Any tips for first-time gym-goers?

Most gyms will provide new members with some free tips from the trainers. Someone should be able to design a program for you both. He should show you the various machines, teach you how to start safely and how often to add weights (and how much).

If you can’t jog for more than 30 seconds, you need to start a treadmill walking program slowly and gradually. Try five minutes at 2.7 mph and see how you feel. The next time try 8 minutes at 2.8 mph, for example.

If you overdo initially in a fit of enthusiasm, you will become discouraged and be tempted to give it up. See what services your gym guys provide to avoid this. Their goal is to keep their members, not produce cripples, remember?

And do not compare and contrast yourself with anyone but yourself. There will always be someone younger, thinner, fitter, smarter, and more exhibitionistic out there.

Don’t get carried away and overdo your first visit—you’d become very sore and exhausted, and it would take you days to recover. By the time you feel well enough to return to the gym, you may have lost your determination and momentum. You really need to ease into an exercise regimen.

Be sure to stretch after (not before) your workout. Stretching makes you more limber and flexible, and it minimizes your post-workout aches. If you don’t know a good stretch routine, someone at the gym can help you.

Good luck! You sound very committed, and I’m wishing you much success.

@gailcalled and @SadieMartinPaul I may have been exaggerating with the whole 30-second thing. I can walk at 3.7 mph on a treadmill for 30 minutes, no problem. It’s just the jogging part that I hate. I’ve been using a treadmill and a stationary bike for awhile, so I’m not that much of a beginner with exercise, just with the jogging.

Thank you for the tips though. We get two free sessions with a trainer, so they’ll be teaching us how to use the machines and all that, but the cardio machines are pretty self-explanatory. I’ll see if an individualized work-out plan can be done by the trainer during the free session, but I’m pretty sure I’d have to pay extra for that.

The gym also offers classes, but I won’t be delving into that for a few weeks. I need to get my stamina up.

If you hate to jog, simply continue to walk fast. 3.7 mph is a pretty good clip. That’s a 16.2 minute mile.

Apparently jogging speeds are are 5mph to 10.9mph but at some point, it is called running (8kmh to 17.5kmh).

A trainer should be able to help you increase your jogging duration. If you can do 30”, then next time try 45”.

Your two free sessions with a trainer should be precisely to design your unique work-out plan. They know that one size does not fit all.

Go easy at first, give your bodies the chance to adjust to the new demands placed on them by regular exercise. And do not give up if positive effects don’t seem to kick in as quickly as you’d hoped. They will kick in, I guarantee.

Hats off to you for taking care of yourself. I’m trying to do the same thing myself.

Walk in, do 3–4 muscle building exercises for you upper body. Don’t kill yourself, just try to build some muscle in your upper body, shoulders, chest, underarms. Again, don’t kill yourself, but stimulating your upper body muscles while you are dieting will keep you from losing the muscle you have. You don’t want to end up weighing less, but having a higher fat percentage because your body picked muscle to lose over fat.

Then jump on the elliptical, or better yet, an Arc trainer. They burn ridiculously more calories than the treadmill, and don’t beat up your knees. Work your way up in your hour of exercise until you are doing it all on the Arc Trainer. You will burn 3x as much calories for the same workout. The first few days it will be a stretch, but walk over to the treadmill if you can’t make it the full ½ hour right away. Honestly, the treadmill seems harder to me now then the arc or the elliptical now that I am used to it.

If you have the time I recommend a book Body For Life. Ignore the supplements he’s trying to hock but concentrate on the workouts. It will give you structure.

I’ll reiterate a couple things that others have said. Someone should help you initially on the weight machines to make sure you are using them correctly. Many gyms not only will show you the machines, but also will do an evaluation of fat percentage and flexibility so you can see how you progress. Also, stretching after exercising is important to reduce or prevent muscle soreness the next day. The stretching has to be done immediately after whether it be aerobic exercise or weights. Stretching before can cause injury, unless you happen to be very limber. Make sure you are warm before you start any stretching or exercise in general.

Are there group classes like Zumba? Body fit? Yoga? Or, is the gym just machines and free weights?

Use the stairmasters and treadmills, and don’t forget to wipe down any machine before and after you use it.

It is worth it to pay a trainer for a few sessions. They can help you design a routine that’s good for you.

The biggest mistake I see people make is worrying too much about what others think. For example, if you can’t run on the treadmill, walk and do so at a level that you can maintain for at least 30 minutes. Build from there.

I see a lot of newbies crank up the settings only to quit 2–3 minutes later, exhausted.

Also, give everything a chance for a few weeks, but then overall I say stick with the things you love. I love Zumba, swimming, and water aerobics. I want to go to the gym, because I enjoy all of those things. If I had to go to the gym every week just to do weights and a treadmill I don’t think I would last too long. My husband is just the opposite, he likes cycling and weights.

What @JLeslie said. If you like what you’re doing, if it becomes a hobby rather than an obligation, you’re more likely to stick with it in the long run. Find out what you really like to do.

When I first started working out around three years ago, I was not doing anything right. It took me about half that time to finally find a routine that was right for me, and I did it by experience and a friend who knows a lot about exercise. So, I strongly suggest that you and your husband talk to someone who knows a good deal about working out before you do it if you have never worked out before. Form and EATING are very important and things I overlooked (I was trying to gain weight, but it still applies to you). I probably didn’t gain as much as I wanted to because I wasn’t fueling my body with energy (food). Oh, and you’re probably more mature than I am in the sense that you probably won’t start comparing yourself to others at the gym. It won’t bring you anything but a lack of faith. Trust me.