Not everyone is an expert when it comes to working out and exercising. However, there are tons of tips, tricks, and secrets that will make working out one of the best things you’ve ever done for yourself. If you are looking to learn more about physical fitness or if you have decided that now is the time to lead a more active lifestyle, here are 15 workout tips that are sure to make your experience worthwhile.

Shutterstock

Have realistic goals

Are you looking to lose 50lbs? Do you want to tone up and put on some muscle mass? Once you have a main goal in mind, you’ll want to divide it into more realistic and attainable goals. While you can lose 50lbs eventually, it’s a lot easier and much more self-pleasing to have mini goals, such as losing 5lbs each month. Make sure you have mini goals that lead to your main goal, or else you’ll have a hard time feeling like you’ve accomplished anything.

Shutterstock

When it comes to staying active throughout the day and living a healthier life, our jobs tend to be the thorn in our sides. Since many people work sedentary or semi-sedentary jobs, it’s hard to stay active during work hours. But, the human body is designed to be on the move as much as necessary, which means that sitting down for hours at a time each day can be detrimental to your health. Thankfully there are plenty of ways to get your exercise in during work. Here are 14 ways to do just that.

Men can be vocal about what they want from their significant others, sometimes expecting them to anticipate their needs or indulge their desires. Yet, they don’t always express what they would like to do with their partners. So, here’s a list of things that your man might like to do with you, in regards to entertainment, sex, and hobbies, that you might not have thought of.

Skin Ink

When love seems eternal, some men like to signify that by having the both of you mark one another with a token of affection, like an image or name written on the other person’s body. The latter idea is kind of a terrible idea, so even if your man doesn’t want you to tattoo his lips on your hips, or put his initials on your body,  a lot of men simply enjoy getting tattoos with their significant other and hitting up the tattoo parlor together for a quick thrill.

Shutterstock

Not everyone wants to spend hours at the gym each week in order to exercise, and not everyone has the money to buy all of the necessary equipment that is needed to create an at-home-gym. If you’re looking to exercise and live a healthier life without worrying about strapping yourself for cash, you’re in luck! Here are 14 ways to exercise at home, which means you’ll never have to set foot inside of a gym or spend outrageous amounts of money on gym equipment.

Shutterstock

Peter Lloyd, a journalist from the UK, is suing his gym for reverse sexism and writes in the UK Daily Mail about the situation:

“When I became a member of my local gym, it was to exercise my body – not my human rights. But that’s exactly what I’m doing with the Kentish Town Sports Centre in north London. The venue, owned by fitness company Better in association with Camden Council, attracts hundreds of people from all sections of society: religious, atheist, male, female, young and old. There is no dominant demographic. Everybody is welcome and everybody gets on. But not everybody is equal. Because, in an age of political over-correctness, they ban all men and boys for 442 hours every year – simply because they are male. Adding insult to injury, they still charge them the same full-price membership fee as women, but refuse to offer the equivalent option of male-only sessions. Not only is this an outrageous business model, but it’s also sexist. Especially given that council officials base it almost solely on women’s needs. Fair? I think not. But, because we live in an age of acceptable misandry, most people are too polite to say anything.”

Speaking of things that folks are too polite to say: The last time I was in a gym, a dude puts his balls in my face.

This happened in my late 20s, while I was going through this fitness phase. I used to hit the gym about an hour a day, get it in on the treadmill and do strength training with the weights. There used to be this guy that would be in there working out too. What time would he be there? Doesn’t matter. He was always there. This dude was in the gym like it was, seriously, his damn job. And that’s what I initially thought the first time he showed up in the woman’s section of the gym (a smaller room in the gym, which I’m sure was office space in its previous life). He gave me advice on how to use the weight machine correctly and then he left. Despite how helpful he was, I found out later that he didn’t work there. He was just a member like me. Nevertheless, I figured he was harmless enough. The most he had ever done was smile, wave and do the whole polite, “Hey, you’re back” type of conversation.

And then one day, I was in the main gym area using this hamstring machine, where you have to lay flat on your stomach and curl your legs back. My chin is rested on the mat and I’m staring down at the floor. In the middle of me trying to count off a second interval, I became distracted by two pairs of black sneakers. I liftted my head slightly from the mat and looked up. That’s when I got a face full of crotch. “Mmh, mmh, mmh, girl…” It was the gym rat. He was standing directly over me, shaking his head and ogling at my backside. “You know, you really don’t need to be in here working out. From what I see, you look good the way you are. I’m for real!” Gym-rat dude thought he was sending me a compliment, but all I remember is a semi-lewd comment and a man’s crotch in my face.

Shortly after, I stopped going to the gym – not because of this incident. I stopped working out because I got bored and then got lazy. But I will say that his presence did make my gym experience awkward from then on out. Now I’m all conscious of how I’m running on the treadmill, and if my double D breasts are jiggling too much. Lord knows, I’m not trying to get a rise out of him because then I would have to curse him out or something. And then you become, that girl.

The funny thing is that this is not the most awkward and inappropriate thing to happen to me, nor is it the craziest story I have ever heard. I know that there are women reading this, who have crazy tales of their own about the ways in which they have been approached by men in public – being it in the gym, supermarket, on the streets, at your grandmother’s funeral, etc… It can be pretty uncomfortable as many men are not as Rico Suave as they think they are. Some just come off as creepers. However, learned women know how to maneuver around these situations by doing a few things, including using headphones; gauging properly when it is and when it’s not safe to tell a dude no aggressively; and if needed, avoiding certain public places all together.

I agree with Lloyd that the “ladies’ night” promotion at the gym is a bit misguided. It does nothing to address the overall culture of the gym environment, which often condones inappropriate, lewd, or harassing behavior at times, particularly to women and girls. But to champion this cause as some sort of misandry is equally misguided, ignorant and quite frankly, dismissive of the very real and justified safety concerns, which are often a product of this culture. The charges of reverse sexism are just as hollow as the charges of reverse racism. As far as I am concerned, if men like Lloyd want to be compensated for the 442 hours they are “excluded” from the gym every year – or whatever else they claim reverse discrimination on – they can take their gym membership fees and version of “equality” out of the 23 cents on the dollar (in upwards of 21 percent in the UK) we ladies earned in wages in the workforce but have yet to receive.

Shutterstock

When it comes to exercise, it’s hard for someone else to determine whether or not it’s time for a change. Exercise is a personal thing and your workout routine results and problems can only be recognized by you. No matter if you’re a novice to physical fitness or an expert, there’s always wiggle room for change when it comes to your workout routine. Here are 14 signs that you need to switch up your exercise regime ASAP!

Shutterstock

A lot of women focus on the cardio aspect of exercising in order to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle. While cardio does serve its purpose and has proven to be helpful in helping women lose weight as well as strengthening the heart and the entire cardiovascular system, cardio isn’t the be-all end-all of exercising. When it comes to working out efficiently and effectively, it’s best to switch up your routine. To do this, add strength training to your routine a couple days a week. If you’re unsure that strength training is for you, here are 14 reasons that just may persuade you to pick up some weights.

Shutterstock

When it comes to trainers, one size does not fit all. And since you’ll inevitably be paying a pretty penny to get a pretty derriere, you want to be sure you and your trainer have the same vision for that trim/toned/buff/bootylicous or whatever figure you’re going for. So how do you choose the perfect trainer who will motivate, challenge, and get you?

Shutterstock

Aren’t you ever just a little jealous of men’s carefree attitude towards working out and dieting? They can talk about it, without all this anxiety and pressure around it. That could be because they’re doing it right! Here are some tips we could take from them.

iStock

For most people, time at the gym is pretty precious, especially if you are paying for your membership. When you’ve done your exercise for the day and it’s time to say goodbye until tomorrow, it’s nice to know that the time you have spent at the gym was worthwhile and meaningful.

If you want to get the most out of your time at the gym, there are definitely some things you’ll want to make sure you’re doing every day you’re there. Here are 14 ways to maximize your time at the gym.