Small Studio vs Large Gym

Have you ever thought about the gym environment that would suit you best? A large commercial gym or a private studio?

As you contemplate the options available to you, think about what is motivating you to join a gym and what setting would best suit your current needs.

Large gyms provide a variety of equipment, classes and other services to choose from. However, you will be sharing that space with many others, gym floors can get crowded and not all the people you share the space with will abide by basic gym etiquette. Some may feel uncomfortable inside a larger facility or within crowded spaces.

Maybe smaller is the better fit for you? Working one on one with a trainer every time you are in the gym, having the entire studio to yourself. Your trainer will keep you accountable, provide you with plenty of motivation and guidance.  They know about your lifestyle, your fitness level and, most importantly, your goals. You will be supported to work towards your goals in every session.

The hectic lifestyle many of us live mean that you can’t afford to spend too much time in a gym and you need to make the most of the time you have.  With a solid training plan, prepared by a trainer, you will make the most of every minute. 

While it is more expensive than a larger commercial gym, at a small private studio you will be investing in your future self, maximizing your training time and can enjoy a peaceful workout.

If you’ve tried a large gym before and are looking for an alternative training space, or you have goals you need support with, why not give a small studio a try and see the benefits for yourself.

Each day is a new opportunity to improve yourself, take it and make the most of it.

Shaun

2021’s Theme – Courage

As we start February tomorrow, New Year’s resolutions may be a distant memory (or you may be still going strong, awesome work!). I’ve never been one for saving resolutions for a new year, I believe it’s better to start where you are while the motivation is strong.

After the challenges of 2020, I decided to have a theme for 2021, to inspire and motivate me throughout the year. My theme is Courage. A theme is personal and connects with your deepest values. It can guide your decisions and remind you of what you want most from the year. I have spoken with others who also have themes for 2021, which included ‘self-care’, ‘move more’ and ‘family’.

For me, I want to have courage, to step outside of my comfort zone and take on new challenges, embrace uncertainty and to trust my gut instincts. It has taken great courage to start a business and publishing this blog online, which has me putting myself out in a way I haven’t done before. It’s been a fantastic start to 2021 and I love it!

Our comfort zone is a wonderful place, it is safe and peaceful. It protects us from stress, it is comfortable and easy. However, if we spend too much time in this zone, it can become routine and stale. Days can blur into weeks and we can feel stuck and unable to move forward.

By stepping outside your comfort zone, amazing things can happen. It is in this zone where we learn and grow, through new experiences and challenges. By stepping outside our current comfort zone we ultimately expand it, with new growth enriching our lives.

Over the last couple of years I have taken several huge leaps outside my comfort zone, which so far have turned out better than I could have hoped for. I don’t expect that I will have success in everything that I attempt, I will learn and grow regardless of the outcome.

So I will take on 2021 with courage, I will lean into challenges, learn from my failures and who know’s where it will take me!

Reflections on 2020

To say that 2020 has been challenging is putting it lightly.  For the majority of the year there has been devastation across the world.  You couldn’t turn on the TV or computer without seeing the impacts of fires, floods, hail and the pandemic. We are very fortunate that all our family and friends are healthy and safe and we have continued to work and have income during a time where so many are doing it much tougher. 

We are incredibly lucky to have been living here in Canberra, where for us, the impact of COVID-19 came in the form of home schooling and working from home. At the height of lockdown, while trying to home school two primary school aged children, work, study and deal with the fear and uncertainty of the pandemic, I had some personally difficult and stressful days. 

After one of these difficult days, I was feeling particularly stressed and was having difficulty winding down for bed. So I sat down and wrote a list of what I am most grateful for.  This simple act took only a couple of minutes and the power it had on my mindset was amazing.  From that day onwards, I started taking a few minutes before bed to write down at least four things I am grateful for.  Some days this was harder than others, but I found on those days it was the bigger things in life that I was most grateful for, my home, my health, my family and the ability to provide for my children.  On days where gratitude was easy, things like the winter sunshine, a good cup of coffee or a fun family dinner were things that I wrote down.  After doing this daily gratitude practice for nine months, I still feel the benefits and I have found that I am more present during the day and notice things in my life that I am grateful for.

2020 has reignited my passion for learning.  I have devoured books, online courses, videos and experiences, on many and varied topics.  Despite how much I have learnt across the year, I still realise how much more there is to learn.  I have piles of books waiting to be read, lists of online courses to study, podcasts downloaded and videos waiting to be watched.  Continued learning is incredibly important for personal growth and I’m excited to see where this journey will take me next.

If I was to sum up what 2020 was to me, it was about gratitude and learning.  I have grown, learnt more about myself and feel ready to take on 2021.  We can be sure that more challenges await us in 2021 but I will meet them with gratitude and a curiosity to learn.