Okay FIIIIIIIIIIINE. Harumph.

Posted on January 10, 2017

Okay okay okay.

I don't waaaaaaaaaaannaaaaaaaaaaaaaa go to the gym.

I'm struggling HARD with the first step. I know me, and I know that once I go at least 3 times, I'm fine. But. My gym anxiety is getting the better of me right now, and that's dumb.

Part of it is timing-- first of the year, all the resolutioners are thick with good intentions and dripping all over my preferred elliptical. My gym plays the BBC on ONE TV in the morning, so sometimes I get to watch Dr. Who re-runs and that totally makes everything worth it.

Most of it is me-- I'm a big scaredy cat. There's so many people with their eyes that can see me. Doing things. Things that are hard for me, that I'm kinda embarrassed-- nope, super embarrasssed about being hard.

So all week I have set myself up for failure so I can talk myself out of going to the gym in the morning before work. You know, not getting my workout clothes ready, not packing my post-workout clothes, not setting 15 alarms to annoy me into getting up, not packing my daughter's lunch the night before or getting her clothes ready. All of it. And I know it. I am not even doing it SUB conciously.

So! Here goes.

Tomorrow, I am going. I am putting this here, in words, for you to read and see. (Hi!) Tomorrow, I will go to the gym and then I will come here and tell you about how awful it was, but I will have gone and done the hardest part of this whole deal-- start.

Bee Tee Dubs, I'm totally stomping my inner petulant dieter feet all over the place.

Comment Now!

Hillary S.

01/11/2017 8:51AM

I hear you. Gym is tough sometimes especially this time a year. I don't really go anymore because it kills too much of my workday. Couple years ago I made an investment and bought my favorite elliptical for home. Got it for about $1000 from a business that sells used gym equipment. Since then, I've used it almost every day at home and we've also bought a treadmill and an assult bike for our ever growing home gym. Yes, membership would be cheaper, but I'm putting a pretty steep price on convenience and the fact that I won't fall off the wagon ever again. Best money ever spent. I do like hitting the occasional yoga class though and right now I'm having a lot of anxiety to get started with it after a 6 month hiatus. So I'm putting this out there too - I will go yoga tomorrow.

bahhhhh likes this comment.

bahhhhh

I'm moving in a few months and plan on setting up a mini-home-gym in the garage. We'll see how the finances pan out, but it would be great. I'd LOVE to have an elliptical in my home! I'll have to look into a used-gym-equipment place. That sounds perfect. I want a good quality, but I only see the $500 ones (which is plenty expensive!) that look scary. Yeah! Yoga!

Hillary S.

I had one of these non-gym grade ellipticals first and didn't love it. The upgrade was definitely worth it and our store here offered a year warranty on all their used equipment too. Signed up for a yoga class for tomorrow!

merca

01/11/2017 12:53AM

Hi, hope you did get the first step done and you packed your pre-, intro-, after workout clothes, made lunches and have been to the gym already!I can share my experience (this is from 4 years ago)...I got gym membership, for 3 months I just paid it and put off the start( money right out of window). Then somehow I ended up in one of the classes there. In the worst possible class I could ever imagine - zumba. I was way overweight, I'm stiff as a plank (still to this day), I dont have any rhythm, my hips dont move - nothing about my body says that I could belong in that class. I started off in the back of the class, moved my legs, never my arms, but I somehow survived and while I was stumping from one leg to an other, I looked around and: no one was interested in me! - everybody was busy doing their thing. After couple of months i was in the first row, I said to my self - no one cares! keep doing this. And I did for couple of years and had a lot of fun (in time) and lost a lot of weight.Now I do this class occasionally and every time I get there - I'm as fresh as I was the frist time (have problem remembering the steps), but I dont care anymore - the first row experts (if there are any - they enjoy their time and do not care about others, the last row newcomers maybe look once, but just to get encouragement that they are not alone having hard time with it). I have been having hard time in every corner of the gym - but you know what - everybody have started from scratch in the gy

bahhhhh likes this comment.

bahhhhh

I didn't make it to the gym, but I did get all the steps done, and worked out anyway, just not at the gym. My kid spoiled my good intentions-- but I broke part of the rut, so that's a huge step. And I think you're right, there are a lot of people at the gym who are busy worrying about themselves, as we all should. Unfortunately I always encounter the Mansplainers at the weight machine, the occasional eyecontact-y judgey-mcjudgerson, etc. Not enough to keep me out, but just enough to make the re-entry anxious. No big deal, I'll suck it up. Good for you for sticking with it when you felt uncomfortable, too!

Alice W.

01/10/2017 4:47PM

I've been working out at home to workout videos. I don't want to either. Really don't want to. But, there's the whole being healthy thing that I need to do, and so I do it. I don't want to, but I do it. And you are right, it gets easier. But right now, it's not easy. So... go to the gym tomorrow! Your future self will thank you.

bahhhhh likes this comment.

bahhhhh

I suck at at-home stuff. I just don't do it. I didn't make it to the gym, but only b/c of time constraints (damn kids). BUT I did workout, so I'm not mad. And got my routine rolling. Tomorrow is another day. A day with a gym :)

Alice W.

I suck at them too, apparently. Haven't worked out since Tuesday. Oh well, today is a new day and this weekend I'll have plenty of free time.