Step Away from the Cake and into the Gym! Gym-goers 2011/12

[LollipopViolet]

Thread for all those who attend a gym or are planning to start going. I've had so many threads on here, tried so many things, but I think I've finally found something that is going to help me lose the weight I need to.

I lift heavy things, then put them back down. I do this in a variety of ways and it helps me lose weight, or at least have more muscle than fat.

I'm keeping the diet simple, moderation, and trying to eat less carbs than normal.

Only just started this regime but when I did low carb a few weeks back, I lost 2lbs in a week with no gym membership!

I have quite a soppy goal too: I'd like to have made enough progress by Valentines Day to wear a dress, should me and my boyfriend do something together :) BF, incidentally, thinks I'm lovely as I am :) but at 5 foot 2 and 12 stone 7, something has to change in my book! :)

I will be back at the gym tomorrow morning and am looking forward to it.
I have been going seriously since July and love it.....can do so much now and get a real sense of achievement. I've lost 10 lbs and have dropped 2 dress sizes......don't want to lose any more, just keep toning up.

I'm going back on Wednesday (am pressed for time tomorrow as I'm off out with friends - going to an ice hockey game, my absolute favourite thing in the world and a weekly occurance during the season). Fancy doing a class as well as a workout (have done before so know I can handle it).

Got a choice between Body Pump (done before at a previous gym and enjoyed) or Legs, Bums and Tums (never done it, but sounds fun). Hmm, depends if I want to be in the gym for 10am, or 3pm :)

Well I did both classes yesterday. Body Pump didn't leave me a quivering heap in the corner of the room so I gave Legs, Bums and Tums a go. That was hard.

Today, I ache like crazy, but I've lost all the weight I put on during my Christmas job, and HAVEN'T PUT ANY ON OVER CHRISTMAS!!!!

If anything, I've lost a little bit more! Roll on next gym session, probably tomorrow :)

Checking in after Lollipop alerted me to this thread in a thread on Chat. I need serious motivation. I have 6/7 stone to lose (conservative estimate) and slightly dodgy knees. THey are cleared for all low impact and some higher impact stuff though. I plan to use the NHS couch to 5k podcasts (free from iTunes) to help me get going - on a treadmill if my knees will take it and using the exercise intervals on a bike if not. Nowhere really suitable to run outside as I live in a very rural location and lanes are dangerous at night (traffic, not people!). I plan to do some weights too to strengthen knee joints and build/tone muscle mass.
Help!

Hi cardi,

Do you have access to a personal trainer? Most have some sort of anatomy and physiology component to their qualifications and are very good for recommending strength exercises to help or protect various body parts. My friend had a program done as he has back problems from an injury and there are certain things he can't do. That would be your best bet. Treadmill might be OK, if not the bike is a great substitute, you can even alternate them on good/bad days.

I'm loving going to my gym at the moment, I've got 2 friends who go, which helps with motivation, and the staff and instructors are lovely. The hardest thing I find is diet.

Example: to get from my gym to the bus stop I need to use to get home, I pass no less than 2 chip shops, and a pie shop. After a workout, that's the kind of foods I crave. It's a serious test of self discipline! That said, I do still treat myself, just not as much as I used to.

Unfortunately this thread hasn't taken off yet, but I'll happily talk fitness and gym stuff with anyone :)

It's a very small Local Authority gym, Lollipop, but has the advantage of actually being on site where I work so I can go at the end of work without that tricky 'I've-had-a-cup-of-tea-and-want-to-stay-on-the-sofa' moment. No real personal trainers, but the staff are lovely.

Ah, I see. Good that it has nice staff though, I find that's one of the things that helps me go. As does being about 10 minutes bus ride away, whereas the gym I used to go to was a trip into town (30 minutes) and then a 2nd, ten minute bus ride.

I'd like to go swimming/sauna regularly to some place nice - mmmm.... :) This could be in place of my tennis training, which I have stopped until March. I bet all gyms are crowded in January though, - following New Year's resolutions

I am doing jiu jitsu as well, once a week at the moment, but could really do more than that, as my progress is so so slow.

I have started a dieting thread at - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/1370307-Come-diet-with-me - wanna join us? :)

Welcome Glenshee, hope you find the thread useful :)

I've finally stopped aching from the Body Pump and Toning classes I did on Wednesday! Next session will probably be Tuesday now :)

Think I'll do Saturday weigh ins on here, so that I can enjoy the weekends and burn anything off during the week! :) To be fair, I'm going for a couple of drinks this afternoon and that's it for socializing for a while :)

Suppose I'd better post a figure then lol!

Today's weight: 81.8kgs. Getting there, slowly :) Last week I weighed 82.2kgs.

Well done lollipop. However, I dream of weighing less than 90 kilos!

You'll get the cardi, I just like posting updates on mine as then I've got a record of how I'm doing :) Pure personal choice as to whether you do :)

Following advice above, I googled personal trainers. I live in the back of beyond, so there are none very close. I have emailed one! Lets hope this will help me make some major changes.

Right, I've been to the trainer. It was really good. She is very straight talking but nice with it. She took me through some resistance training and explained how/why the exercises would work. She has asked me to go for a walk every day and discussed how to get into the mind set where exercise is just something you do, like your job, because it has to be done. I'm feeling very positive.

That's great cardi!

I've had a bit of a mixed week. Was planning on the gym yesterday, thought I had the start of a cold, and I'm going away for the weekend so decided against it. Played it safe again today as well. Might go tomorrow if it stays as it is, which is just the odd runny nose and cough.

But, I went bowling with my boyfriend, which was sort of a workout, on Tuesday, and I've been watching what I eat. I was just talking with my grandparents and they were saying how certain outfits I have make me look slimmer. My granddad then said, "Well, I think all your clothes are starting to look different now, you look slimmer to me."

Woohoo! It's working, and it's more motivation to keep it up. Might go and get my weights out and do some strength work at home since I don't want to risk the gym today.

Hi can I join you. I have been a regulare gym goer for a year & 1/2. Missed out going in December due to illness & "can't be bothereditis"

Started back again this week & already feel happier - got to love those exercise endorphines.
I find I go more regularly if I book my self in for classes &/or write in my diary (in advance) the days that I am going.
good luck all x

Well, I'm back in the gym tomorrow after a weekend away - which wasn't good for the diet but I'm not giving up. I WILL look nice one day! :)

Im going to the gym twice a week and also doing 2 aerobic classes. Hopingthis will make a difference to my weight/body this year!

One thing I never thought would happen, but has, is I actually miss the gym. Not been able to go due to family stuff and feeling under the weather, and I really have missed it.

Probably because my gym is lovely and new and has a nice atmosphere :)

I plan to go to the gym after work tomorrow, then to Personal Trainer on Wednesday and gym again on Thursday. And I'm walking fro 20 mins every lunch time.

I'm just waiting to hear from my friends as to whether they're going later tonight, if not, then I'll go tomorrow and Friday. If they are, then I'll go tonight, tomorrow and Friday :) But I'm going, that's a fact :)

I'm booked up for this week.
Tues - 45 min spin class
Wed - 45 min spin class
Thur - 1 hour Box fit class
Frid - 45 min Zumba class followed by 45 min Pilates!
Weekend - some weightlifting

I'm going to the gym today at about 6, and I'm just having a look at classes tomorrow to see what I fancy doing. There's a step aerobics class at 10 for 45 minutes, then a 45 minute Swiss Ball class at 11. I have no idea what the 2nd one is but it sounds interesting, so might do both of those tomorrow if I feel up to it :)

I forgot my trainers today so couldn't go to gym after work. I was properly gutted ! Moaned to a colleague , though, and we went for a very brisk half hour walk on top of the 20 mins we had done at lunch time, so that's better than nothing. Glad I wore sensible shoes to work today!

Well, I went with my friends last night, had a good session, pushed myself to do more cardio than I normally do (hate it, find it boring) but KNEW I could easily do the same amount of time as them, so I did, just did it at my own intensity :) Did my weights too, which was harder than normal as they've moved the bars and plates I normally use, couldn't find them so had to do dumbbells instead.

Going today was never going to happen! I ache too much to even contemplate lifting anything remotely heavy! Planning to go on Friday, although there are no classes I fancy so will just do what I did last night. Need to up my weights on some exercises, they were too easy yesterday :)