I wish I could get past myself...

I wish I could get past myself and go to the gym. I use to love working out. Now I am so uncomfortable there. I just wish I could get over myself and get back to the gym on a regular basis. I even downloaded new songs to get me going to the gym....I walked in felt intimidated, took a pool schedule and left.

You took that first step.  Part of getting past ourselves is being kind to ourselves.  How about you take that good music and talk a short walk, just to get some vitamin D (sunshine) and try again tomorrow.  

Gyms can be such meat markets, so I understand your reserve here.  There are so many ways to be active, though, that do NOT involve a gym.  I've managed to lose all of my weight and keep it off without stepping one foot in any gym, in fact.  I hate working out.  Organized exercise bores the heck out of me.   If you live in a warm climate, do some outside activities.   If it's cold where you live, mall-walking is a great start, and combines with holiday shopping, too.  Get creative and think "be active" - "LIVE ACTIVE".  It's much more fun than working out, anyway.

BARBIE-I totally agree with CAROL and VALERIE-and my "approach" to exercise pretty much mimics VALERIE's..

However...when I DID go to the gym regularly, one thing I honestly noted-NOBODY was paying any attention to ME, except ME..they were all either taking glory in their own perfect bodies, or were as intimidated and scared to death as I was..

If you think a gym is the place for you, just GO ! A good place to start mighr be in the back row of a zumba or jazzercise class, where you will meet other "back row peeps", and perhaps meet a work out buddy or two-and absolute MUST in my "gym world"..

Best of luck and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep us updated. I have never gotten to the stage of LOVING exercise, and need all the new ideas/encouragements I can get. BUT-I can tell you-it is NEVER too late-I am 55 and have done numerous 5Ks, 10Ks and have completed 3 half-marathons on the past 3 yrs (I sure didn't come in 1st-but I wasn't last either..lol)

You can do this !!!

It is cold here...I bought a gym membership that is conjunction with a hospital so it is less of the meet market and more people like me or people worse off than me..meaning they have real physical challenges like missing limbs, or back problems that far out weigh my sciatica. I am planning on doing water zumba in the morning classes when the people I might know are at work..but I still will have to make myself get there...and get into the dreaded bathing suit...provided it still fits. Thanks for the kind words. I kinda just pulled my head out of my own butt (lol) and am trying to get back on track in everyway so I will be here often looking for kind words of advise.