I would have joined a gym earlier if I'd known . . .
So I've only been going to the gym for a week, but I can't believe what a difference it's made and I'm kind of cursing myself for putting it off for so long.
I'm no stranger to exercise, but my exercise up to now has been 25-30 minute DVDs, some dumbbell work at home, and occasional walks outside when the weather is tolerable (I'm sort of a Goldilocks who dislikes both cold and heat, so the outside exercising wasn't happening that much). Working out at the gym has been so much better!
Here are some of my reasons - feel free to add your own.
I would have joined a gym earlier if I'd known . . .
- That endorphins are real. Apparently my DVDs weren't getting me there, but 45-60 minutes on a treadmill/elliptical sure are.
- That a little competition is healthy. I love going a little harder or longer than the people near me. I'm trying not to compare myself to them, per se, but just push myself more by stepping it up a notch from where they are.
- That being sore from weight training is AWESOME. At the beginning of my dumbbell use at home I would get sore, but my body must have gotten used to those moves a long time ago. I'm sore again from lifting and I love/hate it.
- That it's SO much easier to motivate myself to work out when I go directly from work to the gym, instead of going home where I can talk myself out of it. I love leaving the gym, knowing that exercise is done and the rest of my evening is mine.
- That the staff/other gym goers are either nice or indifferent. I'll admit it, I was intimidated by the idea of a "gym," and worried that I would look stupid or do something wrong or get stared at. But the staff is nice and helpful, and everyone else is just like me - trying to get their work out done.
- In a bit of a contradiction to the above - I love the people watching aspect. I'm a people watcher anyway, and the gym is a great place for this. From the guy who worked out in corduroy pants, to the one who wears socks and Birkenstocks, to the woman who does what I can only surmise are wrist exercises with 1 pound weights, to the older woman who I see every day who hops on each piece of cardio equipment for exactly 5 minutes, it's really fun to look around and see the people around me. It's a really fun way to keep the boredom away.
I agree with all of yours and here are a few of my own:
I would have joined a gym earlier if I had known that:
-I never feel as powerful and sexy as after a really good sweaty workout
-I actually LOVE spin class!
-I feel so much more fit and strong and good about my body
-I can eat more and still lose weight
-I´m much more confident and it reduces my cravings for junk food
I would have joined a gym earlier if I had known that:
- When walking out of the gym after a good workout, I sometimes feel as if I'm floating a few inches above the sidewalk. (Maybe because walking feels so easy compared with what I've just been doing.)
- I'd finally meet my neighbors in our building, many of whom have joined the gym, since it's just up the street.
- It would be a perfect place to flee to after an insane day of working from home, when I am desperately looking for an excuse to leave my work e-mail behind & get out of my apartment & I have a lot of tension to work off.
- I'd make friends in my spin class & have nice chats with them while warming up, just before class.
- I'd finally outgrow my initial awkwardness & feeling of inadequacy & begin to feel at home and competent, and willing to challenge myself further. And would even discover people complimenting me & admiring me.
- It would be completely unlike the HORROR OF GYM CLASS through my junior high school & high school years.
I really look forward to joining a gym and upping my weight training. I look forward to the excitement of people watching, light all-in-my-head competition, pushing myself, and of course checking out buff dudes in tight shirts.
Just 6...omg, 5 1/2...more months until I will be living in a big enough town where there is a gym...
I would have joined a gym sooner if I had realized that I had access to one free of charge, 30 seconds from my office, and could go in and complete my workout and get out in about 45 minutes.
I could not see myself paying hundreds to thousands of dollars to join a huge commercial gym, drive 30 minutes there, 30 minutes home, spend (what I thought would be) at least an hour and a half in there, and still have time to work full time and spend quality time with my family.
I also had a fear that everyone would be watching me, snickering at the fat girl getting red faced and sweaty. This could not be further from the truth. (Except that time the stability ball wasn't inflated correctly, and made a horrible farting sound every time I moved! ) Most people are so wrapped up in what they are doing, they don't even notice others. There are a few who will smile and nod at me when I come in or go out, which is nice.
I also had a fear that everyone would be watching me, snickering at the fat girl getting red faced and sweaty. This could not be further from the truth. (Except that time the stability ball wasn't inflated correctly, and made a horrible farting sound every time I moved! )
Usually, I keep to myself at the gym when not in a class, with my eyes on what I'm doing.
But all bets are off if I'm in the same room as a farting stability ball.
Then my inner 9-year-old boy would come out, and I'd be snorting my Poland Spring through my nose.
how much I love the classes. I never thought I would be a class exerciser, but I am. How awesome it is to relax my brain and work my body at the same time. My gym really has people of all types and ages.
I would have joined a gym earlier if I'd known . . .
) Most people are so wrapped up in what they are doing, they don't even notice others. There are a few who will smile and nod at me when I come in or go out, which is nice.
My own inner 9-year-old came out that night, I was laughing so hard I almost fell off! Talk about red-faced!
