First off, nobody will be looking at you or judging you!
It’s a gym, so there will always be the beginners and the seasoned members.
If you ever find someone watching you:
- The number 1 reason will be that they want to use that machine after you. So they will keep an eye out for when you finish in the hopes no one else beats them to it.
- You’ve just come into their line of sight/focal point,
- They’re just zoned out and don’t realise they’re starring. You will be doing that yourself in time.
- They’re watching to learn something new from you.
- They want to know how to use the equipment you are using. We all do that, watching how someone else is using a certain machine or piece of equipment or how they’re doing a certain exercise.
A lot of newbies will watch others, just as I did, just as you will too, it’s how we learn, nothing wrong in that. - They’re certainly not looking to judge. They are all just too focused on what they are doing and reaching their targets. Pacing about between sets with their headphones on and looking down at their phones.
I do that. During my minutes break between sets, I just try to complete one of my brain training puzzles.
Members are always polite and friendly, helpful if you ask for help.
The best times to go to the gym are between 10am to 4pm, the off peak times when it’s quietest. Most people are at work or uni etc. And during school/summer holidays it does get busier for a time. So the only ones there are the over 50s and shift/night workers. And many will be there for their own health reasons such as stroke, hip replacements, recovering heart conditions, etc, there is no room for criticism or judging in a gym.
Music can be too loud in some gyms, so if you have hearing sensitivity issues, then noise cancelling ear plugs would be a must.
I tend to use headphones to listen to my own workout music. This cancels out the noise of the gym music for me.
For anyone who wears both glasses and hearing aids, as I have to. Headphones can be worn quiet comfortably for 2hrs max for me. After that the shell of my ears start to hurt a little being squished against all that bulk.
What to wear in the gym
There is no fashion protocol full stop!
It’s whatever you feel most comfortable in that has some stretch in it so its non restrictive. I tend to just wear t-shirts and plain black leggings. I also carry ID, repeat prescription form/lists all meds and glucose tabs just in case.
- T-shirt
- Hoody/cardigan/fleece if cold
- Tracksuit bottoms, leggings, shorts, yoga pants, soft loose fitting trousers with stretch in them.
- Trainers/none slips comfy shoes.
- A water bottle and a small hand towel are your absolute basics. While a snack, gym gloves to help with grip, lifting straps, weight-lifting belts, joint supports and a gym bag to carry everything in can take your workout to another level.
- Lock and key for lockers. The 2 gyms I frequent have lockers to stash anything you don’t want to tote around with you. But you tend to have supply your own lock and for them, some gyms provide them, other’s don’t. So that’s something to check out.
- If you haven’t got a secure enough pocket to store the key, then a safety pin is handy to pin the key to your t-shirt or wherever.
- I wear a bumbag/waistbag to hold my credit card, locker key and phone. If it’s ever in my way I can push it behind me or place on the floor depending on what I’m doing.
Now the only question is, when and where you begin, the seventeenth step is sixteen steps away. You don’t have to know how to do it, or what it is, or even when it is. Because the first number is always 1.
And in this case the first step upon joining the gym is Health Requirements and Gym Inductions, personal trainer or not. That will all be settled upon signup with the gym staff.
The induction will be done by a member of staff to show you around the gym, what facilities and classes are available and they will demonstrate how to use the machines and equipment.
- You won’t take everything in and you will forget how to use equipment, everyone does! Just find and ask a member of staff any time, it’s what they are there for. You can also ask other members near by, but wait until stopped whatever they are doing.
How long should I workout for.
That’s personal and can be anything from 30 minutes to 2hrs+. Likewise how often you go to the gym.
When I first began 3yrs ago I did 5 days a week but I barely managed three quarters of an hour workout.
I did 5-8 repetitions per set depending on how hard the machine/exercise was for me. And one set was more than enough…with long rest periods between.
Now I spend 2hrs in the gym, because I work slow and steady. And if I didn’t have my daughter with me I’d forget to go home.
Warm up is 10mins on the rowing machine.
Then allot half the time to working on upper body and half on lower body.
A few stretches at the end and finish off on the treadmill or cross skier for 10mins.
I tend to work to 3 sets of 10 reps now on each machine or piece of equipment I use. And still take a 1 minute rest between each set of 10.
There are lots of guides on the internet for beginners and if you key in a search such as “just joined a gym over 50” for instance, you’ll be spoilt for choice.
Why I turned to the gym for my rehabilitation.
Yes, I could walk again…after a fashion! Great exercise walking, builds strength in your legs, even helps lose weight. And 3 years ago I could walk 4 miles in an hour. Now I do 6 miles in 3hrs.
But I still had issues with balance and arm and leg weakness.
And, I can’t walk on my hands or any other part of my upper body.
I still needed to build up strength in my stroke arm, and what I used at home was no longer enough. It involves more than just that one arm to build strength back into it. It means building up strength in the shoulder and back too. And it needs to be balanced with the good side of the body.
I also needed to improve my balance and coordination, which also requires upper and lower body strength. I was close to zero in strength after my stroke, mainly due to lack of mobility in that first year post stroke.
So, with poor balance and coordination, I needed a safe and very stable way of doing resistance training without the risk of falls or injury. And the gym has seated weight machines and a whole variety of other equipment I could try out and rule in or out for my needs. There’s nothing worse than wasting money on something you never use. And I don’t have the money or space required for things like static bikes, rowing machines or numerous free weights.
The other reason for using a gym was my aphasia. Putting myself out there was forcing me to use my voice more. And it helped build my self confidence, self esteem as well my independence. I may be quiet, an introvert, but I don’t allow that to hold me back, or prevent how far I want to go in my recovery. The only one who’d suffer is myself; why settle for less when you can have so much more. It’s all up to you!
I forgot to mention pricing.
Pricing varies so much from gym to gym. It can be anything from £4 a day during off peak times, to £20+ a month. It all depends on the size of the gym and what they’ve got to offer by way of facilities, equipment, activities, classes, number of people they can accommodate, etc, etc.
One gym I go to, I pay the standard price of £21.99 a month. The Gym Group is open 24hrs a day, so I’m not time restricted.
The off peak rate is just £14.99 a month but you can only use the gym between 12:00 am and 04:30 pm, weekends it is 12:00 am - 12:00 am 
Those sort of times just wouldn’t work for me, too restrictive 
The other gym I use, Nuffield Health Bolton Fitness and Wellbeing Gym, it’s £48 a month for off peak: Mon-Fri: 06:30-16:00 (last entry), Weekends: 14:00-20:00. They have better off peak times and have greater facilities, like swimming, spa/sauna, cafe, etc.
I don’t pay that as I only use this gym one day a week through Age UK so it is subsidised by them. We do one three quarter hour Body Balance class with them and then have the run of the gym’s facilities for the rest of the day as a perk 
It’s more a matter of finding the best deal to suit you and your pocket 
Onwards and Upwards 
Lorraine
If anyone has any questions, or anything I might have missed out, I’d happy to answer if I can
. I’ve never felt confident enough to attend a gym but you make it sound achievable.
It’s also a good place to meet new people, make new friends, to replace the old ones who don’t want to know you since your stroke, with new people who accept who you are now. Because they never knew who you were before, they have no pre stroke data to judge you by, you are just you! And that is a priceless boost for confidence 