and not the scary dungeons that they seem to be.

I am absolutely terrified of the gym, but I really want to get over it. What have your experiences been? Do you think women-only gyms are better? What about places like Curves or Sisters Pace Fitness? Do you feel awkward if you're the biggest one there? Are you usually the biggest one there?

Any information you gals 'n gents could give me would be very appreciated.

I usually respond to q's re the gym because I was so scared to start. I'm not the biggest one at my gym (a local Y in Brooklyn), though maybe one of the bigger ladies. There are men and women of all shapes, sizes and ages. Everyone is pretty much concerned with what they're doing, it's not a pick up place (as far as I can tell! heh heh). I had visitor passes and my bf went with me the first few times to help me out and to give me moral support.

I love going to the gym, it makes me feel physically and mentally better. I consider it one of the best things I've done concerning my health.

It did take me a while to get into a good routine, if I had it to do again, I would have started with a few sessions with a personal trainer maybe.

I do aerobic machines (treadmill, elliptical and bike) as well as the resistance machines.

Hope that helps!

Well I hated the gym.. I really hated all the skinny people looking at me.
But I just started going anyway! After a week or so I did not care anymore.
I would put my ipod on and just enjoys all my favorite music..
***The skinny people probably did not even pay attention to me at all***

Lately I have not been going to the gym,,, the weather has been so nice I have been walking outside.. I am going back to the gym soon. I want to start working with weights. Also it will soon be to hot here in Alabama to walk outside..
I live in a small town so we do not have women only gyms..

I have worked in Gyms for the past 12 years and have been anywhere from a size 10 - 24. The hardest part is getting in the door. Sign up for the orientation class if they offer one. Walk around with a sales person and let them show you the whole gym. Ask lots of questions. Go to an aerobics class. You will meet other people and get to know them so you can ask questions. If you have kids you will meet other parents dropping them off or picking them up. Ask the nursery staff your questions. They most likely work out in the gym or can get you answers. I have managed gyms for the past 12 years and trust me the hardest part is getting started. Once you know what your doing it's easy...you can be on your own or get in with a click of people and workout together at the same time. The aerobics or spinning classes are the easiest way to meet people.

I absolutly loved to go to the gym (had to stop for financial reasons). I felt so refreshed after a good session.

I was one of the biggest one there (and my gym partner is skinny as a rake) but I never felt stared at. I felt realy comfortable.

Once in a while , a trainer or someone that realy knew how to work out would give me tips and support but never did I felt like I had entered a dungeon.

I was in a all gender gym and my friend goes to our local Curves...she found Curves boring and hates her decision.

I still can't afford the local gym's fees , so I'm buying a treadmill for home. It will also be easier for me to work out even if I'm stuck with overtime work (I do it at home everytime)

Try and see of you can have a week trial to the gym. That's how I got hooked.

I feel if your not feeling too comfortable with your body right now I'd say
check out the women only gyms. My sister belongs to curves and loves it.
I went and found it boring but then again I love to workout at home and have
lots of free weights, a bench, steps, many,many videos and a small treadmill
so I basicly made my own gym.


btw, I love your avatar

I also had a terrible fear of joining a gym. I thought that a 300+ woman could not possibly be comfortable in a "thin/male dominated atmosphere". I thought people would be looking at me all of the time, that they would be judging me or (ghast) come over and give me advice! I thought the people who worked at the gym would be constantly trying to sell me supplements or classes or training sessions, etc. etc. I thought I wouldn't understand any of the equipment and look like a fool in front of everyone. I was even afraid to call for a "look around" appointment, because I wasn't sure what to say to the person on the phone!

But, I decided I was going to do it anyway:

I called and said that I wasn't really sure what I was doing, but I thought I might be interested in joining a gym. The person on the phone was very pleasant and actually sounded truly happy that I called (not "salesmen's happy"). He asked when I could come over, and even though it wasn't during his normal shift he agreed to meet me at my requested time the next day. (Yeah, I'm sure he got some incentive, but he was so pleasent I really felt he would have done so anyway.)

When we walked in (I took my SO along because I was too nervous to go alone), the first thing I noticed was that no one noticed me. No one looked, no one gawked. Even when I went to the desk, the person working there didn't say "why do you want to join a gym" (as I half expected she would), but let me know that I was expected. A guy came over, shook my hand, and led me around the gym-the cardio area, the machines and free weights, the women's locker room (well, I had to go in there alone), the pool, sauna, etc. During this entire time, I never once felt like he was pressuring me into joining, and when the tour was done, instead of hitting me with the "hard sale" I was expecting, he asked me if I wanted to know about their membership rates or think about it first.

Well, I chose to hear the rates, and yes, they weren't the cheapest thing I've ever signed up for but I did (and do) felt that the price is well worth it. I signed up (discount for 1 year membership, but month-by-month rates were also available. I wouldn't recommend a gym that locks you into long periods of time). My SO even signed up for a "part-time" membership where she gets to go anytime during the weekends and weekdays from open-4:00, and 7:30-close.

Then, came the first day actually "going" to the gym. I was nervous all over again. Was I supposed to just walk in? What did I do with this pass? What machines should I use? Swollowing, I entered and walked to the desk. The person took my pass and asked if I wanted a towel or lock. I said "yes" to both and went back to the locker. Fortunately, there was a little curtained booth for changing clothes- to this day I think I would have been in better physical shape if high-school gym class hadn't made us dress in front of each other. (Now I feel comfortable in shorts and just go dressed.)

I locked everything up, grabbed my towel (a bit scratchy, but not too bad) and headed out. Again, no one looked up to stare at the fat lady who was about to make a fool of herself... and, in fact, there were people of all shapes at the machines. I felt a lot of relief, and now it was time to pick a machine... Well, the only machine they had that I had ever used before was a treadmill, so I headed to the cardio area, climbed onto one (a much nicer one then they had at the university), and started playing with the buttons until I figured out what settings I wanted, and started.

For the first few weeks, I pretty much stuck with the treadmills and bikes. I am not the kind of person who feels comfortable asking others for help (even though I knew they had free training for anyone on the machines). However, I did get a chance to watch other people using the weight machines and decided that they seemed easy and safe enough. I started encorporating them into my workouts one at a time, and now spend more time using them then the cardio's. These days, I've started doing the same with the free weights, though I'm relying on training books to help ensure I don't hurt myself.

Finally, in all of the months that I've gone, not once has anyone tried to sell me anything, be it suppliment or class.

Well, I have to go back to work now (and no, I don't work at the gym!)...I've obviously gone on more than long enough. Let me finish by saying that I really do look forward to my time at the gym (well, most days), and I do encourage you to at the very least go in for a tour. And, if you find yourself still interested, try out a few gyms before making a commitment. I know of some where I live that would NOT make me happy. Good luck!

Another all-women's chain you should check out is Slim and Tone: www.slimandtone.com That's where I go, and I love it!

They do have an express circuit like Curves, only beefed up more. Plus my particular club has additional equipment like treadmills, elliptical, stationery bike, free weights, bands, stability ball, ab machines, hula hoops and so much more.

You can put your ZIP in on the website to see if there is a location close to yours.

As you can tell by the other posts, not all gyms are equal. The most important thing is to shop around (if that's an option) for the gym that's right for you. Before I joined, I went in and looked around at the equipment and people, wandered into the locker room and decided that I felt comfortable enough. I'm not the biggest person, but there are some larger girls (and much skinnier ones too) and no one seems to treat anyone else any differently.

I used to only use the elliptical and stationary bike and just bury my nose in a book to forget the other people. I've recently gotten more comfortable and now I'm actually using the weight equipment and stability ball, which I would normally just do at home because I was afraid of doing those workouts in front of everyone. You know, each person in the gym is there for his/her own fitness agenda. They understand that when people join, they may be starting at a higher or lower weight, and that's normal; no one is going to point and shout: "Hey! Look at the fat lady!" I'm not saying that you'll feel comfortable right away because you probably won't (I still carried around my insecurities about working out in front of people for a long time). I understand the fear of going to the gym, but a lot of that is internal and personal. The important thing is to stick with it and the gym will eventually feel more like sanctuary than a dungeon - it's a place where you can retreat to and completely focus on yourself.

I wish you luck in finding a place that's right for you!

I don't have any experience with women's only gyms. I go to a gym that is affiliated with our hospital and all kinds of people go there - all sizes, all ages. Sometimes I am the largest, sometimes I'm not.
I love it there, and am more comfortable there than any other gym I have been to. It took me a year before I would step foot inside the locker-room. And now, I don't have very many problems with it (except I DO NOT get naked in front of anyone but my husband, so that has been a challenge). The only thing that I have learned is that having a "fear" of gyms, although sometimes people can be cruel, is by and large an excuse for not going. Nothing more than an excuse. All I can tell you is to just go... and if the one you picked doesn't work for you, try another one. You absolutely WILL find one that is right for you, but don't expect it to be easy... just go consistently and you will become comfortable. But don't use fear as an excuse not to go.

Probably just seeing what sort of people are coming in and out of the gym will tell you whether or not you will be comfortable there. I joined my local YMCA (Westside YMCA in Manhattan) when I was at my heaviest (385#) and I have never felt out of place. I was probably the heaviest person in the weightroom, but there are plenty of overweight people around. These days I get alot of compliments from people about all the weight I have lost since I joined the gym.

I can only recall one incident where someone made some rude comments about my weight, but that was most likely motivated by jealousy since I was pressing more than twice the weight he was.

hehe - I do feel like I'm entering a dungeon at my gym - but that's because it's in the basement of a hotel & kinda dreary! But it's often almost empty & has 24 hour access so it can fit into any schedule I throw at it.

I have said this before: If anyone even notices a large person in the gym their thought process is more likely - "good for her!" than "what is she doing here?" Plus, it really is true that everyone is more concerned about their own workout than what anyone else is doing.

You can do it, Kashi!!!! Rah rah rah!!! Maybe just go and look around at a couple of different places. One place or another will probably "click" as the right place for you!

I am going to join the local gym in my hometown this summer. (I currently have a membership at the hotel on base.) I had the same concerns as you all have because of my size. It does not bother me here in Korea because I know about 1/2 the people in the gym at any given time since the teachers all have memberships for the most part. However at home I come from an area where people are beautiful, rich and skinny. I am not definitely not rich or skinny (hehe) so I am worrying about the same things. I know though if I don't join I will lose my momentum with the gym. My other alternative is to do free weights with my sister, use her elliptical trainer and get a bike to ride. I feel like the actual gym atmosphere is the better choice for me.

I can't worry about what others think though so I figure I can get my IPod and just go for it. I will let you know what I decide.

I was 260lbs when I first went to a gym, and I hated it, it was scary!!!! I felt enormous, there were mirrors everywhere, and I just wanted to run away, but I promised my self to stick with it for 6 weeks, then if I still hated it, to try outdoors exercise instead.

I started to get fitter and stronger almost straight away. I started to make a couple of gym buddies. I liked it so much I joined another gym, my first one was at work and not open at weekends. So off I went to joing a gym near home. Now I have kinda outgrown that one, and belong to another.

I've never done the woman only thing. We don't have any here in my area, but even if we did, I don't think I'd do it. I have found men to be really supportive and helpful, and I like watching some of them

Gyms may not be for you, but give it a go to find out for sure!!!!