Confronting the gym issue head on

I have discussed my problems with gyms in the past. I am terrified of them. I feel lost, confused, and judged. I can workout in the gym at my apartment complex because it is rarely populated. For years I was a member of a gym in Woodland and I never went regularly. I just get so self conscious in a gym. However, the gym equipment at my current apartment complex is terrible. The treadmill feels like it is going to collapse under the weight of my obesity if I try to run. The two bikes are nowhere near the level of my last apartment complex. It has made working out more of a challenge than something I want to do. The last few days I have been going back to walking out in the world, as we have a bike trail across the street from our house. I love being out in the world, but my body does not. It is really tough on my knees, ankles, and feet. I have certainly been feeling the pain the last few days, and I have not been feeling knee pain after the treadmill. Martina has been killing it in a variety of ways in her health journey and since it appears we are truly aligned in our quest, we decided to give a gym a shot.

Last night we stopped by California Family Fitness because it is roughly five minutes from our house and Martina also has one right near her work, so it would make sense. We were given a tour by a relatively new employee, who was energetic, charming in a nerdy way, and put a very good face on this giant box store looking gym. We did show up at the busiest time of year, which I actually liked. It gave us a good idea of how huge the place was because there was still plenty of open equipment even with the parking lot completely full. The gym is two stories and is gigantic. They have a pool, a lap pool, and an indoor pool. They have a sauna and steam room and the most impressive locker rooms I have ever seen in a gym. It was incredibly difficult not to be impressed. We were offered a two week free trial and the monthly fee for a couple is less than I was expecting, so the odds are we will be sticking with it, but that could change if we end up not liking it.

Today I did my inaugural workout and after one day, I can tell this is a place I am going to want to frequent. The bike was very comfortable for my wide body and never felt shaky. The bike also had better pre-programmed workouts. This was very nice because I found one that was challenging, but not impossible to keep up and it meant I never had to mess with the levels or the speed and could just focus on keeping my legs moving. I Found that when I did not have to focus on the other things, I almost never looked at my time or my distance, just enjoyed the time I had to myself on this bike. The time flew by and I felt energized and exhausted when it was over. From there I jumped on a treadmill and did a mile of walking and a mile of walking/jogging. Then I jumped into the last 15 minutes of a step aerobics class. I did not love the class, but loved the energy of the class. I can see myself enjoying getting involved in classes. My next step will be a Zumba class. They also have this group training session that is similar to CrossFit that I will most definitely be checking out once we are paying. Plus, basketball and all sorts of cool stuff. Once we get going and once I have full time work, I will probably start working with a personal trainer and seeing their nutrition experts as well. I want to do it all!!

I will tell you why: I never once felt judged. Even at 9:30 am, this place was pretty busy and never once did it feel like anyone was looking at anyone else with judgement. The gym had people of all shapes and sizes and all levels of fitness and everyone was friendly. Multiple employees asked me how it was going, and asked if I needed anything and one trainer actually pulled a woman aside and gave her a few minutes of free training on one of the machines. it felt like a really great place to be. I know that this is ultimately a big box gym that talks about profit margins all of the time in meetings and it is run like a big box store, but with more warmth. Yet, it felt really comfortable for me and I have never said that in a big gym before. My favorite thing about CrossFit was how welcoming that gym was to us, and I felt welcomed to this giant gym this morning. It is a place I have no trouble seeing myself going to every day and that is the biggest hurdle for me.

It appears that after a rough few months, I am finding myself again. There is a rhythm to how I am feeling and it is wonderful. I am back to getting out of bed at a reasonable time, and eating regular meals and cooking more. I was excited to go to the gym this morning instead of forcing myself to go. My general attitude is back to where it was in April and May. I can feel myself starting to remember why I began this journey in the first place. I am shaking off the cobwebs of apathy, and caring again. Let's do this thing!