New-bie!

[dnbluprints]

Hey all,

 

My name is Dennis and I'm from from Philly (Go Eagles) currently residing in Wyoming and I just joined this awesome site, the academy and took in tons of info this weekend. I'm a graphic designer/photographer at a newspaper and an otherwise big adventurer. I'm glad to be here and look forward to getting to know the people working the same goals as myself, to transform my lifestyle into one that I can get up in the morning and look at that mirror and breathe a sigh of relief that I'm doing everything to make myself live longer, feel mentally and physically better and have the energy to do my best. 

 

I was 247 lbs at 5'6" in 2016, wheezing, feeling like crap and generally in some terrible shape. Running is something I've always been good at and something I really enjoy so I turned to that. Picking up the C25K app was easy and it was something that I could do outside, away from people judging me at a gym. I finished the C25K pretty easily after an "unplanned" breakup of seven years. I ran and ran and walked and drank and ran and walked some more. Wine and Asiics helped me through it all, but I needed to get faster. The C210K app got installed on my phone, chicken and fish in my deep freeze and the will to get to an hour of running no matter how slow, but after researching as much as I could I realized I had to turn to weights. 

 

I've never been fit but I've also never been heavy so the thought of hitting up a gym was terrifying. I managed to get a membership at a hotel gym that was basically always empty when the weather was way too bad here to run outside. After starting to use free weights I dropped in two months time from 190 to 170 quick. I felt GREAT mentally. Almost hitting my one hour run goal at a way faster speed.

 

Then life happened and here I am. I won't go into specifics but I'm sure a lot of you know the feeling when things go out of control and you end up almost back to where you started. It sucks. 

 

Recently I acquired a gym membership at a local hotspot and I'm trying to get my ass off the treadmill and to those free weights with the gymbros but I can't seem to get that 20 seconds of courage to do it. I'm hoping that joining the active community here might get me on the right track and look forward to all the advice/suggestions/knowledge you all have with your own journey. I bumped into Nerd Fitness last year when I was trying to figure out what type of core weight exercises I needed to do. Now I'm trying to pick myself up and do it all again and bumped back into the site realizing maybe this is a sign. 

 

So here I am! Ready to do this with you guys!

Scout reporting in.

[Harriet]

I just started lifting, too! And I, too, was scared to go to the gym and do free weights. I'm extremely shy, unfit, and female, so all the huge strong dudes seemed too scary. But then I went with a friend who already lifts, and it was so easy. It was a bit harder going by myself for the first time, but not nearly as hard as it would have been without the introduction. Is there someone you can recruit to go with you just the first time? If not, can you design a tiny quest like: walk in, locate the squat rack(s), and walk out? 

[Elastigirl]

Welcome! Maybe you need some motivation for 20 seconds of courage. Maybe promise yourself a reward for going. Or just tell yourself that all you need to do is go  and look at the gym, and then next time go and do one thing, and just build up slowly

[dnbluprints]

Thanks Harriet for the advice. 

I'm not one to be shy, but for some reason, probably the new-ness of this gym, I'm still hopping on the treadmill. I'm making small steps though and plan on setting up a routine with dumb bells and transition to the bars. I think because of the long lapse in weight lifting, I just don't know where my body is at as far as the weights and I'm not confident in my form. AKA don't want to look like an idiot! 

I jumped on weights previously after spending some time running so I had a little more confidence. Worse comes to worse, I'll get back to where I was running, slowly doing body weighted exercises and hit those dumb bells and maybe make a few friends at the gym in the process. It can't hurt going slow.

[Drake Alexander]

Hey man!

 

I'm just starting at the gym and I'm pumped! It helps me to picture myself to the future when I am a machine (Woot!). You can do it!

[djryanash]

Hey Dennis,

 

How is your journey coming along?

 

There are similarities in our stories:  I was in a long term relationship and it fell apart and I turned to drinking and running (and then gave up the drinking and not running much now). I am however at the gym regularly (4-6 times a week since two weeks ago).

 

Update us.