Are you scared of your Gym?

During a recent polling of my friends, I learned a few things about what makes us (women) so afraid of using the weights at our gym.  The answers that I got from them intrigued me, and made me realize that most women have the same fears when it comes to walking into the gym and walking PAST the treadmills.  Sure, we all have done it; walk into the gym, walk straight to the elliptical or the treadmill and start our daily cardio.  But, what if, we just kept walking and (gasp) went straight to the free weights.  I can see some of you cringing now! The main reason most women stay away from the free weights (according to my poll) was that

• Not sure what to do once over there
• They don’t know how many calories they burn while lifting weights
• The men stare at them
• Not sure how to use the equipment

Well, I am going to break it down for you short and sweet.  I will come back to number one at the end of the article.  As for number two, unless you have a heart rate monitor; you will not know how many calories you burn whether on the treadmill, elliptical or any cardio machine.  The machines only estimate what an average person (who knows what that is) will burn.  So most likely you are over-calculating your calories leading to a plateau or a decline in weight loss. In addition, men will stare at you whether you are in the gym, in the supermarket, or walking down the street.  However, at the gym, I have found that most men are really focusing on their workouts and are less likely to bother you if you are actually working out.  The ones that I encounter daily are actually very helpful when needing weights changed on machines and when I am alone and need a spot. Finally, I suggest signing up for the free initial personal training session that most gyms offer.  There are no stipulations that you must sign up for the paid training, but it will give you a chance to ask questions about equipment and generally they will give you a tour of your facility and a brief introduction on how to use each machine.  You can also stay tuned for my future posts on easy beginner free weight workouts that you can do at the gym or at home!       Image from: http://www.fitness19.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/NY217-Free-Weight-b.jpg