My doctor and therapist(s) have been after me to do it for a while for my physical and mental health. So I finally dragged my scrawny ass down there and got a membership. Been there twice now. The men intimidate me and the women scare me. And whats up with all the Spandex? Are they showing off their muscles or their bulges below the belt? And the women! No bulges, but every fold and crevice shows down there. Me, I'm in bulky sweatpants and a t-shirt...whatever. And I steer clear of the locker room. If these guys intimidate me dressed, well call me a prude, but I sure don't want to see them naked!

wow - you are brave! i can't even imagine going there.

lee

Secret trick to going to the gym and making it a routine - find an exercise you enjoy doing (it could be tennis, or boxing, or dancing) ... but FIND THAT exercise and stick with it. Before you know it, you'll love going.

People make the mistake of trying to hammer the weights or running the treadmill and hate the experience, and quit. So the trick is - find what you like to do with regards to moving your body and breaking a sweat and the rest becomes easy.

Me, I love to play tennis and suck at it. But I can't find a tennis partner who wants to play with me because I suck at it. Having double vision (lacking depth perception) makes it pretty hard to hit the ball back to their side of the court.

I think it's freaking awesome!!!!!

and lee you can imagine going, it's already in your head

i agree with magellan

just GO

i started as a skinny guy, graduated high school at 120 lbs. Physical specimine i ain't. But i just kept at it and now, at 52 i was told last week i look good for 44. I stopped eating crappy food, no french fries in 12 years, no dairy , no carbs that are refined , and damn it now, NO QUIT

I used to think it was boring, but it grows on you. I have more self confidence and just dont worry about anyone else. And eventually you start to know people, they say hello. Its just about doing it for yourself.

Well done jude

impressive, not in what you look like or wear. honestly no one really give a shit but you. But its about the fact you made a change, took a step, and changed the course of what was into what will be.

WELL DONE

kudos

grant

I joined a formal gym 3 months ago. Exercise has been an on/off thing for me over the years. But this summer I realized how important it is for my health. The locker room does intimidate me at time. But I am usually there with my younger brother and hen I am with him almost all of the anxiety dissipates.

Congrats on taking the plunge and doing something for you. It's a worthwhile activity once you get going. Heal well brother

Sincerely,

Daniel

Way to go! I need to work out regularly or else I feel crappy. Don't overdo it at first... just experiment and find what you like.

Great news Jude,
I worked out before all of this started to surface and it was hit and miss for awhile during its peek. Now I am back at it again. Just keep in mind that the guys are to busy looking at them selves in the mirrors to worry about anybody else. lol Personally I do Crossfit and love it. But, starting out be careful not to get frustrated with it. Set small goals. I would wear my MP3 player at first and just be in my own world doing my thing.
Work yourself up to some classes if they have them and your comfortable with it. You can always set at the back of a class. They are good motivation. I would introduce myself to the group leader or class leader at all new classes and that way I entered a class knowing at least one person. Most classes are free at gyms. This is a great thing your doing and I am so proud of you. Oh, drink lots of water.
Keep up the great work my friend,
Randy

I feel the same. I definitely need to start working out on a regular basis but whenever I do I always feel like I don't belong there. When I look around the gym it looks like a club for people who are already in shape and I'm the fat ass outsider. It feels like they're all staring at me saying "What the fuck is that loser doing here and where are his muscles?" Yeah, very discouraging for my psyche. Still, I need to just bite the bullet and go.

I've had a gym membership last year. They're right, everyone is too busy doing their own thing to really pay attention to you. It's still a bit nerve wracking though I was always afraid I would end up looking like a fool. Thing to remember is that everyone starts somewhere. The vast majority of the people there were not always the perfectly sculpted adonises that they are now. And there were quite a few overweight people there too so the atmosphere was definitely that of self improvement and not perfection. As far the spandex, since I didn't see many people wearing it I dismissed it as a stereotype, guess I must have been wrong. :-/