4 weeks gym attendance!

[qqemokitty]

Hi Team!

 

Not to abuse the woot room or anything buuuuut I am proud. I set a personal challenge to attend the gym for 4 weeks to build the habit and today was the last day of that challenge!

 

I have successfully built my gym habit, now it's on to other challenges. 

 

I was 200% sedentary before and now I am active 5-6 days a week. The changes I can see in how I move and breathe are awesome. I won't see any body changes for awhile until I ramp up my intensity but that's okay. Slow and methodical will last longer!

[K-Prime]

That's awesome! 4 weeks is huge, and beating a personal challenge is ALWAYS something worthy of high fives. Keep up the good work!

[thist514]

Awesome job! Getting off the couch at first is such a huge hurtle and making it a habit is even more impressive. Rock it out!!

[Guest supportivejoyful]

I have been going to the gym for a week and it's killing me. The program is too hard and I am ready to give up. How do you do it? The stretching is not doing any help. I know I am whining, but it is really so hard. I still have 10 kgs to lose before I get to my goal weight and my fat % is still high.  ... 

[qqemokitty]

Thanks for the /hi5's all around! =D

 

I have been going to the gym for a week and it's killing me. The program is too hard and I am ready to give up. How do you do it? The stretching is not doing any help. I know I am whining, but it is really so hard. I still have 10 kgs to lose before I get to my goal weight and my fat % is still high.  ... 

 

I didn't start out with any specific goal and I didn't pay for a personal trainer or anything like that. What I did was train myself for 6 weeks to get up earlier, that's how long it took to push back my wakeup time from 6:30 AM to 5:15 AM. 

 

Once I achieved that goal, I set a goal of joining a gym. I asked around / looked online and decided to join the Chuze Fitness by my work. 

 

Once I achieve that goal, I rewarded myself by buying some nice towels, treating myself to dinner, bragged on Facebook etc. 

 

New goal was then: Go to the gym for one month to build the gym attendance habit. It didn't matter AT ALL what I did once I got there, as long as I went every work day. I started out just walking slowly on the treadmill, learning how the machines worked. And I walked. That was it. As noted in my other woot room thread, I started out doing less than a quarter mile in 15 minutes before falling off the machine to completing 1 mile in 30 minutes. Regularly I rewarded myself with the hydromassage beds the gym had. I bragged about every step of the way on Facebook and basked in massive lavish amounts of praise. By the end of week 2 I started to feel the high that people say they get from exercise. Week 3 I started adding some body weight exercises and yoga poses after my cardio.

 

Week 4 I finally braved the weight machines. And here I am today!

 

I don't know if it's the same for everyone but for me at least, I had to start really slow. Nothing about my mind or body is ready for an intense program of any kind. I don't react well to people barking at me, or videos of well muscled people effortlessly doing things my body is absolutely incapable of in it's current state.  It had to be a long, methodical, layering process. Like building those sand jar things. 

 

Remember that as an out of shape person, you don't need to make as much effort as an in shape person to get an effective workout. You have to do something appropriate to your body / physical & mental status or else you will hurt yourself or give up. 

 

[naarasleijona]

Congratulations! Definately inspiring for a noob like me. Most of my workouts I do at home, so I've been avoiding my gym because I feel so out of place there. I like how you approached it, I think I'll try something similar: it doesn't matter what gets done, showing up is half the battle . Thanks for posting!

[Noname123]

Congrats! Slow steady changes is what completely revamps lifestyles you're well on your way  

 

 

I have been going to the gym for a week and it's killing me. The program is too hard and I am ready to give up. How do you do it? The stretching is not doing any help. I know I am whining, but it is really so hard. I still have 10 kgs to lose before I get to my goal weight and my fat % is still high.  ... 

 

Supportive, why is it so hard? Soreness? The going? Motivation? If it's something that you're not capable of doing physically yet and you're pushing yourself through it you'll just burn out. Take a step back like qqemokitty is and start building the habit in a way that is manageable and makes you happy, not in a way that makes you miserable and will have you looking for excuses to avoid it.

[qqemokitty]

Yar. And I mean.. it has taken me years of struggle with my weight and fad dieting and giving up and being dumb and failing and flailing etc to finally figure out my magic formula. The nerd fitness blog is an AMAZING resource that really speaks to me as few places have before. 

 

*group hug*

[Noname123]

Yar. And I mean.. it has taken me years of struggle with my weight and fad dieting and giving up and being dumb and failing and flailing etc to finally figure out my magic formula. The nerd fitness blog is an AMAZING resource that really speaks to me as few places have before. 

 

*group hug*

We're all in the same boat. You know those few minutes right before you fall asleep where your brain reminds you of that stupid thing you said/did like 10 years ago that makes you cringe? A lot of those are now the two week/one month/90 day diets I swore by because it helped me drop weight temporarily....only to have it come back leaving me confused. 

[Ligeia Myrrine]

I would really want to try this out but I am hesitant If I can really make it. I think I lack confidence and determination not only on doing a program with such timetable but on the idea of giving that much time.If there is any consolation on reading your actual experiences is the inspiration I am getting that I could possibly do it too.

[Noname123]

I would really want to try this out but I am hesitant If I can really make it. I think I lack confidence and determination not only on doing a program with such timetable but on the idea of giving that much time.If there is any consolation on reading your actual experiences is the inspiration I am getting that I could possibly do it too.

You can TOTALLY do it. Even if it's just going in and walking around/familiarizing yourself with the area set some time aside, you deserve to take care of  yourself  

[Guest supportivejoyful]

 

I didn't start out with any specific goal and I didn't pay for a personal trainer or anything like that. What I did was train myself for 6 weeks to get up earlier, that's how long it took to push back my wakeup time from 6:30 AM to 5:15 AM. 

 

Week 4 I finally braved the weight machines. And here I am today!

 

I don't know if it's the same for everyone but for me at least, I had to start really slow. Nothing about my mind or body is ready for an intense program of any kind. I don't react well to people barking at me, or videos of well muscled people effortlessly doing things my body is absolutely incapable of in it's current state.  It had to be a long, methodical, layering process. Like building those sand jar things. 

 

Remember that as an out of shape person, you don't need to make as much effort as an in shape person to get an effective workout. You have to do something appropriate to your body / physical & mental status or else you will hurt yourself or give up. 

 

 

 

You must be an inspirational speaker or something. That was really nice. Well, I am starting really slow when I crashed ... lol. I signed up for 1 week free gym pass at Xport. When I went there, they assigned me a trainer. I mentioned that I wanted to just use the machines like the treadmill and they said that losing weight does not work that way and I was not in the mood to argue, so I did not. I did almost an hour or intense workout with that trainer and I wanted to ... nevermind. So, when I went home, I said that I will not go back  

 

Instead, I've been taking long walks ... about 30 minutes to an hour everyday. I've also started following a yoga routine from a VCD I bought online. I don't know if I am doing the right thing here, but the gym experience was not very motivating for me.  

 

When I was working with parachutetechs, I'm not sure if you are familiar with my former company, since we sit ALL day, we decided that we will keep each other healthy by getting everyone to stand and stretch every hour. We also had a bet going on who losses the most weight every month - if that was the goal - we had a pot that we drop a quarter in every day and whoever losses the most weight for the month gets the contents of the pot. Then, we start all over again the following month. That was VERY motivating for me, if you can imagine. Now that I am out of that company, though, I only have my siblings to make bets with ... lol and they are not as heavy. 

 

Oh well, as you said, take it slow, so I will keep doing what I am doing now and add a routine or something every month as I go. Wish me luck! 

[Noname123]

You must be an inspirational speaker or something. That was really nice. Well, I am starting really slow when I crashed ... lol. I signed up for 1 week free gym pass at Xport. When I went there, they assigned me a trainer. I mentioned that I wanted to just use the machines like the treadmill and they said that losing weight does not work that way and I was not in the mood to argue, so I did not. I did almost an hour or intense workout with that trainer and I wanted to ... nevermind. So, when I went home, I said that I will not go back

 

Instead, I've been taking long walks ... about 30 minutes to an hour everyday. I've also started following a yoga routine from a VCD I bought online. I don't know if I am doing the right thing here, but the gym experience was not very motivating for me.

 

When I was working with parachutetechs, I'm not sure if you are familiar with my former company, since we sit ALL day, we decided that we will keep each other healthy by getting everyone to stand and stretch every hour. We also had a bet going on who losses the most weight every month - if that was the goal - we had a pot that we drop a quarter in every day and whoever losses the most weight for the month gets the contents of the pot. Then, we start all over again the following month. That was VERY motivating for me, if you can imagine. Now that I am out of that company, though, I only have my siblings to make bets with ... lol and they are not as heavy. 

 

Oh well, as you said, take it slow, so I will keep doing what I am doing now and add a routine or something every month as I go. Wish me luck! 

 

Being active is a great step, weight loss is primarily achieved in the kitchen. Also, what do you like to do? (Other than walking)

 

If the betting was motivating for you check out dietbet- it's an app where people bet money, very similar to the pot thing you mentioned!

 

 

Sorry for jacking your thread qqemokitty, how is this week going for you?!  

[qqemokitty]

LOL no problem! And no I am not a motivational speaker or a speaker of any kind, but that is flattering, thank you Supportive.

 

This week is.. well. I just sat down at work fresh from the gym and I did kill my workout today. 25 minutes on the treadmill and 2 full rotations through the circuit room. Yesterday I skipped the gym (and regretted it of course) because we went to Legoland on Sunday an my body was beat down from walking and sunburn. I should have gone though, I felt like funk all day. (and not the good kind of funk...) 

 

Real talk, today I sat outside the gym in my car and cried because I didn't want to go. I am too tired, too achy, and I am very stressed right now because my best friend Miss Kitty (spoiler: she's a cat) is sick and we don't have any extra money right now to help her, so we are scared of the outcome of today's vet visit. She is old and fragile due to feline asthma and it's just a big hot mess. 

 

I did force myself into the gym though and I am so glad I did because my body feels energized and two full rotations in the circuit room was something I wanted to accomplish this week. 

[Noname123]

Way to go on the gym- it feels miserable going in sometimes but I always remind myself how much better walking out feels than if I hadn't gone at all, looks like you're getting the hang of it:D 

 

 

Sorry for the kitty situation, sending thoughts and good vibes your way for a positive outcome!

[heyarnold13]

It's all about building habits!!! Take it slow, make one manageable change at a time, and be patient with yourself. Even if you just lace up and SHOW UP at the gym (for those that go to a gym rather than kick butt at home or on long walks!), that's a good first step! And once you're there, might as well do something, amiright?

 

Positive thoughts being sent Miss Kitty's way, qqemokitty! I go to the gym to deal with my stress and anxiety, and sometimes it is SO hard to force myself to the gym, especially if I'm waking up at 5am for it. I hate everything right until I actually step through the door and dig into my workout and I never regret going after it's all said and done with.

 

YOU ARE ALL FABULOUS HUMAN BEINGS AND ARE TOTALLY AWESOME!!!

[Igaduma]

Congratulations!

I'm at the end of week 8 at the gym.

 

I only do cardio for the time being.  Don't feel up to weight stuff or whatever yet.  I know that weighttraining as bigger results faster and all that but I want to build the habbit first.  Babysteps, small victories etc.

I figure that once the habbit is fully established I'll eventually get bored with just stairs and bikes and I'll move on to other stuff.

 

Next week is a bit of a problem though.  I'm without a car and my gym is fairly far away (20-30 minutes by car) so I won't be able to make it there.  So I'm trying to do something else in stead (tried to run today and did the beginner bodyweight workout routine).  Maybe I'll continue the running afterwards as well, on the days I'm not going to the gym.  We shall see.

 

But if going to the gym is hard, if the training is to hard... do less.

I believe most of our life is ruled by habbits.  Don't go to the gym because you want to or need to, go because it's just what you do, a habbit.

So first you have to create that habbit.  Go to the gym get dressed up for training and then just sit there if that's all you're up to.  but go, and get dressed and waste an hour there.  That way you'll build the habbit.  I think that's the most important step.  Once you're there, at some point you'll go "well, since I'm here, I might as well...".

 

If you allow yourself to skip the gym, especially in the beginning, you risk building a bad habbit: not going. 

 

edit:

 

BTW: with my 8 weeks of gym ==> when I look in the mirror, I see a huge difference.  I don't know if I lost much weight or lowered my bodyfat % or if my posture has changed but already I'm looking really different.

 

And a small motivational tip: always always always start and end with something you can do well.  Of every session (being gym, studying, whatever) the first and the last thing you do have a far bigger influence on how you feel about that session than everything else you do.  And you want to feel good about what you did today or you'll have a harder time getting yourself to start again tomorrow.

 

Iggy