So I've been wanting to join gym this month, mainly to get somewhat healthy and somewhat attractive (not sure in which order.) But the very idea of of going to freaks me out. I tried going once but in my car social anxiety completely took over, then it looked like they were closed so that was was an excuse to just move along. If talked to me in the chat room you know this has been a bit of saga for me. I was join with some1 but now it looks like he has bailed on me. Going alone I'll have no idea what I'm doing. I've got 2 days left to feel completely out of place. any advice?
Yup! Go yourself,if you can't find someone else to go with you. I used to love working out. It kicks in the endorphins and relieves stress. There are people there to help you out and answer any questions you may have. Once you actually do this,it'll be so much easier to continue. Everybody has to start somewhere. You need to swallow your nervousness and "go for it"!
Just go to the gym, if you can go once a week at the least you'll body will thank you. If your nervous, just relax no one cares what any one else is doing at the gym everyone's focused on their own thing, you'll learn that after going a couple of times. If you feel like you won't know what to do, just start simple with cardio (treadmill, bike, rowing machine etc.) if you want to learn how to use the weight machines then you could ask someone to show you, but you might need to get some advice from the people who work there if u want to use the free-weights (not attached to machine - dumbells etc.) A good way to start is to do 10 -12 repetitions 3 times at a weight you feel comfortable with, then if you are finding it easy enough, increase your repititions and if it's still easy after that then you can go up a weight and do 10 reps of that etc. (This step takes anywhere from a week to a few months as some people take longer to increase weights) 1. Most importantly make sure you're doing it right - ask someone to show you/help you - the people who work at the gym are probably the best for this (doing the right lifting technique minimises strain on back and reduces muscle fatigue etc.) 2. Make sure you're not lifting too much. When using a machine for the first time lift something that should be easy to lift so you can work on your technique first 3. wait 60 - 90 secs between each repetition so your not wearing ur muscles out too much 4. Drink lots of water (probably good to bring a water bottle and a face towel too) Also remember that results take time (don't hope to wake up with a six-pack. lol. these things take time) Another good tip is to try and change your diet (if you think you need to) not drastically of course and don't do a fad diet. Just make sure you eat as much fresh fruit and vegetables as possible (more veg than fruit), make sure you always feel full after every meal and if you get hungry between meals you can make a healthy snack or instead just have a glass of water (as this can sometimes trick your body into thinking it's eaten food) Another diet-ing tip is to look at the nutritional information at the back of food products and make sure there isn't too much fat or sugar in it. Also watch out for things labelled "light" and "diet" as these may have little fat but compensate with lots of sugar... which will just be turned into fat by your body anyway. Just relax all this stuff can't be learned overnight it all takes time, just give the gym a go for a month or so and see if you like it.
I recently joined the YMCA and started lifting again, and honestly, it has put me in a much better overall mood at least in regards to my health and appearance.
Hey! I was in the same place as you 2 days ago. My sister goes to the 24 hour Fitness near my place and i've been meaning to join but can't do it by myself since I'm underaged. TODAY, I went to the gym ALONE and had no qualms whatsoever! I mean it can be pretty intimidating at first, seeing all those good-looking people who you think are fitter than you but it's okay! Joining is better than nothing. My gym provides a one-time orientation for new members to get acquainted with the people and learn how to use the machine. If it's your first time in a gym, I suggest getting some personal training FIRST because it'll help loads. I'm considering it myself since I only know how to use the cardio machines. We can do it
Most gyms have trainers available who can orient you to the areas of the gym and the equipment. You can make an appointment with the trainer and talk with them about your program. In a lot of gyms-especially the larger chains like 24 Hour Fitness and Lifetime Fitness, you can also purchase training sessions where the trainer will not only orient you to the equipment but he/she will also spend an hour showing you how to properly do each exercise and they will help you develop a program based upon your needs. The sessions are a good investment and really benefit people like you who are new to working out.
Well I've joined the dark side and am now a Fitness First Platinum member. Going to start working out Monday. Hopefully i go though with all this.
We have a gym at school which we can use for free. I've decided I need to get more fit this year, so I think I'll drag one of my friends along two days a week or something like that.
Good luck. I joined 24hr fitness and signed up for 6 sessions with a personal trainer. I have my first session on Friday. The thing I was not happy about was that I had to pay for all of the training sessions upfront which was $300. I decided that I needed to do it because I have no clue what I am doing and I am tried of being out of shape. It really was about 9 years ago that I put on all of this weight and I can already tell it is taking a toll on my body.
When I sign up i had to take 3 pt sessions. They said it was part of ht sign up etc. It was $74.95(AUD) for the 3 session which is a lot less than the standard rate and supposedly after 12 weeks at the gym you can get a refund on the session, so it ends up being free personal training. Well just see how that goes. I've got my 1st pt session this afternoon. Wow 9 years ago that was awhile ago I was 11 bac then and here I was thinking I'm more on the older side of membership here. I haven't put on weight per say, I've always had a healthy bmi and even my body fat is in the "healthy" range.I just want to tone up, be somewhat attractive (or less ugly), be be fit & healthy.
Go for it! As others have said, it will help you relieve stress and you'll feel so much better. Most gyms will give you an orientation (it's often required) and one visit with a personal trainer to set up an exercise routine (this helps them sell their personal training services). To minimize stress, you might limit your first workout to just 30 minutes on a treadmill or bicycle--you can look around while your exercising and get a feel for the the place. When I started, I often went on off-peak hours so there weren't as many people around.
I work out at the YMCA. It has a really excellent fitness center, as most do, the membership fee is comparable to that of a normal gym, plus you get benefits like one free personal training session per month and any number of free classes. It is really excellent. I started at the beginning of this school year (September) and have really noticed some awesome changes. I'm starting to feel good. Ow ow! But yes, it is easy to be a little bit intimidated at first. Especially when you go to a machine after someone and the weights are obscenely high. Just remember that with effort, you could be there someday! Also I've found that I don't care for sweating. So I've really had to will myself to do cardio stuff. Hehe.
