I am NOT a new years resolution newb

mjterp

I have lost over 40 pounds and put some(7) back on over the holidays. BUT, I have been committed to moving these past few months, running my first 5K (well, woggling it...jog/walk) in early November. In my quest to find things I can LIVE with (because this is a lifestyle choice, NOT a diet) I have asked advice of those who have been there, done that and SUCCEEDED. The response that I have gotten is that people WISH they had started cross training and doing some weight lifting/resistamce training SOONER in their journey. So with this information, I planned to join the gym where my sister goes and where two out of three of my sons work. BUT there was a huge savings if I waited until their January open house. (tight budget, I'm the only income for three teenage boys and myself...groceries are competing with the water bill for which can be higher...eat a ton/shower a ton...UGH!) so we joined this past weekend. ANYWAY...

At the end of my workout/getting aquainted with the various equipment, a very handsome and VERY fit older gentleman (full head of gorgeous white/gray hair! OBVIOUSLY he works out regularly and HAS been for years!) SMILED at me...but not a smile of welcome or "good for you for getting fit." More of a smile of "Yeah, I give you two weeks 'til you quit, honey. You are one of those people that joines at new years, fills my gym and wrecks my workout schedule...and you will be gone in two months time."

GRRRRRR.
It was just SOOOO condescending!
It would have been nice if he would have said "welcome." Or "Good for you! I look forward to seeing you and your boys here often!"

Moving has been my biggest challenge. I have been doing it with cardio, but adding the weights is a new challenge which I actually find more enjoyable...so maybe I just need to be able to mix it up! Anyway...I wanted to say to him " I am NOT a new-years-resolution newb taking up your gym space. I am NOT in shape, but I am NOT going to GET in shape by staying home doing the same as I have always done. PLEASE dont' judge me. Because as beautiful as you are, your attitude makes you ugly."

Sincerely,
New to this gym and in it for the long haul!

cubbies77

How do you know he meant it that way? I have friends who smile at newcomers and then worry that the newcomer thinks they're making fun of them. Maybe he really was just smiling at you.

sweetsarahv

I have tunnel vision when I go to the gym specifically for this reason!!!!! Ignore all the idiots who aren't giving you a chance. When you are in shape and looking HOTT, he is going to be smiling for a different reason

mjterp

The FIRST time I got that smile...I assumed the best...but he did it again later...and you know how you know the difference between a friendly smile vs a flirtatious smile vs a condescending smile? YEah...this was the kind of smile that did NOT touch his eyes. Felt VERY condescending.

mjterp

I have tunnel vision when I go to the gym specifically for this reason!!!!! Ignore all the idiots who aren't giving you a chance. When you are in shape and looking HOTT, he is going to be smiling for a different reason

BEST ADVICE EVER!!! I love you!!!

Kennkaru

Everybody has to start sometime, and I don't see why January isn't just as good as the other 11. Especially given that it's NOW and not LATER or NEVER.

The people at your gym will know better when they are still seeing you a month, three months, six months from now. I joined a gym this month, too, but for the same reason as you- the price! There was a great deal for joining in the first week of January. I had been working out at home for a year and was realizing that I could really benefit from all the equipment the gym had to offer. I started strength training recently and have found that it's a great choice for me.

Just stick with it, and pretty soon the other people at the gym will be asking YOU how things are done.

ahviendha

whoa you got all that just from a smile??

sometimes if i just finished a particularly bad/heavy set of weights, I may try to "smile" but it comes off a grimace because I'm exhausted and not trying hard to be social.

even if he was being condescending, f* him!

in general, i try not to let other people's thoughts/actions affect my own. i'm living this life for myself, not for a co-workers, family member, friend, etc.

Danni1585

I SOOOOOO know how you feel.
I am a new year newbe to the swimming pool. I am a competent swimmer, and in training for a 1 mile swim in June this year. It takes real confidence to walk when you are 50 lbs overweight into a swimming pool, in your costume.
I got into the swimming lanes last night, swimming continuous lengths. It was actually my best swim so far. I was really chuffed.
Problem was I was swimming in the same lane as a guy. He kept glaring at me (even though he was wearing goggles)...Even though I swam fast, he kept overtaking me, splashing me (and yes it was deliberate). I kept hitting the swimming lane plastic markers trying to get out of his way. By the time I got home my left hand was badly bruised and swollen,
I have since heard this is common, and if you swim hard enough you can actually fracture you hand quite easily.
Basically I am brusied because I have been bullied in the swimming pool.
What a guy !!

I WONT GIVE UP, I AM GOING AGAIN TOMORROW.
Just think, someone is probably married to him....she has my sympathy

Danni1585

and well done on your weight loss - keep going !!

mjterp

Everybody has to start sometime, and I don't see why January isn't just as good as the other 11. Especially given that it's NOW and not LATER or NEVER.

The people at your gym will know better when they are still seeing you a month, three months, six months from now. I joined a gym this month, too, but for the same reason as you- the price! There was a great deal for joining in the first week of January. I had been working out at home for a year and was realizing that I could really benefit from all the equipment the gym had to offer. I started strength training recently and have found that it's a great choice for me.

Just stick with it, and pretty soon the other people at the gym will be asking YOU how things are done.

If the gym had the same deal, I would have joined the beginning of November.... Thank you for helping me think right. Especially with teh "NOW and not LATER or NEVER" comment! You are right! And I WILL be there...I'm a lifetime member there like I am a lifetime member here on MFP! THANK YOU!

mjterp

whoa you got all that just from a smile??

sometimes if i just finished a particularly bad/heavy set of weights, I may try to "smile" but it comes off a grimace because I'm exhausted and not trying hard to be social.

even if he was being condescending, f* him!

in general, i try not to let other people's thoughts/actions affect my own. i'm living this life for myself, not for a co-workers, family member, friend, etc.

Yeah, I WISH he had been finishing a set...but he was meandering between equipment...not out of breath, not in pain...not a grimace...it was a deliberate move on his part to make eye contact. (I had my youngest son there to distract me so I wouldn't be looking at people looking at me.) That said, You are absolutely right about not letting him get to me. I am doing this for ME...not him!

mjterp

I SOOOOOO know how you feel.
I am a new year newbe to the swimming pool. I am a competent swimmer, and in training for a 1 mile swim in June this year. It takes real confidence to walk when you are 50 lbs overweight into a swimming pool, in your costume.
I got into the swimming lanes last night, swimming continuous lengths. It was actually my best swim so far. I was really chuffed.
Problem was I was swimming in the same lane as a guy. He kept glaring at me (even though he was wearing goggles)...Even though I swam fast, he kept overtaking me, splashing me (and yes it was deliberate). I kept hitting the swimming lane plastic markers trying to get out of his way. By the time I got home my left hand was badly bruised and swollen,
I have since heard this is common, and if you swim hard enough you can actually fracture you hand quite easily.
Basically I am brusied because I have been bullied in the swimming pool.
What a guy !!

I WONT GIVE UP, I AM GOING AGAIN TOMORROW.
Just think, someone is probably married to him....she has my sympathy

I'm so SOOOO sorry about your bullying issue. How unbelievably RUDE. My son is a lifeguard (well, two of my sons are..but the one just got started) and he has booted people from the pool when he sees that kind of behavior. Three strikes in a year and you lose your benefits in the facility. Usually it is middle school age kids that bring the challenges, but if you call the behavior to the attention of the guard so they can be aware of it, that is part of what the guards are there for. Adult or no.
You don't deserve to be treated that way!

cubbies77

Maybe he was glaring because you brought your kid to the gym. If your son wasn't working out, he shouldn't have been there.

Danni1585

Ahhh thanks for your concern. Its crazy isnt it, I would never do that to someone, but then neither would most people. The important thing for all of usk, whether its the gym or pool is to hold our heads high and keep exercising. Its all going to help us get fit and well x

mjterp

Maybe he was glaring because you brought your kid to the gym. If your son wasn't working out, he shouldn't have been there.

My son was working out, too. We were taking turns. He wasn't glaring. it was a condescending smile.

Danni1585

Its amazing how people jump to conclusions on this thread to judge you. I think its great that you went to the gym with your son. Perhaps you should take it as a compliment, it obviously means you dont look old enough from your pic xx

mjterp

Its amazing how people jump to conclusions on this thread to judge you. I think its great that you went to the gym with your son. Perhaps you should take it as a compliment, it obviously means you dont look old enough from your pic xx

My kids are older, but I was also older when I had them...so thank you for the compliment! My son was NOT the youngest there BY FAR! he just has to go through their orientation before he can be on his own. He is old enough by their rules to workout as long as I am on the floor and after he does orientation he can be there on his own. And my other two are lifeguards there.

Danni1585

yaaaaay were friends. Lets do it together - ignore negativity, who needs that in your life ???

Mathguy1

Wow! You got all of that from a smile??? This time of year, gyms are more crowded because of people making new year's resolutions as well as gyms offering discounts to entice new members to join. I applaud your ability to judge a man that you've never met based on a smile but if that's how you felt, turn it into a motivation.

You aren't a new years resolution newbie that is going to quit after 2 months? Prove it by regularly going to the gym and making it a habit. Be recognized as a frequent, consistent exerciser when March comes around.

You feel that you are judged a newbie? Exercise 3X or more a week to show that you are committed to an exercise plan (over time, the regulars wont remember, nor care, how long you've been exercising).

Those of us that have been exercising for years know that gyms become crowded this time of year and that more than half of the new members stop attending by March. Most of us regular gym attendees eventually recognize who are serious about making a lifestyle change are as they are the ones that are still in the gym later in the year and they are the ones we regularly see in the gym.

I'm guessing that you guys made eye contact and he smiled at you.

sarahrbraun

I have lost over 40 pounds and put some(7) back on over the holidays. BUT, I have been committed to moving these past few months, running my first 5K (well, woggling it...jog/walk) in early November. In my quest to find things I can LIVE with (because this is a lifestyle choice, NOT a diet) I have asked advice of those who have been there, done that and SUCCEEDED. The response that I have gotten is that people WISH they had started cross training and doing some weight lifting/resistamce training SOONER in their journey. So with this information, I planned to join the gym where my sister goes and where two out of three of my sons work. BUT there was a huge savings if I waited until their January open house. (tight budget, I'm the only income for three teenage boys and myself...groceries are competing with the water bill for which can be higher...eat a ton/shower a ton...UGH!) so we joined this past weekend. ANYWAY...

At the end of my workout/getting aquainted with the various equipment, a very handsome and VERY fit older gentleman (full head of gorgeous white/gray hair! OBVIOUSLY he works out regularly and HAS been for years!) SMILED at me...but not a smile of welcome or "good for you for getting fit." More of a smile of "Yeah, I give you two weeks 'til you quit, honey. You are one of those people that joines at new years, fills my gym and wrecks my workout schedule...and you will be gone in two months time."

GRRRRRR.
It was just SOOOO condescending!
It would have been nice if he would have said "welcome." Or "Good for you! I look forward to seeing you and your boys here often!"

Moving has been my biggest challenge. I have been doing it with cardio, but adding the weights is a new challenge which I actually find more enjoyable...so maybe I just need to be able to mix it up! Anyway...I wanted to say to him " I am NOT a new-years-resolution newb taking up your gym space. I am NOT in shape, but I am NOT going to GET in shape by staying home doing the same as I have always done. PLEASE dont' judge me. Because as beautiful as you are, your attitude makes you ugly."

Sincerely,
New to this gym and in it for the long haul!

This is the kind of thing that would make me want to show up 5- days a week just to PROVE to him that he was wrong :bigsmile:

I never got that vibe when I started going to the YMCA 11 months ago. But I'll tell you what, within about 4 months people were noticing how often I was there! Both the fitness monitor AND the trainer on duty both made comments about how I had been coming in on a real regular basis for quite a while. Now the front desk guy calls me by name, and other members know me and greet me.

mjterp

Wow! You got all of that from a smile??? This time of year, gyms are more crowded because of people making new year's resolutions as well as gyms offering discounts to entice new members to join. I applaud your ability to judge a man that you've never met based on a smile but if that's how you felt, turn it into a motivation.

You aren't a new years resolution newbie that is going to quit after 2 months? Prove it by regularly going to the gym and making it a habit. Be recognized as a frequent, consistent exerciser when March comes around.

You feel that you are judged a newbie? Exercise 3X or more a week to show that you are committed to an exercise plan (over time, the regulars wont remember, nor care, how long you've been exercising).

Those of us that have been exercising for years know that gyms become crowded this time of year and that more than half of the new members stop attending by March. Most of us regular gym attendees eventually recognize who are serious about making a lifestyle change are as they are the ones that are still in the gym later in the year and they are the ones we regularly see in the gym.

I'm guessing that you guys made eye contact and he smiled at you.

Yes there was eye contact. And as I said, I'm NOT new to exercising...only new to this gym. So yeah...I'm gonna be there. And I'm well aware that this is the time of year for the drop outs to join. But I gladly would have joined three months sooner if they would have let me have the same deal back in early October.