I don't know what's come over me but i've booked myself for an induction at a gym on Monday! I've never felt the urge before as i've always thought of gyms as places of torture and humilation. I don't want to cut back my calories too much, so I know that in order to shift the weight i have to shift my butt. Here's my problem although a part of me really wants to do this another part of me is already picking up the phone to cancel
I would love to hear from anyone out there who has already been there and done it and whether you stuck with it or not.
In other words "How was it for you?"
Yes, I walked into a gym on a whim one Monday lunchtime and signed up. I only had a 6 week membership at first, but I ended up taking out a proper membership and 14 months later I still go most days. I was over 18 and a half stone when I joined (not that I realised it at the time, or I might have thought the task was too daunting), and I was easily the biggest person who was there at the time.
Now, I'm not. I've overtaken quite a few people on my way down (and a couple more people who have started), both in terms of weight, and in terms of fitness. I remember feeling in awe of people who could run for 20 minutes on the treadmill at much higher speeds than I ever dreamed of setting it. Now I can run for an hour, and my speeds are getting up there. I can lift far more than I ever dreamed possible.
If I'd seen myself as I am now when I walked in for the first time I'd have scared myself. So don't feel intimidated. You don't know where the other people have come from in their journeys. Maybe they've always been thin, maybe they've worked really hard for that body, maybe their only part of the way there but still feeling fantastic. And remember, you can be them, you're just a bit behind them in time. Give it a year or so, and you might be where they are now, if you put in the work and get into it.
Don't feel ashamed of your weight, or ashamed to ask questions. You are paying the same for the use of the facilities as everyone else, and if anything you're conquering far more demons than them to even walk through the door, so don't EVER feel like you don't have the right to be there. Even if you only walk on the treadmill, you're competing against what you used to be able to do, not what other people can do. I remember the first time I tried the cross trainer about two minutes on level 1 killed me. So I celebrated making it up to 5 minutes, and then 10, and then 15. Everyone is coming from a different place, and as long as you're feeling fitter and healthier then the gym is working for you.
Try everything out and see if there's something you like doing. The gym people will come up with a programme for you, but I find that on "rough" days when I don't feel like exercising I feel far better if I ignore the programme and do something I enjoy rather than ignoring the programme because it's too hard and doing nothing. At first, my "cheat exercise" was swimming. It wasn't necessarily what I planned to be doing, but it was something. Now if I don't feel up for a full workout I walk level 20 hills on the treadmill, because it's "walking" it feels like a rest, even though it burns more calories than running!
You owe it to yourself to get to that induction. Even if you try and fail, you can say that you tried it and you didn't like it, and you can look for a way of exercising that you do like. If you don't try at all, you'll never know.
And a final thing, if they have classes, try a couple of them out (if there are any you fancy at roughly your level). It adds a bit of variety, and because someone's telling you what to do I find that there's less of the internal mental battle I get on the treadmill when my fat girls starts whingeing "can't I stop now"
I'm definitely going to go tomorrow, I've even went and spent a load of cash on a good sports bra (if that doesn't keep my buzzooms in check nothing will! ).
Good plan. I said above that I joined the gym out of the blue one day - I paid for my 6 weeks, walked out and realised I had absolutely nothing to wear for my induction later that day so had to dash into town to find something!
I started to lose weight through my gym at work, who run a weight loss programme. I didn't even own a pair of trainers!!! It took me a month to actually start the exercise bit. I was easily the fattest at my works gym, and because of how well I have done, loads of larger ladies have started at the gym!!!
I decided I needed somewhere to exercise at weekends, my danger time, so I joined my local council gym, the cheapest around, because to be honest, I didn't think I would stick with it and it would be money down the drain. Well that was March, and I go at least 4 days a week, usually 6!!!!
I have asthma, as well as a neuromuscular disorder, which means I have the co-ordination skills of a medium sized walrus. At the local gym I have the best (and cutest) gym instructor in the world. He makes me work, but gives loads of encouragement.
This week people have stopped me in the gym to tell me just how fabulous I look (and these are Lancashire folk who don't give praise out willy nilly LOL)
I hated exercise at the beginning of the year, and now I have no idea how I lived without it, it has become more than a way to lose weight, it helps me manage my stress levels, and I have made heaps of friends on the way.
No one will think "oh my god who does that fat woman think she is trying to kid" the most that anyone will think is "good on her for making a start at getting fit". Most people however, are too busy looking at themselves and worrying if their arms wobble on the treadmill!!!
Thanks you guys,
The pep talk worked and i went to the gym for the first time today.
Kykaree thanks for taking the time to post it's a council run gym that i went to and the gym instructor here is v.v cute too (it must be council policy.)
Now all i've got to do is keep going back and keep motivated.
We only have 1 cute instructor There are only about 5 of them anyway, one is the manager and is old, two are female and one of the blokes isn't anything special. I should change gym
Calling all gym bunnies
I don't want to cut back my calories too much, so I know that in order to shift the weight i have to shift my butt. Here's my problem although a part of me really wants to do this another part of me is already picking up the phone to cancel 
Good for you Shush 
Shush
I Did It !
(it must be council policy.)
