Gym For The Win || Introduction

Hi ladies! If you've been following my blog for a little while you may know that over the last couple of months I have been getting into fitness and the whole 'healthy living' style of life and have been quite motivated about it all. Before I left for my hols I did a few posts on how I was aiming to get bikini body ready, if you would like a re-cap on my little fitness journey you can read all about it here and here. I've been back in the UK for two weeks now and I'm pleased to share with you all that I'm still keeping up with my little fitness routines and it took no time at all for me to get back into the swing of things.

If you have read my previous posts or follow me on Twitter (@sunshinesprkle) you will know that other than my cheer training, all the exercises I've done have been in the comfort of my own home. I must admit though, I have considered joining a gym for the longest of time - However working full time, running a blog, cheerleading and trying to have a social life already takes up a big chunk of my time as well as all the added exercise I've been doing too. For me, I always thought forking out for gym membership wouldn't be worth it as I would never have or make the time to get my little booty down there to work out! As much as the thought of joining a gym appealed to me, I pretty much thought it would be a waste of my money. 

Well lucky for me the lovely guys over at MoneySupermarket.com got in touch with me along with some other bloggers asking if I would like to get involved and take part in their 'Gym For The Win' campaign. Gym for the win is a campaign is a campaign to see if gym membership is really worth the expense. Over the next month I shall be trying out a local gym to me, where Money Supermarket have kindly offered to pay for my membership. This way I can report back to you guys and let you know how I fitted the gym into my already busy lifestyle and if to see if I think its worth paying out for every month. 

I know that there are a lot of people who like me who have always debated about whether or not to join the gym and one thing that always comes to the forefront of everyone's mind is the costing of membership. When looking at the gyms in my local area I found that a lot of them varied in price, with some being just way too expensive. However I did manage to find some good deals and chose a gym that was middle of the road in terms of cost. I chose a gym called Fitness4Less and my monthly membership cost me £35.00 - However it would have been cheaper if I had chosen an annual monthly membership. That aside, I was pretty impressed with what was included with my membership fee when I signed up at the weekend. The gym has a swimming pool and a wide range of classes on offer at times that I know I will be able to fit in and around work. 

As part of the campaign I'm going to update you all weekly on my blog to let you know how I'm getting along and record for you all how many times I actually make the trip down there. I will follow up with a conclusion at the end of the month to let you all know if I think paying out for membership is really worth it. In terms of fitness goals, I have to say I don't have a major one that comes to mind - other than to keep toning up! I will be honest, I don't have a clue about how to use any of the gym equipment or any idea on which exercises I should be doing to tone up in the areas that I want. A gym induction is included in my membership, but I'm going to have to wait a little while before I can book one in, so if any of you have any tips or can put forward any exercise routines I can do on my trips down there, it would be greatly appreciated. I have to admit the thought of using all the gym equipment doesn't really appeal to me all that much - Whenever I thought about joining the gym before it's always been the classes that have made me want to join, so I know once I've found my feet a little I will be getting stuck right in with those.

Overall I'm pretty excited about this campaign and I'm quite looking forward to see what all the fuss is about surrounding gyms. Believe it or not I used to work on the reception of a gym for two years whilst I was at uni, but shockingly never took advantage of the free membership I got. Therefore training at a gym is will be very new to me so be sure to keep checking back weekly to see how I get on and of course I will be sure to report on my progress for you all. From the feedback from my last fitness posts I know that there are quite a few of you who are getting into fitness too and have probably been debating joining a gym as much as I have. Well the good news is Money Supermarket are still looking for bloggers to take part in the 'Gym For The Win' campaign and if this is something you feel that you would like to get involved with you can find all the details here. Be sure to let me know if your signed up to the campaign too, that way we can get in shape together! 

If your a dedicated gym goer then please let me share with me your gym and exercise secrets and any healthy eating tips you may have or if your a gym newbie like myself then be sure to let me know how your getting on. I'll be sure to let you know how I get on after week one :)

Lot's of Love