[inspectorpitt]

I recently joined the Y, but, I am ashamed to admit, I have not yet actually gone. When I joined I was led to believe they had a walking track, afterwards, I found out it is still in the planning stage. Well, the track was the whole reason I joined. Of course, I've joined and now I hate to see my money going to waste but the mere thought of going into the workout room just breaks me out in a cold sweat. Walking on a track I could handle. After all, I've been walking for nearly 29 years, I'm pretty good at it by now. Treadmills, stationary bikes, steppers and ellipticals, um, are like alien territory to me and at 290 I am not even going to step foot into the aerobic room. Any advice on getting over my fear?

[Sweater Girl]

Does your Y have a pool? Maybe you could join an aquafit class (if you feel uncomfortable in a bathing suit, you can wear one under a t-shirt and shorts). If you feel nervous using the equipment please ask the staff members to show you, it will probably put you more at ease. Maybe ask the staff for an orientation as well, that could help alleviate some fears you may have. The staff is there to help you and I am sure they'd be delighted to.

Cheers!

Ali

[Hyacinths]

Hi, inspectorpitt! I'm brand new here but had to reply to you because I know how you feel. I joined a gym back in October, and for the first few weeks all I did was the treadmill because the other machines & the classes intimidated me. I took one step onto one of the stair climbers (the kind that actually look like real steps) and freaked out when it moved--I couldn't figure out how I could get up to the top to actually see what the display said! So I headed to the treadmills on the theory that hey, I already know how to walk, so that's half the battle.

I've found since then that most of the machines are pretty self-explanatory, and that the staff is happy to explain any that aren't. I'd encourage you to try a treadmill first, though, because A) there's no mystery about how to get on them or how to do the actual exercise, so you will feel less anxious, and B) most of them have some kind of "Quick Start" or "Manual" button that lets you get started easily and control the speed/elevation yourself without the machine trying to run the workout for you.

Depending on the machine, once you push the "Quick Start" or "Manual" button, it will usually ask you for a couple of bits of information, such as your weight (to make the display of how many calories you've burned more accurate) and the speed you want to start out at, and possibly the # of minutes you want to walk. On most machines, all you have to do then is read the display, push the number buttons to answer the question, and then press an "Enter" key to enter it. Once you've answered the questions, the treadmill will start and keep going until the # of minutes you entered has elapsed, at which time it will either slow to a stop or start a countdown for a 5-minute "cooldown" in which the speed gradually slows a little more each minute.

I usually start off at about 3 mph for a couple of minutes, to warm up, and then increase it to a brisk but comfortable pace. There are up-arrow and down-arrow keys to push to increase/decrease the speed and the elevation, and they are usually plainly marked and easy to understand. Increasing the elevation will actually raise the front of the treadmill to simulate climbing a little hill. It's all pretty self-explanatory, honest! If you can use this forum, I don't think you will have any trouble at all.

There is usually a Stop button or Pause button clearly marked, in case you feel anxious and want to quit.

You will probably see a bunch of other keys that say things like "Fat Burn" or "Cardio" or "Interval". These are other types of pre-programmed workouts, which you may or may not want to try sometime once you're past the initial hurdle of using the machine. I can tell you more about those if you're interested, but just starting out you might prefer to have the machine more under your own manual control.

Good luck! I am gradually exploring the other machines at my gym and would love to compare notes as you explore yours.

[SEARCHING4ME]

Hello!!!!

I have been a member of my local Ymca for around 10 years now. The one major thing that I have come to learn is that the Y has such a great mixture of people. Yes, there are some hard bodies, but so many are just like us. Very different from the "commercial" gyms.

I was explaining to my DH recently, when he was complaining about some future plans for the mens locker room that he didn't think was right for a gym, that the Y is not a gym....it is more a community center. It serves many purposes, an a gym is only one part of it. The employees should and in my Y do really care. Unlike many of the gyms out there that seem to forget about you after you pay up, Y workers will work with you when you want or need it.

When I go, there are young & old, skinny, fat, handicapped. I myself have been 360+ lbs and yes I do sometimes have the Jitters, but I find that others are either too busy with their own work out to even notice you, or they tend to be very friendly and want to make friends. I have met some really nice people there that help the time pass very fast and have gotten some really great tips too.

I've also become very friendly with many of the staff, and trust me, I am far from a social butterfly, I normally like to be a loner, but you get caught up in their positive flow.

The best suggestion I have is ......GO!!!! Ask the staff to show you the ropes.....My Y schedules an appointment an then one staffer goes around with you and shows you how to use each of the machines that you are interested in, covers all the different rooms and activities that you participate in...this is free.

Another option that my girlfriend did was the Y also has personal trainers....and you can pay a fee to have him/her help you devise a plan based on what you want to accomplish. Then they write it all out and show you again, how to properly use what ever machines you will need. You can pay for as few or as many "training sessions" as you would like and that trainer will stay with you the whole work out to keep you motivated and until you are comfortable enough to go on your own.

Also, the other idea I have is if you have someone to go with you. I have a buddy, (my mom ) we go together 3 times a week, swimming. That way I have someone to talk to and the time passes and I am also not aware of other people so much becuase we are talking together. My girlfriend and I used to meet once a week there too while she was a member, and we then went into the workout room, again if we were talking to each other we weren't noticing whether anyone was noticing us.

The more you go, the more comfortable you will be, honest.

look forward to "seeing " you around.

[Jennifer 3FC]

I would suggest finding somebody that works there that does not intimidate you, and talk to them about this. Maybe they can arrange to show you the equipment during a time that the gym is not busy. If you need to, then call them and talk to them about it. Above all, don't be ashamed or intimidated. They are probably thrilled to get the chance to help you!

Trainers do it because they enjoy it, and they know how good it feels to be healthy and in shape and they will be thrilled to help you get on the right track. To them, you are like clay, waiting to be sculpted! And they all know it takes hard work to stay on plan. They'll definitely respect you when they see you stick with it!

Good luck!!

[brookiebean]

Wow. I almost wrote a post just like this about how intimidated i am to go to the YMCA by myself. I always end up being around a bunch of skinny girls and i feel like they're comparing how much better they are than me in the weight department. I joined in October and i really wish i had a workout buddy but i've been to shy to really aproach people there. I'm forcing myself to go tommorow now after reading all your posts (if its not to snowy and you know theres that part of me thats hoping for a blizzard just so i don't have to) and i'm going to make myself like it.
And dont worry inspectorpitt, someday we'll be one of those people who are hot enough to sit around naked in the steam room.

[almostheaven]

I always end up being around a bunch of skinny girls and i feel like they're comparing how much better they are than me in the weight department.

Well stop feeling like that, because they're not. And they can actually be very helpful and become a good buddy to motivate you on weight loss.

I had those same fears when I first started in a little private club owned by my apt. complex. There were usually only 1 to 3 people using the equipment at any one time. And I normally ended up there the same time of day as this girl who was like 5'10" and 140 pounds of lean muscle. She would get on the treadmill and run about 5 miles full speed. She gave me tips on running, helped me to balance and remove my hands from the bars and swing my arms to gain maximum benefit to the waistline. She kept me entertained talking to one another during our workouts and encouraged me on my weightloss.

Sometimes you can find a buddy in the place you least expected it.