Gym stuff (am three decades out of date)

[BelgianBeers]

So last went to the gym erm maybe thirty years ago. Back then I was young and fit and am now post fifty, three stone over weight and a slow jog kills me.

I have joined a city centre Pure Gym which is next to student central and appears to be mainly frequented by tiny girls in tiny shorts and men in vests with big arms and tats. I have leggings my phone fits in but what do I wear on top? Any suggestions for those of us whose belly is bigger than we like to admit.

What else do I need to know? Am starting next week - how do I make this change stick?!?

Don't write off the other people in a gym. I'm a powerlifter, there's people of all ages involved, one of the things I love is the support young people show. The young people you are describing might be your biggest cheerleaders if you let them.

It’s lovely to hear from people who have made this change and stuck with it. I do agree about the gym bunnies but I do expect that I will find some support too. In fact a teen friend of my son is coming along one Saturday to give me free weight tips - he does lifting too and loves the community feel to it.

I do a lot of yoga.
We had some new people in a power flow class - it was their second ever lesson.
They could do about 1/10 of it, but they kept at it and were smiling at the end.
Three weeks later the improvement THEY have noticed is wonderful to see.
And its wonderful for us to see their progress.

Baggy black T-shirt.

I wear a black T-shirt and black joggers.

I also go to a pure gym. If you go at 5 am you miss all this bullshit and no one cares what you look like because we all look shit too 😂

Jesus you need heavy music pumping in your ears. Not their bullshit that's quiet.

I hate knowing people can hear my heavy breathing because they don't have headphones.

I listen to audiobooks mostly. Something exciting enough can make me forget about what my body’s doing.

Another vote for M&S Goodmove. Their things seem very practical and not designed to show off a perfectly sculpted body, and I can never see sweaty back or bum marks when I take them off. I wear leggings and loose t-shirts, in that clever wicking polyester stuff that keeps you cool.

I always listen to my own music, loud.

@EmpressaurusDeiGatti I've often thought about watching a series or similar but I think I'd forget where I was and be moving like a snail. I have a cardio playlist and it reallly helps.

Comfy knickers. I’m not bothered about vpl personally - adult woman wears underwear, what a shocker.
But you need ones that won’t end up bunching up when you’re moving around. Nothing worse than trying to disentangle yourself when there’s mirrors everywhere 🤣

I like free weights so watching something wouldn’t be practical - I can see how a cardio playlist would be good though!

Hi OP,

Would agree to just wear clothes you feel comfortable in - also, people at the gym are far too interested in their own workout to notice other people.

I love that your son's friend is coming to give you tips. When I started at the gym, I found that to break me in, the cross trainer and bike were good. Also the row and ski machines.

After that, maybe look at some YouTube vidoes of Caroline Girvan as ultimately weights are the most important thing. If they have some classes at the gym, once broken in, join those. So many of the ripped, godlike looking instructors are terribly nice and helpful and support everyone.

I’ve got some workout t shirts from next that are sort of sheer. In my PureGym I run on the treadmill in just my bra and leggings as it’s so bloody hot!

Gymshark training tops are great

@EmpressaurusDeiGatti I have a weights playlist too 😂 sia unstoppable is very good for the last set 😂

Most important thing you can invest in is a good sports bra. It will massively reduce your self consciousness knowing the girls are protected and not jiggling around doing their own work out. I use knockerlocker.co.uk, they have some great advice on suitability and their sizing recommendations are usually spot on. I use the Enell sports bra- great coverage front and back, front fastening and amazing support. https://knockerlocker.co.uk/product/enell-sports-bra/ pricy but cheaper than a gym membership you won't use :-) good luck!

Thanks for the tips. I have spent a while browsing gym tops and did buy some - can’t remember which now but it made sense at the time…

I do agree about the sports bra but even with my extra weight won’t fit in one of those fancy ones -my old one is an A and the one I need a B. I know everyone is in the wrong size and is a 28E rather than a 38 or 40B - that is everyone except me who has the back of an all in wrestler, the shoulders of an 80s power suit and not much boobage really. I mean huge for me at the mo but erm still not a C🤦‍♀️😂. I just wear those crop tops things as unless I run don’t need much more.

I can’t start until next weekend so will update you all with my horror of the unfit reality - hopefully by Christmas I will be doing better then by Easter I could feel quite fit and by Summer could be zipping around.

Watching - and living vicariously through you. My local Council Leisure Centre took my favourite dance class off the timetable about a year ago and I've just not been back since. I'm now tempted to join a local GymGroup instead so looking forward to hearing how you get on.

I will def update you but not about a dance class. I live a drunken boogie but could no more follow steps and moves than I could speak Chinese!

I tried that once … very hard indeed!

I did some yoga today in a kind of let’s break a sweat at home first and I think this is going to be a painful business! The yoga goddess was all “or maybe you can only get to there” but quite frankly she was setting her modifications way beyond me😂.

My t shirt came and I over estimated my size to such an extent that I could have fitted a few of me in it so that will have to go back.

Roll on the weekend

Yoga is actually really hard! It looks all peaceful and relaxing but it's very much not!

It does get easier - slowly - but it took me over a year to be able to sit cross legged without sitting on a block!

Is there any chance of you finding a local in-person yoga class, even just to start off with? An actual teacher would be a lot more help at the beginning. Maybe ask on local Facebook groups, that sort of thing.

yoga is hard and I think naturally I am quite strong and not that bendy. Age is not helping the bendy bit. They do classes at the gym … will let you know how it goes. I feel like I need an instructor and a cranking into shape machine!

I love wearing trackie bottoms and a massive t shirt to the gym, no one really gives a shit and it's comfy. I've done the tight leggings etc and it's just unnecessarily uncomfortable unless you want to flex which is fine of course but I'm not in a flex position at the moment.

I do get waaay more bendy when I do yoga for a while though. I go through phases, and I'm in an "out the habit" phase currently. But within a few weeks of going the bendiness improves enormously.