My first time at the gym was a disaster

Honestly, I would doubt anyone noticed. I know its nerve wrecking going to the gym. I was scared of what people would think of me when I went in the first time. Focus on yourself when you're there. Next time, don't freak out. Stretch, warm up, and use the machine you want to use when you get there, and stop if you can't go on. Its more important to be safe and healthy when you get there.

If you go to your induction they won't let you do what you did yesterday. They will teach you to use the machines and tell you how many reps/minutes etc you should be doing to work towards your goal.

It is intimidating walking into a gym that you think is full of fit people but try to remember that a lot of them will be in your position. There are a lot of fit people working out but that could be you one day too. Whenever I go to the gym I always just concentrate on my own workout, not what everyone else is doing so the chances are that people won't be staring at you - they will be doing their own thing.

Don't be embarrased to start off slowly. Even just 5 minutes on a few different machines builds up. Once you get more confident you can go for longer but don't over exert yourself as you risk injury.

Try to forget about everyone else and do you own thing! Good luck! x

Don't panic. It's really great that you're so keen to start this! You just went about it the wrong way.

Induction, in my experience, does not entail much exercise. It's mainly showing you how to use the machines and setting up a programme that will help you to achieve your goals and fit into the timescales you have available.

Don't try to suddenly become the most energetic person in the gym. It'll take time for your body to adjust.

I've had several attempts at joining gyms and never really got on with it - but that's just me. The first session or two are really great, then I my body realises that I'm actually exercising and screams at me to stop. Unfortunately, I usually listen to it! So, be prepared to go through a period after the initial sessions where you might not feel like going. Work your way through it if you can. It'll be worth it.

My daughter (she's a national athlete) has just decided to become my personal trainer so I'll be using her gym equipment at home. Not sure if I like this idea - she nagged at me last night about having an icecream. Now this is really going to be hell - living with my personal trainer!!! Maybe I should give the gym another go ...

Good luck with your induction today. Don't worry about it. And I hope it's the start of a wonderful journey to fitness for you.

:flowerforyou:

Dont worry, almost everyone has an intimidating gym story to tell. I was so intimidated that I only went to a women only gym or if I went to a co-ed gym, I would never touch the free weights area (or as I call it Man Land). To get over my fear, I started by going to the various classes until I felt comfortable enough to start on the equipments. Classes are a great way to get your exercise in, its less intimidating because there's always someone as "bad" as or worst than you and quite honestly no one pays attention to you in the class because they're just as busy trying to keep up as you are. Its also a great way to meet other members with whom you can motivate yourselves as you go on your fitness journey.

As far as feeling sick, it is very important to take the time to go for the orientation and listen to your body. Also, ensure that you are giving yourself enough time to digest your meal before working out and that you are hydrating yourself while you are working out.

Girl the gym can be a petrifying place but its a necessary evil in this battle of the bulge.

Oh hun try not to freak out. You just over-did it. Easy done when starting out. Go and have your induction. For my induction, I wasn't doing any great length of time on anything. The basically just showed me how to use everything. 1 minute max on each machine (on slowest setting) and a couple of reps on each weight machine with lowest weight, just to see how they work.

People are probably paying no attention to you so don't worry what anyone else thinks. Even if they do watch you, so what! You are there and you are working out which is more than a HUGE percentage of the population do so you should congratulate yourself on making the effort. Start out slow and easy. If you have to stop for a minute and have a drink of water and catch your breath, then do it. Don't let other people who are speeding away on the machines put you off. Go at your own pace and take breaks when needed. Eventually you will get fitter and build up your stamina. But if you over do it you will put yourself off like you did yesterday. Forget yesterday ever happened and treat your induction like your first ever visit.

Make sure you have taken in enough calories to fuel your workout, I would suggest waiting an hour or two after food as it can give you heart burn or repeat on your (it does me) but it might not you. You can always try different timings once you are a little more used to it to see what works for your. Get some good tunes pumping, ignore everone else and have a great workout! I'm sure you will do great xx

You overdid it a little with your workout, but don't worry, you will get used to what feels right for your body.

I feel you overdid it because you were feeling self-conscious, or maybe you have social anxiety? Work on this before you worry about anything else. You don't need to feel embarrassed about doing something about your weight. You aren't at the gym to please anyone but yourself.

My legs always shake after being on a cross trainer too, I almost fall down the stairs when leaving the gym. I tend to avoid it and go for the elliptical which I think is a bit easier.

I don't usually work in stone but I have lost 4 and have another 2-3 to go.
When I first went to my gym with 7 stone to lose (thats 98lbs, 44-45kg) I started off slow.

My first day I did 5 minutes on a bike, 5 minutes on a rower, and then I went home. Knowing that those 10 minutes were 10 minutes more than I would have done if I hadn't gone at all. Within a week I was up to 45 minutes, and now I tend to do about 90 minutes between weights and elliptical/cycling or I go swimming.

You have to understand that most people in the gym do not care what you or anyone else is doing, they are focussed on themselves and their own workouts. Don't let them intimidate you! Just turn up, do a little more each time, and in no time at all you will look like you have been going for months.

As already stated just take your time, there's no rush. It's a common misconception that everybody is judging each other in gyms and while this might be the case for a couple most people are there to concentrate on themselves and won't pay a jot of notice to what you're doing.

Just remember why you're doing this and who cares what others may or may not think.

Hello everyone

I'm an overweight lady in my early twenties. I need to lose approximately 6 stone to become a healthy weight. So I finally signed up to a gym yesterday for the first time, and was told to come in today for my induction. However, I was that desperate to start that I went straight there yesterday evening without having my induction. I was petrified walking in seeing loads of people (all young men) on the treadmills, so I ran for the thing which was furthest away from everyone, the cross trainer. I jumped straight on it, no stretches or warm up, put it on full blast for 20 minutes and went for it. It was the worst idea of my life.

I was panting and shaking/wobbling after only 5 minutes, but didn't get off it because I was too embarrassed at the thought of people seeing how much of a failure I was. When the timer finally bleeped, I jumped off it and had never been happier to be away from something in my entire life. My legs were shaking like mad, I couldn't walk, I felt dehydrated, lightheaded, dizzy and like I was about to vomit.

I am now petrified about going there again, and am really angry at myself for not listening to the gym staff telling me to wait for my induction. My induction is at 2pm today, how do I stop what happened yesterday evening happening today? As that dizzy and nauseating feeling was just indescribable

Thank you.

When I read your post all I can think is that you know exactly what you did wrong and why it resulted in you feeling the way you do. At each point where you made a bad decision, i.e. not attending induction, not warming up, putting the machine on full pelt, putting the thoughts of others, who probably haven't even noticed you're even there before your own safety - you've identified this yourself. So I guess my advice is to take your own advice.