NEVER been to a Gym, Going Tomorrow. So scared, HELP PLEASE!
motivatethismom
Posts: 42 Member
I am in desperate need of a talk to calm me down to motivate me I am so scared. I have never been to a gym in my life, I am a 27 year old mom of 3. I've put it off for way too long and I am tired of being depressed about all this extra built up fat in my tummy area and legs. I finally visited a gym yesterday, so my first session will be tomorrow. A trainer is supposed to help me out that day. I have no clue about anything! I don't even know how to work a treadmill let alone the other machines. I know they will help me learn but I am so scared. Please give me some encouraging stories of your first time at the gym!
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I understand that! I thought that people woud be looking at "that fat woman on the treadmill"! But then I realized that most people are so absorbed in what they are doing, they don't really pay attention. I applaud you for getting started!
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You will do fine! My first time @ the gym I weighed 282 lbs and could barely walk 5 minutes without getting out of breath. The trainer will ask you all kinds of questions (like what do you want to achieve) and will show you how to use the machines, etc,0
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Read this...http://ericamillard.com/?p=1566
Its called "Dear new girl at the gym" and its spot on. Go for it, you'[ll do great0 -
Just remember that every journey begins withthe first step. This is yours. I started working out at the gym about a year ago. It was pretty nerve wracking the first few times, but everyone is in the same boat. Just remember to listen to your body. Pushing yoursefl is good, but making yourself so sore that you can't is not. After a few visits, you will be able to judge better what to do. Just try everything and find something that you like. Good Luck and have fun!!! 0
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It can be intimidating the first time but the good thing is you have a trainer to help you! So deep breath, they will show you the ropes and before you know it you will be a natural. Good luck!
Oh and since you asked for a first time at the gym, I had no idea how to work an elliptical and when I got on it I kept looking for an on/off switch (you start moving on them and it turns them on automatically) so I assumed it was broken or not plugged in. I moved to like 3 different machines before I figured it out lol.0 -
You are definitely not alone! When I first joined my gym, I was terrified, too! The first visit, a personal trainer showed me around and asked me to try certain machines (like the treadmill, and a couple of the weights machine) but he was there showing me what to do, so it was okay. After that, for months, I just did the treadmill, because that was where I felt safe. (It's pretty much just walking, you can do it!) It has taken me a year to get brave enough to try out the weights section of the gym, and that is only after three sessions with the personal trainer. It is sort of expensive, but totally worth it. I am getting more and more comfortable every time I go. I think people *do* look at other people in the gym, but it is mostly just curiosity, not like, "OMG, I'm waaaay skinnier than THAT person". But you just have to tell yourself that you paid your monthly fee just like everyone else and you have every right to be there, even if you don't have a clue about what you're doing.
Good luck!0 -
You can do this! Reach out and ask the staff for help if you have a question. If you aren't sure about machines, try a group exercise class. If you have the money, try to get a few sessions with a trainer. I've been in and out of gyms for years but the gym recently added some new cardio machines. I'm going to ask how to use those! It can be intimidating but remember that you aren't alone and don't be afraid to ask for help!0
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Aw.. your going to do just fine! In no time you'll be rocking the equipment and your new body! Keep your head up and don't forget to take you favorite tunes to listen to!! This is the only thing that keeps me motivated through out my exercise routine! Enjoy you experience and congrats on your commitment! :flowerforyou:0
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I won't lie to you : it can be intimidating the first time you go! But you have to remember, all your insecurites are in your head ! You feel like people are watching your every move, but in reality everyone is there to do their own workout! Anyone that is busy talking trash about other gym members are probably not at the gym for the right reasons anyway and I pay them no mind.
Remember :everyone has to start somewhere , sometime! Listen to your trainer, they can give you many great ideas when it comes to working out , I know mine has ! You can do this0 -
Remember that at some point every single person in that gym had a first day. They weren't born knowing how to operate the machines, and they weren't born with super-fit bodies either - they got them from being at the gym! Also, most people you see in there will not notice you, as another poster said - a lot of people who are regular gym-goers really get into the zone and are so focused on their own reps and form they would barely register if a cow fell through the roof. And the ones that *do* notice you are most likely mentally applauding you for getting up and joining a gym, because they too know how hard it is to get started.0
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Don't be intimidated. Everyone else is there for the same reasons as you. People aren't going to stop and stare or make fun of you and if you need help I'd even go as far to say that most people are happy to help if you don't interrupt them during a set. Just take a deep breath and say "I CAN DO THIS!!!!"0
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WOW never expected so many encouraging comments so quickly! Thank you so much! I am not big by any means, I am only 120lbs and some of you will probably think that I look perfect just basing it on my weight but I'm not at all. I've had 3 kids and other women know what it can do to our stomachs and thighs/legs. I am going to smaller gym bc a bigger gym scares me even worse. What would you all recommend as far as a commitment to the place? The contracts are 12, 18 months or 2 years. If I sign up for 2 years will that encourage me to keep going? or should I stick with only 12 months for now.0
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I was terrified of going to the gym my first time too. Now I see it as a way to be able to go off in my own little world and not have a care in it. I have an awesome trainer who took a lot the intimidation factor away.0
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I'd sign up for a year to start out to make sure that it will fit your needs. Also, don't limit yourself to just the machines. Weights do wonders!0
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Once you get in there you'll realize there are plenty of other people who don't have a clue what they're doing. The sad part about that is most of them have been going to the gym a while and still don't know. My advice to you is to ask a trainer when you don't know how to work a machine or don't know how to do a specific exercise. That way you don't end up like the people who are too scared to ask for help and they think they know everything and are doing it wrong.
I promise no one is going to be staring you down when you walk in. People are too worried about what they're doing. Also, since you are at a good weight I bet people will look at you and think you've been in the gym for a while so they won't really even give it a second thought about whether you know what you're doing in there or not.
Oh, and as far as the contracts... that's a pyschological trick. You THINK that signing a longer contract will encourage you to keep going but studies have proven that it doesn't, people just waste that money. I'd go with the shortest membership they have. Or a no contract, if possible.0 -
I signed up for MFP January 2 years ago & after reading a lot of success stories including the gym, by the end of January at 35 years old, I stepped foot into my first gym! To begin with I knew nothing...stayed on the recumbent bike because I felt I couldn't fall off of it! They set up a couple appointments to give me information! Febuary 14th that year was my first appointment with a personal trainer....I was so in shock that I didn't tell anyone what I had signed up for! But I stuck with it, seeing my trainer once a week & results soon followed! Then I became proud to tell people I was seeing a trainer! So fast forward 2 years, I still see a trainer & log with MFP...basically eat healthy & exercise (I love the gym now) & I'm down 145 lbs so far! I'm not done yet, but know I'll get there!0
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I am 33 and 6 months ago I had never set foot inside a gym either, my first day I could barely make it 10 minute on the treadmill and sadly only like 4 minutes on the elipitical. Now I can go at least an hour on both. Don't expect too much if yourself at first. Take it slow....I love working out now!0
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It's just like the first day of junior high school and walking into the cafeteria and wondering where you're going to sit ... until you get to the gym, and then suddenly the advantages of being an adult will become clear, because you will have a lifeline: the trainer. She/he will take you around and show you the machines and tell you the rules (which never happened in junior high, did it? You were left to figure it all out on your own).
Plus, the trainer will KNOW you are nervous. They work with people. They can tell. So you don't have to worry about trying to act cool. You can let your voice shake if you want. You can grin like a maniac if you want. The trainer will not take it as a sign of weakness (as a junior high school student would); the trainer will think "This one needs some extra encouragement." That is all that will happen, and that is good! Not bad!
For what it's worth, I started going to gyms when I was 18. I started lifting heavy when I was 25; I was the chick hissing in the corner as she swung iron bars stacked with iron plates up to her chin and down again. I'm now 51. I have been putting off joining the local gym for fourteen months because of the horror of that first walk up the sidewalk to the front door. On that first walk, smudges appear on my shirt, my shoelaces untie themselves, and a tiny green thing appears just inside my nostril. I'm ... so there with you, cowering in the corner. Imagine me beside you as we walk up that sidewalk together. Or, um, maybe a little behind you because ohGod ohGod ohGod.0 -
They require a contract, most places around my area do :-( The trainer/manager was so nice, he said the first session of training is free but he said he would help me our a few times until I got the hang of it. What if he is busy at the times I go? Ahh I worry toooo much I know! How do you stay motivated? I feel like once I start and get tired I will want to stop. I can not push myself at home I try to do squats/lunges and I do like 30 and stop. I never can keep doing it. I have no motivation I feel the pain and stop. Is it different at a gym, will I give up just as easily there?0
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I am 33 and 6 months ago I had never set foot inside a gym either, my first day I could barely make it 10 minute on the treadmill and sadly only like 4 minutes on the elipitical. Now I can go at least an hour on both. Don't expect too much if yourself at first. Take it slow....I love working out now!
So did you just stay 15 minutes a day and leave? I worry that's all I will be able to do.0 -
Start with a goal of say, 15 mins of cardio. Each day add 5 mins. Before you know it you will be doing 60 mins of cardio. And don't think you have to run the fastest, or be the best. Do the speed that feels comfortable to you. As your fitness improves you can bump the speed up.
Oh and don't make eye contact with any guys at the gym unless you're trying to get picked up, especially on a friday night. It's like a meat market. yuck.0 -
Whether it's easier at the gym depends entirely on the mindset you get into. If you start regarding the gym as *your* place where you can test yourself and try new things, then it will be easier to push through the pain when you're there. If you always feel like an outsider and it continues to be difficult to just get along the sidewalk and up to the door, then you'll have used up a lot of your motivation just getting to the door, so quitting will feel like a relief.
And I have no suggestions for how to get into Mindset A rather than Mindset B. It depends so much on your personality, on the "vibe" of the gym, on the way you react to exercise ... for example, I have a high tolerance for pain and repetitiveness, and I like it when I get filthy and sweaty, so old-fashioned gyms with clanging weights and the occasional roared obscenity make it easier for me to relax and get in my own groove pretty quickly. Something tells me you would walk into a place like that, turn around, and walk the F out again!
So that's what the free lesson is for -- you're auditioning the gym. They're not auditioning you. You're seeing if you fit in. Trust your gut. Take a while to think about it after the lesson -- do you find yourself wishing you could go back? If you do, then walk back in and sign the contract.
Do NOT sign a contract right then under pressure, BTW. They'll give you all kinds of incentives but practice this line in the mirror before you go: "I promised my husband I'd come home and talk about it with him first." Or whatever is a bulletproof line for you.0 -
They require a contract, most places around my area do :-( The trainer/manager was so nice, he said the first session of training is free but he said he would help me our a few times until I got the hang of it. What if he is busy at the times I go? Ahh I worry toooo much I know! How do you stay motivated? I feel like once I start and get tired I will want to stop. I can not push myself at home I try to do squats/lunges and I do like 30 and stop. I never can keep doing it. I have no motivation I feel the pain and stop. Is it different at a gym, will I give up just as easily there?
Being in a gym atmosphere is motivational. Whether it's b/c of peer pressure or b/c you see all these people working hard, you're not going to just want to stop after you get tired. I promise.
If the trainer is busy just let him know you're there and then get on the treadmill or elliptical or bike until he's free then ask him what you need to. Most of the machines for resistance training (not the free weights) have instructions on them. Don't be scared to stand there and read them before beginning. It will help you prevent injury.0 -
http://ericamillard.com/?p=1566
It's not spam. It's titled "Dear new girl at the gym" and (though I'm a guy) It really touched home. When you first go you'll feel out of place, but you're there, you belong, you're starting on the same journey everyone else there is taking. Don't get discouraged because you're not as far along as they are. Keep going. They were all in your place at once.0 -
A longer contract will not make you go. No matter what, you end up committing day-by-day. You wake up and decide that you will go or won't.
I have 100 lbs. to lose and I was nervous going back to the gym. Most people at the gym are thin and healthy. Not me. But, I figure they are thin and healthy because they go, so....so do I. It is funny, that I now feel thin when I work out. Unless I see my reflection in the windows as I walk the track, I just walk briskly and don't feel self-conscious at all. Music/earphones help. I use my cellphone Tune-In app. There is a free workout music station that I usually turn to or Trance dance music. That beat helps set my pace.
Just Remember: Every gym member's #1 complaint of other members is that they don't wipe down the equipment when done. Just remember to do that and you will be fine! Your trainer will show you how. The staff at the gym should be helpful even after you have gone a while. You may want to try a new machine or something and they will help.
If you can only manage 15 minutes, that's 15 minutes more than now. You are not a hostage there and it should be pleasant so you will continue to go. I've had days where I've got my workout short just because I for some reason couldn't go on. But, no matter what, I show up 6-days a week.
Also, you have small children. If you use the gym's childcare, you might meet some other mothers and you will make some friends in the same boat as you are.0 -
hopefully, you can meet a gym buddy there. So many people are encouraging. Just do what you can and increase it daily, even if is only 1 minute.
Think of it as a job. You have to go to work, you have to go do your job. That's it.0 -
another question, Do people pay attention to what others wear at the gym? I went and got a few things yesterday but I worry I won't be wearing the right thing that the other women are wearing or so on.0
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You see all kinds of dress, at least where I go. In fact, there is an Mennonite lady you walks the track and she wears her cap and long dress with sneakers. I wear loose knit pants and a T-shirt. Some wear cute work out clothes. I can't imagine that anyone really cares. I women ran by me last night in the cutest exercise tank and matching leggings. It motivated me to want to work harder. It didn't make me self-conscious. I've never seen anyone that I thought, "wow, do they look dressed wrong."0
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http://ericamillard.com/?p=1566
It's not spam. It's titled "Dear new girl at the gym" and (though I'm a guy) It really touched home. When you first go you'll feel out of place, but you're there, you belong, you're starting on the same journey everyone else there is taking. Don't get discouraged because you're not as far along as they are. Keep going. They were all in your place at once.
That was very encouraging, thank you and to the other poster who sent me this link0 -
One thing I forgot to mention that gym staff don't tell you. Some of these machines have built in fans! Look for a fan icon on the machine. I can go much faster with the fan on when using the stationary bike and although I walk the track and not a treadmill, I know some of them have fans, too.0
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