Day 1 | GYM DIARIES

If you don't like wordy posts, I would recommend not reading this one. This is just information I would have liked to have seen when I was making the decision to join a gym. I wanted to find lots of detail but couldn't, so hopefully this will help someone else :)

So - yes…you are thinking right - I have joined a gym!

Get back on your chair :)

If you know me, you know that the word 'gym' terrifies me and I don't even like to hear people talk about gyms! But recently I've been thinking about maaaybe joining one because I am on a diet/healthy lifestyle plan and I have basically got a bit stuck with weight loss. Then one day, my friend at work said "Right - I know this is a stupid thing to ask you, but….do you wana join the gym?!'' She said the last part quite fast, then gave me a shocked look when I didn't instantly reply with "Are you seriously asking me that question?!". I actually replied with a pause & "actually…I was kiiindd of thinking about it". She nearly fell off her chair too. I said I would research it and think about it properly, then let her know.

I researched the gym which has recently opened near where we work and it actually looked pretty good! They have a lot of equipment and seemed really nice and spacious which was a big plus for me. I didn't like the thought of being on a machine and a queue forming behind me! They also have an App where you can book your induction and look for classes. I definitely don't want to go near classes because they sound hellish like worse than the sound of the word gym but everything else seemed like a good idea.

I've always liked putting my mind to something and researching and making the most of the moment. So, I watched loads of videos on the gym equipment (the App provides those too!), watched loads of 'What's in my gym bag' videos on YouTube & generally got really prepared so I became really excited and determined to do this!

Anyway - I have decided to do this mini blog series called 'Gym diaries' to share with you all what it's like to go to a gym. As you may have guessed, I have never ever set foot in a gym before in my life! So hopefully if you're in the same situation, you will like to read this. The thought of it literally terrified me and it's still not pleasant as i've only been twice + my induction.

This first blog post is an introduction to explaining why, how and which gym I joined. In this post, I will explain what happens on an induction. Future posts will be updates on each time I go. This is so you know what to expect, hopefully it might keep you motivated, it should also keep myself motivated because I can look back and think - "yeah, I did good". I'm definitely not going there to expect me to conquer the world straight away! I'm thinking of it more that I'm mega proud I've finally signed up as that was the first step & whatever I can manage to do is better than doing my ugee and sitting on my bum!

So me, Alice & Gabrielle (another workie) said that after pay day, we would sign up. A big decision making thing was the price. It was a £15 join up fee and a monthly price of £17.99. Also - that is a non-contract deal! So I can, if I really hated it, cancel at any time! I think that's amazing because the price and contract I think is probably the most off putting thing ever. The gym we chose to go to was Pure Gym. I don' think I would ever think about going anywhere else. The atmosphere even before you go in, makes me think it's much chirpier and more accepting of all abilities than anywhere else I've looked in to. Like I watched videos of the owner or someone saying his aim was to make going to the gym affordable and enjoyable for everyone!

My main worries were not knowing what to expect. Were the people going to all be gym buffs/pros, would I be able to do it, would I be able to breathe when I struggle to breathe normally anyway! and how was it all set out etc.

So - after you sign up, the first payment by the way is your induction fee of £15 & your first monthly payment of £17.99 (£32.99) - you can then book your induction. It's dead easy to see on the App what times are available and you can even see who would carry your induction out as the member of staff varies on the days and times.

I was trying to research inductions but never got a detailed answer and each gym is probably different so I can at least let you know my experience at Pure Gym!

We chose a time after work (5.15pm) & the closer we got to that time, the more nervous I was getting because I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know if they made you go on the machines, how busy it would be or if they'd just roughly show you how to use the machines but not make you go on them.
The good thing about the App is that it shows you that each induction session has 8 places so you know it's going to be a group sesh. With 3 of us booking one session, as long as the number for that day and time remained on '5 spaces left', we knew it was just us 3! This happened so thankfully it was just the 3 of us on the induction which made me feel more comfortable.

We are choosing to go together to motivate each other. I would only go with selected people I felt comfortable around, I would never go with anyone who's a gym buff etc. That would get me in a huff and i'd leave lol.

You can download the App by the way before you sign up. On their website you have a profile of all the personal trainers and videos on what equipment they have and how to use it, along with tips for your goals. The only thing I wish you could do on it is track your progress. I know you can other other Apps for that, but it would be more worth while to have it on your gym App.

We turned up for our induction & there are 2 snazzy doors. You will need your pin number that is sent to you via email in order to enter the gym. There are 2 pin code machines either side of the doors where you enter your pin. When you enter it, the first door opens and you walk inside. There is only room for 1 person to enter at once. Once you are in, the door closes behind you and the door in front of you then opens. This is to stop people without memberships entering the gym which makes sense. If you're claustrophobic, you won't like this but you'll get used to it as it's only a few seconds you are basically trapped between the doors lol (the doors are clear). I only realised we would need our pin number because another girl at work goes to the same gym and she told us so we could be prepared.

Sooo we went in and no staff members were around. The first floor is basically a load of vending machines full of hand towels, locks & drinks etc. & at the end of the floor were where the weights are. If you ask me, they should be hidden away on the top floor because it's not the most pleasant smell when you first walk in lol. Anyway, we went upstairs to head towards the changing rooms. Changing rooms were directly off the gym floor. There are no corridors or anything, it's literally straight off the gym floor.

The changing rooms are very neat and clean. A really nice size, loads of lockers, 3 toilet cubicles, 2 hair dryers, 1 full length mirror and a few smart really nice looking showers. The lockers don't come with locks on, so if you wanted to lock your locker, you will need to take your own padlock.

We went back downstairs anyway to search for someone who was doing our induction. There was a lad waiting for us at a table. He checked our names, checked if we knew each other and explained where the fire exists were. He asked if we were interested in seeing the weights which we weren't, so we went straight upstairs and we walked straight to the part I don't like :( At the end of the room, they had the monkey bars, weights, kettle bells, medicine balls, ropes rar rar rar. All the scary looking stuff. I was constantly thinking 'get me out of here now' : / he quickly and quite roughly explained what everything was and how to use them and then asked if we wanted a go on anything. I instantly said no & wasn't budging at all. I thought 'none can make me do anything'. So that's a good thing girls, if you are really conscious on the gym equipment etc. remember, they won't force you to do anything you don't want to. It's your money and your time so don't feel pressured. But if you do want a go, well done for trying and if they don't ask you if you want a go, but you do - just ask them.

He did look at me a little gone out as if to say 'you really aren't joking are you?', then Gabrielle said to him 'you don't realise how good it is for her to be here' & Alice said 'she struggles to walk', I then added 'we aren't joking'. To which he then said 'fair enough'.

Next, he walked across to the cardio machines and said they were self explanatory. Ermmm, I don't think so sonny jim. Has he seen how many buttons are on them all?! He asked if there was anything we were interested in. Truth is, Alice & Gabrielle only did the induction to help me as they didn't really need one because they have been to the gym before. Although - I should point out, in the Ts&Cs, if you have an accident and you didn't do the induction, you can't do anything about it because it's your responsibility to find out how the machines work. I wanted to see the treadmill, cross trainer, stepper and rowing machine. I was very nervous really thinking it was going to be hard for me to breathe but he asked if I wanted to try them and I thought 'well i'm going to have to get on them at some point'. Although I might have preferred to wait unit he'd gone. But I asked if we could do it together which he didn't mind at all, so me, the instructor and Alice all went on a few machines together for under a minute to get used to it and that was that. He asked if there was anything else we wanted to see, explained about the opening times and where to find him should we need him and he disappeared. That was that over! I felt like i'd accomplished something - just getting through the dreaded induction lol. I know to anyone reading this that doesn't have anxiety issues will be thinking 'what are you on?!' but it's a BIG deal to me! As I'm sure it is to a lot of people too!

Gabrielle had to leave and me & Alice decided to stay for me to get used to the surroundings and a couple of machines. We chose the treadmill and just did a nice slowish walk for 15 minutes. I then internally calmed down a lot and realised it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We decided to leave after that and go for a proper session the week after.

Anyway - I'm sure the next lot of Gym Diaries won't be as long as this one! but keep an eye out for them if you are interested in the gym or need some gymspiration to keep going. I've had a few people say to  me that i've motivated them to go which is amazing! If I can go, most people should be able to. I won't say everyone because that's patronising if you have health issues. My signasus are too close together which makes it hard for me to breathe, but more recently i've felt it harder to breathe from my lungs too so i'm still a bit of a nightmare. I think that should improve when I go to the gym more but it's still at the front of my mind. I've found that the key thing is to ignore what you think other people might be thinking because the reality is, you could be sitting on your bum at home & the other people in there are focusing on what they are doing.

I'd recommend going with friends that you can 100% trust and know of anything you find hard and will fully support you if you are nervous. We are motivating each other and are aware of each others restrictions so we are all aware to stick together and make sure we are all ok :)

Our first gym session was very hard but good! I definitely pushed myself so look out for that post coming hopefully during the week! I will also write a post on 'What's in my gym bag'! I found this very exciting! Very motivating.

If you read all or most of that - well done!

If you have any more questions, deffo leave them below and I shall answer those. Feel free to email me questions or just to have a general chat at holliesownwonderland@hotmail.co.uk. & finally, if you have nothing nice to say, please don't say it. I'm just sharing my experiences and hoping to help others!

See you next time!