them. In our experience, most of our members are concentrating on their own workout and have no time or energy to worry about what other people are doing. Try one of our classes and we can guarantee you’ll only be focusing on yourself! EVERY body is welcome in our gyms, and we all started somewhere, even our expert Personal Trainers, so there’s no need to feel intimidated or nervous!

Enjoy the journey

A further 23% of those surveyed were worried that they weren’t fit enough to join a gym, with 26% saying a tailored exercise plan would encourage them to join, and 20% citing a regular health MOT to measure progress would persuade them. At JD Gyms we have a team of expert Personal Trainers on hand to give free health and fitness advice, covering everything fitness and nutrition related. We can also put together a bespoke programme based on your fitness levels and goals. We also offer health MOT’s, and all of our gyms have professional scales, which deliver a full body composition analysis in 15 seconds including body fat percentage, muscle mass, bone density and metabolic age. It doesn’t take long to start seeing progress and celebrating those fitness milestones!

To encourage people to start their own fitness journey, we are offering a FREE one-day pass, so you can see for yourself what JD Gyms has to offer. To request your free pass click here >> www.jdgyms.co.uk/freepass