Embarassed myself at the gym today... but its OKAY

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  • Arkhos
    Arkhos Posts: 290 Member
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    I don't know how many machines I've gotten on and wondered, 'how do I turn this on?" haha no big deal! And I go backwards on the eliptical because of my achilles tendon injuries. Going backwards puts less stress on your joints and achilles. I was worried when I first went to the gym too, but you have to think to yourself, 'Look at me, I finally got out and went to the gym and I'm going to be awesome!"

    And remember this: It Doesn't Get Easier. You Just Get Better.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    Tip: Don't do a hardcore ab workout and then go to lay on a bench the NEXT day. I had to roll off the bench in the freeweight area in front of a bunch of bros because my abs were so sore I couldn't SIT up.
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
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    NO biggie!!! you went!! and I go backwards on the eliptical all the time!! nice to change it up!!
  • JezzD1
    JezzD1 Posts: 431
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    Your gym should offer you a tutorial for free on how to use all of there machines. I am proud you did what you did, I too am very shy and have big crowds anxiety so I can feel ya on that. Each day will get easier just keep doing it =) Working out will give you more confidence as well ;-)
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
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    So I decide I am going to try the elliptical. I have NEVER been on one. So I start trying to start it and .... nothing. I am hitting every button and I can't get it start. So finally a girl (who works there) walks past and I ask her. She says "just start moving and it will turn on". Oh geez. Then she stays to make sure I am starting it and goes, "you need to push down, your going backwards". LMAO OMG I bet I turned 100 shades of red but I thanked her and went on my merry way. I made it 5 minutes but hey its a start.

    Don't feel bad about this. Alot of people struggle with the elliptical the first time they use one. FYI, going backwards isn't necessarily wrong. If you keep your knees slightly bent while moving backward, it really works the butt and hamstrings. I do it all the time.
  • K_Serz
    K_Serz Posts: 1,299 Member
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    Great job! It will get easier each time you go!

    ^This right here. Everyone there had to use the equipment there for the first time also. Like many other things in life, some are just more experienced than others and its a learning process. Maybe one day you will show someone else how to use the elliptical for the first time!
  • jamimari777
    jamimari777 Posts: 101 Member
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    Congratulations for making it through the door. That is the hardest step. Once you're in, it gets easier.
  • JSheehy1965
    JSheehy1965 Posts: 404
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    I like that story! A lot of gyms will take new members through everything and show them how everything works. You did great! My embarrassing story involves lunges and dumbbells. I was pushing myself hard on the lunges and had decided to go heavier.
    Coming up from one of the lunges, I lost my balance, toppled over sideways with a weird strangled shriek and fell on a bench.

    I then put on my British stiff upper lip, laughed, and red-faced carried on. :)
  • caseythirteen
    caseythirteen Posts: 956 Member
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    No matter what I did it. I walked in, I exercised and I was sweating like a pig when I left. I did it, I did it alone and now I know I can do it again.

    ^^^ Exactly! That's an excellent attitude. Good for you for doing it and planning on keep doing it!
  • LeonnieH
    LeonnieH Posts: 209 Member
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    Well done and really no need to be embarrassed about that, don't be afraid to ask for help with anything you're not sure of - that's what the staff are there for!
  • KateRunsColorado
    KateRunsColorado Posts: 407 Member
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    Great job getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new! I always hate trying new things, especially by myself but I'm doing my best to overcome that because it's the only way to improve and find new things to enjoy! I started running 6 months ago and it's completely changed my life! I'm training for my first half marathon in 4 weeks!

    Also, if your gym offers free classes, I recommend trying those too! I never wanted to, but I finally did and now have 3 classes a week that I actually look forward to going to!
  • Summer_Lunatic
    Summer_Lunatic Posts: 543 Member
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    If it makes you feel any better, I once tried one too many reps doing flat bench and would have dropped the bar on my face if another gym member didn't run over and save me.

    Another time I saw someone doing dumb bell flys laying on an exercise ball. So I thought I'd give that a go and fell on the floor after my first set.

    Then there was the time I had been running on a certain treadmill for an hour just killing myself. Went to the paper towel dispenser to get disinfectant spray and some towel to wipe down the machine and proceded to whipe down the wrong one. Which wouldn't have been all THAT embarrassing if some woman didn't have to point out my mistake while laughing.

    I'm sure there's been more silly screw ups I've done at the gym but this is just what comes to mind right away after less than 2 years of working out. I hope no one feels silly or uncomfortable about gym mishaps after reading this.
  • whitmars106
    whitmars106 Posts: 118 Member
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    First of all, kudos to you for overcoming your fears!!! Secondly, I use the cardio machines daily, and I continually feel like an idiot getting those things to start! Some of them are so touchy that it automatically sets a program for you when you want to personalize it. I swear I sometimes spend about 5 minutes getting them to set how I want. So don't feel silly. It's not always you, sometimes it's the machines!! And for the record, people do rotate backwards on the ellipticals as well.
  • jamimari777
    jamimari777 Posts: 101 Member
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    Also, I signed up for a personal trainer at the end of last year so I would feel comfortable going into the weights section. 12 sessions later and I now lift along with the guys, and have also dropped inches - Occassionally I feel self conscious about it when the room is full of men only, but at the end of the day, who cares. If someone is judging then they need to push a little harder at the gym :) Plus, if you mess up, it's not like you are going to die. And it's not like everyone else in the gym is doing everything properly.

    I see people lifting with terrible form all of the time. So just because you see someone doing something, doesn't mean it's right. You have a right to be there too, so don't be hesitant to ask someone if they are using a piece of equipment if you need it and it looks like it's not being used. Good Luck!
  • barbarapolan3
    barbarapolan3 Posts: 1
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    How wonderful you could get yourself to go alone! It's not easy to be insecure and put yourself out there.

    Also, that girl's job is to help people who need help - she does it all day, and probably gets bored if she walks around and everyone has it all under control.

    Keep it up!
  • CharityGC
    CharityGC Posts: 499 Member
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    Don't be embarrassed! You went to the gym today - just imagine how many people can't say that!
  • Will210
    Will210 Posts: 201 Member
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    Great job on day 1. You might find that cardio (after a while) has a meditative effect . This can help quiet your mind and assist with the anxiety.
  • SaraBelle0312
    SaraBelle0312 Posts: 328 Member
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    GREAT JOB!

    I do stuff like that all the time, especially when I get to the weights! You are not alone!

    I hope to see you continue going to the gym and facing your anxieties.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    yay for you! Sounds like you overcame a lot to get there and do it and you should be proud of yourself!

    More perspective for you: I attempted the chin-ups with the weight assisted machine - well I always put lower weights on the other machines (had no idea how this one worked, apparently) so I started wth a low weight. I put my knee on the pad and swung up to reach the overhead bar while putting my other knee of the platform and the platform fell all the way to the bottom, I missed the bar, and whacked my head on the frame of the machine, then fell on the floor.

    Fun times... lol

    I don't do that anymore!
  • Dfracassa
    Dfracassa Posts: 318 Member
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    I once breathed in just the wrong way, while using an elliptical, and had a crazy, epic coughing fit. I mean, coughing like I might actually black out and die, coughing. And NO one even moved. Full afternoon at the Y, and no one even said, "Hey, you all right?" I seriously thought I was going to pass out. I made it over to the water fountain and forced some down my throat and felt better, but it was like I was ghost, choking in front of people and no one was able to see me. Weak!

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