queen of unsolicited advice

Actually people ask me for workout tips all the time. I'm by no means an expert on workouts or diets (I don't ever diet). But I have been spending more time in the gym than usual lately because of the cold ass weather and yesterday I was thinking about what I think everyone does wrong. Here's my list of shit NOT to do:

• Don't hold to on the treadmill/stairmaster whatever, don't touch it. Hold on to the elliptical hand things, but really engage when you use them.
  
• If you can read a book or magazine while you are working out, you are not working hard enough
• Don't drink a smoothie from the juice bar after you work out. WTF? Those things are more calories than you've burned. I promise. Even if the machine says you burned 600 calories. You didn't. And the smoothie is 700.
  
• Don't drink calories in any form, other than coffee. Unless you are an endurance athlete, you don't need gatorade at the gym. Coffee is essential to life though. But don't fool your self at Starbucks, a venti skim latte is over 200 calories. That's more than 20 minutes on one of those machines. Get a venti coffee with some milk and splenda. Drink water/tea the rest of the time.
  
• Do the elliptical at at least a level 10. Level 3 or 4, you might as well go home and clean the kitchen floor. You'll have burned the same amount of calories. I'm not a fan of the elliptical machine. Spin classes and treadmill are the best.
  
• Don't be intimidated by spin classes or any class at the gym. A spin class is a calorie torcher if you really work hard in them. Boot camp classes and total body classes are also awesome.
  
• Don't worry about what other people are doing at the gym, or wearing, or reading. Don't look at other people. Do you own thing and get out. Standing around and talking, you aren't working out and I bet you added that time to yourself. Run on the treadmill for 20 minutes and talk for 30, I bet you went home and said you worked out for an hour. You didn't!
  
• Work your core with a medicine ball and do your sit ups on a yoga ball. Work your core every time you go.
  
• Eat something before you go to the gym. (Like my Quinoa breakfast of champions!) Drink water at the gym.

I have tons more random things that I will rant and rave about the gym. But the bottom line is, work hard at the gym. Be in the moment and be aware. If you go there and go through the motions, it's pointless. The gym is always a last resort for me. I would rather ride my bike outside, run outside and swim than go to the gym. The treadmill makes me feel like a hamster, I hate the elliptical and if you get a shitty spin teacher, then it sucks.

Now, I'm off to the gym because it's cold out and I'm a pussy and don't feel like running and freezing at the track.