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Before I started going to the gym, the prospect intimidated me. It was the same feeling I experienced when I thought about public speaking, or going on a job interview – I was afraid of looking stupid. It wasn’t the cardio machines I minded so much; they’re pretty self-explanatory. It was the weights.
What helped me get over my fear? The encouragement of someone who knew what they were doing; a person who knew their way around a gym and could explain things and show me what to do. Not only that, after a few weeks, and then a few months, this person could point out the progress I’d made – how I’d started out lifting a certain weight, and now I was able to do more; how difficult it was for me, in the beginning, to do more than a few ab exercises, like leg-lifts, without having to stop. (As we all know, being thin does not always equal being fit – and I most certainly was not.)
If you’re ready to make changes in your life – if you’re not already a regular gym-goer but would like to be – I know firsthand how hard it is to get started. You worry about being another statistic; one of those people who sign a contract for a year or more and end up only going sporadically. I do think you have to be mentally ready before you make that kind of long-term commitment (otherwise, you’d probably be better off exercising at home and outside).
But once you get there, although it’s helpful to have a friend who can give you personal attention and show you what to do, that’s not a requirement for success. Many gyms offer free personal-training sessions included in your contract, and at the very least someone will be willing to show you how to work the machines. Go online, get a book, pick up a fitness magazine – there are tons of places to find instructions about how to lift a dumbbell; what kind of sets to do; which muscle groups to work.
When you’re thinking about joining a gym, one thing that’s important to ask yourself is how much you’re willing to pay. The gym I chose isn’t ultra-fancy, so it doesn’t have a towel service, or a sauna, or a pool. But it’s in a big two-story building, with all the cardio equipment on the bottom floor, and the weight machines and large group-workout room upstairs. There are lots of windows, and lots of mirrors, so it’s bright and doesn’t seem at all closed-in.
In December I moved a little farther away from my gym than I was before, so it’s not quite as convenient for me to just stop in as it used to be. But even though I’m not as close, I prefer the ambiance of this particular gym, which means I continue to go there regularly – and the reason I do this became even more clear to me when I visited my local recreation center a few weeks ago.
There’s this rec center that’s reeeaallly close to my apartment – a very short walking distance. Best of all, Alexandria city residents can use the fitness room at this rec center for free. It sounds pretty perfect, right? Well, it would be – except for the fact the exercise machines are located in a narrow, windowless room, and the equipment itself appears to be the original models from when they were first invented.
Visiting that fitness room proved to me that I'd much rather get in my car, drive 6-7 miles, and be able to go to a gym that's large, has new equipment, and doesn't depress me. (Or, you know, go outside and attempt to run instead. That works, too.)
(On the flip side, one of my female co-workers told me she was trying to rationalize paying $130 a month – not to mention a $400 initiation fee – to join an ultra-fancy gym in DC. I was like, “Oh, HELL no...”)
In other words? You don’t have to spend anywhere close to $130 a month, but you also shouldn’t go for the cheapest option around – even if it is free. If it’s depressing, you’ll hate it and never go anyway.
Pasta Queen was trying to decide which gym she wanted to join, so she asked her readers how much they
