I Went To The Gym Every Day For A Month, These Are The Results

1. Is it a bad thing to workout every day?

image source: reddit.com

Although you might think that there isn't such a thing as too much exercise, it's very important to give your mind and body time to rest between workouts, which is why going to the gym everyday for a month might not be the amazing pat on the back you think it is!

2. Why rest days are important

image source: reddit.com

Especially with strenuous workouts, your muscles and body need time to recover, which can prevent injuring yourself or pushing yourself too far. Factoring in rest days is just as important as the workout itself, so although a month at the gym doesn't sound too long, it's a big ask of your body when there are no rest days!

3. How many times should you work out a week?

image source: reddit.com

Even if you have super muscle goals, you should aim for working out six times a week rather than seven. For someone just looking to stay healthy without any specific goals, three to five times a week is a good goal to set. So every single day for four weeks is a big commitment!

4. Going to the gym every day: you'll feel enthusiastic (at first)

image source: reddit.com

So here's what going to the gym every day is actually going to be like: you'll be jumping out of bed at first, feel enthusiasm for your task and put in a lot of effort into your workouts! The first few days of week one are going to be a breeze because you're motivated to keep going - and feeling great for it!

5. You're battling over equipment

image source: reddit.com

The trouble with committing to going to the gym every single day is that there's likely going to be at least one occasion where it'll be busy and you're battling over available equipment. So it might be that one gym session on a certain day isn't what you'd hoped in terms of how much of a workout you can get in.

6. You might find you're trying to squeeze it in around work

image source: reddit.com

Going to the gym a few times a week isn't a big deal when you can factor in your days off from work - but when you're trying to go every single day, it becomes a battle with when best to go around your 5 day work week! You may find the stress kicks in about when to fit it in around a hectic work schedule.

7. You'll turn to early morning workouts...

image source: reddit.com

The logical solution to this is going to be to try and get an early morning gym workout in before you even get to work, so that it's done! Whether you're a morning person or not, it's going to feel like more pressure to get up early to fit it in - but the perks can include feeling more energized when you get to work!

8. ... And then inevitably snooze your alarm after a few days!

image source: reddit.com

The trouble with trying to do this for a month is that even after a few days of the first week trying this, you're inevitably going to have one day where you think "na I've earned a lie in", and snooze your alarm. It's surprising how much of an annoyance it can begin to feel trying to get up and do that every day! Then you'll stress about getting in the workout you've missed later in the day instead.

9. You'll stop putting in less effort when you do workout

image source: reddit.com

Because you've been working out every single day, you're going to start to have less energy and enthusiasm for it, which means - consciously or not - you're going to stop putting in as much effort into your workouts. You're starting to set the treadmill at a slower speed, and put less resistance on your exercise bike.

10. You'll get burnt out very quickly!

image source: reddit.com

And then comes the burn out! You're going to get burnt out surprisingly quickly trying to work out every single day, and likely after 4-5 days of working out straight. When the burn out sets in, you'll likely have lower mood, feel more tired and think of excuses why you shouldn't work out.

11. The importance of exercise variety

image source: reddit.com

Exercise variety is so important for the very reason that it avoids burn out. Even if you're doing different workouts at the gym, you're still going to the gym in the same place/spot which can feel repetitive. Exercise variety should include where you work out, like going for a hike instead of the gym treadmill.

12. You'll likely go harder with junk treats/rewards

image source: reddit.com

Because you've been keeping up with working out every single day and are now feeling very burned out and grumpy about it, you're likely to be more unhealthy with junk things because you feel like you've more than earned a reward! So it might be that you're more unhealthy with what you're eating than you would be if you weren't working out every day.

13. You'll turn to easier exercise

image source: reddit.com

To combat the burn out and the fatigue of an every day workout sesh, you're likely going to turn to much easier exercises rather than anything that's going to make a huge difference. You'll likely pick the easiest machines at the gym, and do a workout that doesn't make you ache.

14. You'll start to dread going to the gym

image source: reddit.com

You're naturally going to start dreading those gym doors, even as early as the first week. By week 2, you're definitely going to hate the site of the gym car park, maybe even the receptionist, because you're feeling very tired and negative about it now. You might not be able to sleep well because you're dreading getting up for another work out!

15. Fatigue will set in sooner than you think

image source: reddit.com

It's amazing how very quickly fatigue sets in with going to the gym every day. You might think serious fatigue should arrive by week 3-4, but it can happen during week one, even. And when the fatigue sets in, it's coupled by the dread, the lack of effort and the ever-increasing need for a chocolate bar.

16. It's definitely easier with a workout partner

image source: reddit.com

By the middle of the month, you're likely going to look to a friend or loved one for help to keep going, because you just can't anymore. You need someone to physically drag you to the gym, which is where you might recruit a friend to be your workout partner, go to the gym with you and spur you on! And it'll work - for a bit.

17. You're likely to bump into someone you know

image source: reddit.com

If you know a lot of people in your local area, then inevitably going to the gym every single day is going to clash with their workout days at some point. Avoiding someone you know at the gym is easier when you can pick and choose the days you want to go, but unfortunately the odds are pretty high you'll bump into that ex.

18. There's no hope of looking great

image source: reddit.com

Not only are you doing a sweaty workout at the gym, you're doing it every single day - so at this point you've lost all hope of looking great and energised. Because burnout and fatigue will have set in at this point, you likely look a mess - which is not ideal if you're trying to impress those people you're inevitably going to bump into (hello ex).

19. You'll cut corners when it comes to running

image source: reddit.com

You'll likely turn to going for a run instead of hitting the gym, just because you're so desperate to break the monotony - but a couple of weeks in, you're going to cut corners with this, too. You'll probably look for an easier running route, and stop early because of outside factors like weather or when it goes dark.

20. You'll be more tempted by food and drink when you're exercising outside!

image source: reddit.com

And because you're going for a run or power walk in your local area, you're more likely to stop at that coffee shop or grocery store for a toffee latte or big slab of chocolate because you're going to be craving it more during your work out - and when it's right there in front of you, you can make a quick stop because you justify how much you've earned it!

21. You'll probably be pretty miserable 2 weeks in

image source: reddit.com

Let's be honest, after 14+ days of straight exercise, you're going to be pretty miserable by now. You're likely hating yourself for trying to do a month's worth of gym time in the first place, and feeling bummed out about how tired and achy you are - and probably feeling guilty about the chocolate you've been eating, too.

22. You'll likely turn down a lot of social events

image source: reddit.com

Trying to get a good gym workout session in every single day - and especially around work - means you're going to have to say no to a lot of social events you can't make. Either it'll clash with gym time, or you'll be so tired that you just can't cope with gym, work and

social time!

23. You'll start to feel guilty - about everything!

image source: reddit.com

Workout guilt is the worst kind, because it can easily turn to cancelling out everything you've worked for! You'll start to feel guilty if you don't put as much effort in. You'll start to feel guilty about having to say no to your friend's meetups. And you'll definitely feel guilty about snacking on junk foods as treats!

24. By the end of the second week you'll likely cheat and have a day off

image source: reddit.com

By week 3, you're going to very much feel like you've earned a day off because you just can't do it anymore. You've been working out hard for so long that one day off won't hurt, right? You'll likely decide to have a full day of no exercise whatsoever to give yourself time to rest.

25. ... And then you'll feel like you've failed!

image source: reddit.com

Which of course means you'll feel like you're an absolute failure. It doesn't matter if you've done 21 days of straight workouts - you've had a day off before day 30, so that equals a failure in your eyes. You told yourself you'd work out every day, and you haven't, so that = big fat fail.

26. You'll be comparing yourself to other gym-goers by now

image source: reddit.com

Because you'll be such an unmotivated mess at this point, you'll start to wonder how other gym goers do it when you see those pristine, muscled people heading to the gym the same time as you every day. You'll start to compare yourself to them and feel even more of a failure: if they can do it, why can't you?

27. You'll have to factor gym time into everywhere you go

image source: reddit.com

If you have a very hectic life, you'll also be battling with how to still go to the gym when you have to be somewhere else. For business trips, you'll have to book hotels that have an on-site gym. For weekends away, you have to make sure to find the nearest fitness center as top priority.

28. By week 3-4, exercise is a chore

image source: reddit.com

By the final weeks of the challenge, you don't get any pleasure out of exercise anymore, even if it's one you used to love - because by now, it just feels like a chore, something you have to force yourself to do every single day to be able to say you've done it. You don't get any feel-good hormones from doing it.

29. You'll realize scenery is much better than gym interior

image source: reddit.com

By the end of the month, you're realizing that scenery makes all the difference in making you feel good about the workout. You'd take a pleasurable walk by a river any day to hiking back on that treadmill, and you'd rather take a swim at the beach than have to stare at that gym TV screen any longer.

30. By the end of the month, you'll realize what's important to you when it comes to exercise

image source: reddit.com

By the end of the month, you'll really have had a wakeup call about what exercise means to you. You'll know the exercises you enjoy, and the ones you don't, how many times a week you can comfortably work out, and how forcing yourself into an exercise you don't want to do definitely isn't a good thing - for your mind, or your body!