First time at a gym... very nervous!

pommesvertes

Hi guys.

I'm going for my first gym induction tomorrow and I feel sick with nerves! I keep thinking back to in school when a teacher turned to me and called me a "fat waste of school time" because I came last in long distance running. I've been soooo nervous to ever exercise in front of anyone ever since.

I want to lose weight and build muscle in my arms. Any tips? I guess the induction will help but other than that I don't know where to start. I'm quite overweight and I'm worried I'm gonna stick out like a sore thumb.

I'm planning on just taking my iPod and keeping my head down haha.

Anything that calms me down would be much appreciated haha

thank you xxx

kookeepup

Don't worry too much about what other people think. We sometimes get consumed by what other think that we end up doing things for the wrong reason. First of all congratulations on you joining the gym and MFP, you are well on your way to a better health. Don't let what your teacher said to you years ago bother you. That was then and this is now. We have to live in the present time. The point of power is in the present moment. I'm getting too deep into this. Anyway, just have fun and remember keep logging in what you eat and waht you do for exercise and let others view your diary so that they can make suggestions. Feel free to add me if you like. I've been logging almost 30 days now and have sarted to lose some unwanted weight. Good luck to your quest! :flowerforyou:

ejwme

Some tips:

1. Most everybody there doesn't care what you do, provided you don't actually physically get in their way. Likely they won't even notice you're there (they all have their headphones on and heads down too!)
2. The very few people who do care what you do, are most likely caring for your safety and will be helpful with tips, if they ever say or do anything at all. The gym employees should be there to help you stay safe (if they give you attitude, find a new gym - there's no room for attitude in a real gym)
3. Whether you're 130 or 300+ pounds, everybody sweats and turns pink when they work out. Sweat stains are always in awkward places, on everybody. It's a sign you're doing good work
4. Everybody's looking to stretch their personal limit (no matter where it is).
5. Everybody who's showed up and is doing the work, will respect you for likewise showing up and doing the work.
6. It may be negative, but I'll say it - your gym teacher sucked. You showed up and finished. That's more than 99% of the population on any given day. That deserves respect (see #5).
7. Every day you put your shoes on and do a little more than yesterday, you're making a positive impact in your life and the lives of your loved ones. That means you're awesome. Keep it up!

pommesvertes

Thank you guys for the tips
Can I add you if that's ok?

katie22mfp

Thy weigh and measure you at induction.