When I first launched my blog back in June I wrote a post all about why I started the gym and how I ended up creating this fitness blog. There are lots of reasons why people go to the gym. Whether it’s to lose weight or gain it, the gym can become a big part of may peoples lives.

However not everyone has the confidence to go and those that do go may be lacking some serious gym motivation. That’s why I decided to write this post. I have asked 30 real life people what made them join the gym. With lots of personal responses, I have created this post for anyone who is lacking in confidence about starting or maintaining their fitness journey. Whatever your story, the gym could help you both physically and mentally so I hope some of these stories give someone the courage to start going to the gym and achieve their goals.

Christy Bridge, Aberdeen Fitness blogger

“I started going to the gym to lose weight and “tone up” but I didn’t really have a clue what I was doing. Now I go because I actually enjoy it, it’s my stress relief, I’ve made friends there and I enjoy lifting weights and feeling stronger!”

Samantha Carter, Essex

“I started going to the gym for my Sanity. To escape life and to be myself for an hour at a time. To escape work, being a Mum, and a Housewife.”

Stephanie Merry, Hertfordshire Lifestyle Blogger

“I joined the gym back in January this year. I guess you could call it typical new year new me stuff. And while I was unhappy with how I looked, eight months on I’ve realised that for me a workout is as much of a mental workout as it is a physical one. I look forward to my workouts, I love seeing how my body has changed and while it’s not perfect, that’s not my aim anymore. I go to the gym for me and it makes me feel so much better about myself”

Ed Johns, Essex

“I go to the gym so I can be the strongest. Its a great feeling to apply my strength to everyday tasks”

Emily Laidlaw, Essex

“I’ve always played some kind of sport but there was this one special guy who was kind enough to share his passion for the gym with me. He pretty much had to drag me to the gym three years back. That’s all it took and now I’ve been going back ever since.”

Daniela Sobral, Brazil/London @daniela_sobral

“When I first started going to the gym it was purely because I wanted to put on some weight and get stronger. However, I only went every now and again so I would never see any results. Two years ago I decided I’d take it seriously and change my lifestyle in order to see results. For a quick start I hired an online personal trainer and went to a nutritionist to follow a proper meal plan. After six months I noticed incredible results and fell in love with the activity. Nowadays I see the body change as a result not a goal anymore. It became my passion.”

Alex Paren, Essex Personal Trainer

“I started going to the gym to improve my health and to get stronger. I started going when I was 16 and back then I was very skinny and weak with no body confidence, so I wanted to increase my strength not only to improve my confidence but to help in daily life too.”

Laura Perez, Spain/Essex 

“I started going to the gym because I used to go running outside all the time when I lived in Tenerife. When I moved over to the UK I found that the winters were harsher and in the winter I could not run outside so I joined the gym.”

Allen Johnson, Essex

“I first got into training to gain lean muscle, drop body fat and increase my confidence. I have since gained my confidence after achieving my lean muscle and dropping body fat goals. This inspired me to tailor my career into helping others achieve their fitness goals by becoming a Personal Trainer.”

Paula Sandall, Essex

“I started going to the gym because I enjoy the group classes, the motivating music and choreography. Knowing I will see my friends there is another reason I go because I love the social side that going to the gym offers as well as keeping each other motivated.”

Ashley Bright, Devon

“I started the gym for a few reasons. My mental health was bad and I was over weight. I had just lost my job and I wanted to do something about it. So I decided to change and took charge of myself. I had issues with drink, drugs and fighting and I knew it wasn’t the life I wanted, so I started to go to the gym and have never looked back. It helped me get clean and change my whole attitude towards life in general.”

Kristy Barber, Essex Lifestyle Blogger

“I was never into sports when I was little but I always did a lot of dancing. After leaving school, I stopped dancing and spent a lot of time at college, partying or eating during free periods! I started going to the gym when I was 17, we were a few months away from our first girls holiday in Zante and I wanted to get in shape a bit. Since then, I’ve made sure I go to the gym regularly purely to increase my fitness and maintain a healthy lifestyle. It really helps training with other people because it keeps you motivated and pushes you further.”

Hope Nutkins, Essex

“After my relationship ended I decided to focus more on myself so I replaced them with going to the gym! I’ve never been happier or felt better.”

Sam Tyler, Essex 

“At 16 years old and weighing 18st, I lacked direction and drive in my life. I took myself to the gym to try and find a passion for something productive. I found exactly that. The gym is a place I go to release stress and stop worrying about things – no where else does that quite like a gym.”

Katie Groome, Northampton Fitness Blogger

“Like most people, I initially started going to the gym to lose weight, after losing 4 stone, my journey with fitness became a lot less about weight and more about lifestyle. Burning calories took a back seat, I had become addicted to the endorphin’s I’d feel after a good workout. I love to celebrate the fact my body can push through the limit’s I’d previously set myself and that’s why I keep going to the gym.”

Kerrie Painter, Essex

“I‘ve been going since I was about 28. I even ran on the treadmill during my lunch hour at 7 months pregnant. I’ve always had drive and wanted to keep as fit as I possibly can! When people say to me “I can’t run like you and exercise like you do’ I say ‘of course you can, I can and so can you!’. I’m 47 now so I’ve probably been working out for nearly 30 years, the only break was when I had my children! I decided after years of looking after babies I’d get my fitness level back up (even though I was still pretty fit looking after three children). I wanted some time out about 8 years ago and I’ve been going regularly ever since! Exercise makes me happy it’s as simple as that”

Alex Chapman, Australia

“It started off as a social thing, I went to the gym because quite a few of my mates started going. However as I started going more I realised how satisfying and addictive the feeling of working out was. From then on I’ve been hooked.”

Nikhita Patel, Essex

“I joined the gym at first to lose weight for my cousins wedding four years ago. I worked hard and achieved my goals, I literally loved the gym it was my second home. Now I go to continue my weight loss and start toning up”

Alisha Newman, Devon Fitness Blogger

“I started going to the gym because I wanted to be stronger and fitter. I saw that my local gym had an under 16’s offer for PT sessions and took a leap of faith and booked six. I wanted to improve my all-round fitness to help with several long cross country walks I was doing with my school. I found that my strength improved rapidly and I enjoyed the feeling of self improvement the gym gave me. It’s the amazing feeling after doing a really hard session that keeps me going to the gym two years later.”

Nicola Churchill, Wales @fit_withnic

“I joined the gym to keep weight off; but why do I continue to go… because I love the feeling it gives you. Pushing your body, sweating it all out, increasing your personal bests. The endorphins and adrenaline keep running through my veins and I leave with a smile on my face. Even if I’ve had my ass handed to me on a plate. I also go because I want to be stronger. I continue to gain physical strength and mental strength – all from the gym”

Kirsty West, Essex

“My other half decided we should join the gym for fat loss. Mainly because we go on a lot of holidays and want to look good.”

Victoria Slatter, Essex

“The original reason I started working out was because I was bullied at school. It made me feel strong and in control of something. Now I workout because it is the one thing I do for me since having the kids.”

Jon Weston-Stanley, Oxfordshire Fitness Blogger

“I started going to the gym to improve on my field performance and take my sporting career to the next level”

Ben Elsey, Essex

“I started the gym to keep myself in shape whilst working in a seditrary office job. Physical exercise is key to a healthy balanced lifestyle both mentally and physically “

Anonymous, Essex

“I started going to the gym when I started driving and stopped walking everywhere. McDonald’s drive thru was top of the list for dinner most nights and I’d put on some weight. I started out with a personal trainer for a short while, then started going with my cousin. I lost a good amount of weight and gained a lot of muscle mass. Now I aim to lift heavier and heavier trying to keep good form”

Liam Whitaker, Essex

“When I was 19 I enrolled myself into the army. Because of this I joined the gym to get myself physically fit and prepared for all of the challenging obstacles which come with this type of job.”

Adam Polzcyński, Essex

“I was walking past the local TSG fight school and gym on my way to college a few times a week for around three years. One day my curiosity finally took over and I decided to walk inside. It was the best decision I’ve ever made and have been going to that gym ever since.”

Jack Bowring, Essex @jbowring94

“Throughout the majority of my life I was told I couldn’t do certain things and I believed them. Throughout my childhood and teenage years I battled my weight, it got to a point when I would look down and not be able to see my feet under my belly. Because of this I was bullied, called names on top of fighting depression. In 2015 I lost the majority of my weight but I was weak and skinny. I could barely bench 7.5kg dumbbells. I decided to join the gym in order to better my self, in order to stay healthy and to prove every person that never believed in me that I could do it. There is no greater feeling than the rush of endorphins after setting a new personal best, or the burn from a set when your body is physically on the edge. I’ve been in the gym since Jan 2015 and I’ve loved every second of it. The gym literally saved my life”

Charli Copping, Essex

“I joined the gym when I was 20 after returning from travelling and putting on a bit of weight! My Nan bought me a years membership for LA Fitness which kickstarted my journey. After going for a few months I fell in love with the way it made me feel to the point I got a job selling memberships in the same gym!”

Chlo Hodgkinson, Devon Fitness Blogger

“I started going to the gym after someone close to me called me fat. It was that simple and it annoys me that I listened to them. But it made me start running and that’s were I became addicted to the endorphins. I ran more and more and started researching in how to achieve a better body, in this my mindset was getting stronger. Fitness made me feel like a new person and I now completely hold fitness responsible for who I am today.”

Do you go to the gym? What made you start going? I’d love to hear your stories below!