turps | (no subject)

I joined a gym today.

I'm sitting here thinking, what the hell have I done? It's a good deal -- I think. Our local authority gym scheme where I get a discount for being a carer, so is only £21 a month, and I can go to any local authority gym in Sunderland, which includes a swimming pool, sauna etc in the next town over.

But man, I'm scared to death here. I'm going to the induction on Thursday, and she said bring your gym clothes. But I don't even have any. Will my sketchers do? Will people laugh if I turn up in them and leggings?

I can walk to the one in my town easily, and James will go on a pay as you go basis so we can go swimming together.

Gah. I think I need to go lie down in a dark room or something. And yes, this will pass and I'm sure things will be fine, and this is a good thing. But again. What have I done?!

We also saw Valerian, which was pretty to look at, but had the disadvantage of having two main characters I didn't give a damn about.

Crossposts: http://turps33.livejournal.com/1286336.html

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

rikes

*\o/*

From:

turps

Thank you.

Though I'm still in that, what the hell have I done, mode.

From:

glitteryv

I think you're doing SUPER FANTASTIC! Also, I get the reason for your anxiety, but trust me that any jackass who dares laugh at you will have hell to deal with. You'll be a total rockstar in your sketchers and leggings. #Badassbabe <-that's you.

Re Valarian: your thoughts on it are exactly why I totes ignored it (as did the majority of the US moviegoing crowd.)

From:

turps

I'm going to hold onto that tag tomorrow when I'm forcing myself through the door. Thank you ♥

Valarian had the potential to be so good. And yet, is so meh. What a waste of an interesting world.

From:

pensnest

You'll soon figure out whether a gym is a good fit for you or not—my local one has a very friendly culture, and people in even the hardest classes are just doing what works for them and their bodies. (And yeah, there are some intimidatingly fit women in some of my classes, but they aren't the only ones. Except in Metafit, from which they all emerge red and breathless. Never mind that!)

Shorter version: \o/ for you!

From:

turps

I hope the gym is a good fit. The one in my town is small, but the next town over is bigger so hopefully I'll feel comfortable in one at least. They have a lot of classes too, but I don't think I'm there in terms of doing those yet. Maybe the aqua class when the school holidays are over.

I guess I'll know what it's like this time tomorrow.

From:

pensnest

Aqua is a really good class to do for quite a few reasons - ours has got a bit boring lately and I'm thinking of doing a gym session instead next week, but usually it has a lot of scope for exercising to whatever level you can manage, and it's pretty effective.
If your gym offers an introduction to the weights machines, that would definitely be a good idea. That's something you can do on your own and at your own pace, but having the right technique is really important—and knowing how to use the machines, of course.
Also, when you decide to brave a class or two, I'd recommend Pilates or Yoga. I've found both really useful, although it takes a long while to realise that something in your body has changed! Classes are really useful in terms of self-discipline, in that it's easier to keep going when you have a mark on your weekly timetable that says "Pilates today" rather than "go to the gym"!

From:

spasticat

I just work out in t-shirts and leggings so you should be fine. The athletic-wear industry wants us to buy their stuff, and I just think if you can get away with t-shirts and leggings you're fine.

From:

turps

I'm going to go with t-shirt and leggings, and know all you guys are behind me. So thank you for that.

From:

spasticat

No problem. Make sure it's a shirt that clings to your body and is a bit long. Helps with the stretches. I learned that the hard way with yoga.

From:

topaz119

Yes, I do t-shirts & leggings, nothing special except for a sports bra & that only b/c I don't care if it gets sweaty & gross (which it dies even when I'm walking.) yay, you!!!

From:

turps

The replies are suitable gym wear have been so reassuring.

And this time tomorrow my first visit will be over and done with and I'll be wondering what I was worried about.

Thank you!

From:

sylvaine

That's fucking awesome, bb! <3 in my experience it doesn't really matter what you go to gym in, as long as it's not something like jeans and a cardigan. And I'm sure this is different from gym to gym, but - at my gym, people are far too busy with their own stuff to laugh at other people. Everyone just does their own thing.

From:

turps

Thank you so much for the reassurances.

This whole thing seems scary and weird at the moment, and everyone sharing their experiences has really helped a lot.

♥

From:

adelate

1) That's awesome!
2) I totally get being scared. I've been toying around with the idea of going to my local gym and maybe hiring a PT for a little bit to help me get started (I don't know how to work the equipment!) but also the clothes and the shoes are a big stress thing for me too.
3) Regardless of item 2, you can TOTALLY do it! It's so easy to build stuff up in our heads to be scarier than it actually is. I bet they get people all the time who maybe are new to gyms and will want to help. Yay you!

From:

turps

Thank you!

Not knowing how to use the equipment is a big fear of mine too. It's going to be hard enough actually walking in there without worrying I won't know how to turn things on, or fall off or something.

But, I've had some good advice on here, and support, and will take a deep breath tomorrow and just go for it.

Good luck if you decide to go for hiring a PT.

From:

onthehill

YAY! If using the equipment is a worry, i know our local authority does short courses to show people how to use them. Just a couple of hours.

From:

turps

A short course like that sounds ideal, and perfect for a beginner.

Thankfully we got a really good instructor at the induction who showed us how to use all the machines he thought would be good for us to use, so I feel much more confident.

Now to get past my first solo visit later this morning. Eeep!

From:

raynedanser

Go you! *rah rah* Oh man. I thought about it, but it scares the crap out of me.

From:

turps

It scares me too, but I know it'll be a good thing for me. Now I just need to get past tomorrow and that first induction without wanting to hide in a corner.

Thanks for the support ♥

From:

turlough

Go you!! And I agree with everyone else, leggings and a tshirt should be perfectly unremarkable gym wear.

As a long-time fan of the comic - I own ALL the Swedish translations! - I will definitely NOT see the movie. I would just have OPINIONS :-)

From:

turps

Thank you. I'm still nervous, and will be even more so tomorrow I'm sure. But, at least I know I can go looking okay clothes wise.

The thing I found with the movie was I had no connection at all with the two main characters. In terms of fic it would be an amazing story in terms of world building, but very poor characterisation. It's a shame as it could have been good, but as it is, I just didn't care. You not watching is a very good idea.

From:

brandywine28

Skechers and leggings are perfectly fine for the gym, so please don't worry! No one's gonna laugh -- and on the off-off-triple-off chance that anyone does, I will magically materialize to push an elliptical machine over onto them.

:)

From:

turps

Well, that's a threat that's making me feel better!

Seriously, the support from everyone has been great. I'm hoping this time next week I'll be wondering what I was worried about. But everything seems so scary atm.

From:

chalcopyrite

Oh wow, you're awesome! Really, getting there in the first place is the hard part. ♥

As long as your clothes are ones you can move in (to the extent you need to), and your shoes are supportive and not likely to fall off your feet, they are just fine! "Unsuitable" gym clothes would be, like, skinny jeans and crocs. (Plz do not wear crocs to the gym. That is a bad idea.)

::cheerleads for you::