neilarmstrong
New member
As the title says… I’m ready for change… I know a lot of people get on here saying the same thing and never follow through with any of the advice given… I know this because for the past 5+ years I’ve been that guy… And I attribute that to mental health… Until recently, I’ve had pretty good mental health and a good self image; however, recently that has started to change more and more. In the past I didn’t really care what I looked like that much. Occasionally I would get down on myself come to a forum like this…. But at the end of the day it really wasn’t a big deal to me…. I’ve become much more self conscious about my body and its starting to take a bigger and bigger toll on my overall mental health and daily life.
For the past several years I’ve lived the “college life” which for me has meant my daily life hasn’t been lived with much purpose. I would go to class or work or whatever I had to do and the rest of my time would be spent just doing whatever… I was recently accepted into a physician assistant graduate program in another town and I really want to take this as an opportunity to really change a lot of things that I currently really don’t like about myself. And the biggest thing I don’t like is my physical appearance and the way others view me.
I’m 5’9 150lbs. So overall a relatively smaller dude. I never really was involved in sports growing up. My dad passed when I was in kindergarten. So the gym has never been a part of my life. I’ve had a PlanetFitness Membership for a while but every time I go I just get really anxious and self conscious and end up not really doing much with it. Today, I filled out an application for my city’s parks and rec department for personal training and waiting to hear back from them. They have a gym about 5 minutes from my house and on the way home from work so I’ve really got no reason not to go. Its also a senior center, which I think will be good for me as the main reason I don’t go is im scared of judgement form people around my age. I think spending my money on a PT instead of wasting it going out twice a week to the bars is a much better use of my money. Also, I have no idea where to start when I step into a gym. We’ve been blessed with technology and there are plenty of videos for me to use to learn, but every time I step in the gym I get so nervous that anything I try and study just leaves my brain.
I want to meet with the PT at least once (maybe twice a week depending on cost). In the past I’ve been advised to follow the FierceFive beginners routine. I really like this idea. In the gym M,W,F lifting. Then the other days I want to start exercising my dog more on walks/runs and other activities. I know that the personal trainer may have his/her own routine for me to follow. The real goal with the PT is to get me in a position where I am comfortable going to the gym alone and I can then start to do the things that I want to do there. I think having someone there to focus on other than myself or the people around me will help me to build this comfort and confidence.
As far as diet. In the past I just ate whatever I wanted. Ive never been a huge eater so most days I know Im not eating enough… and most of the time junk… I want to change this too… I know a big part of body composition is what you eat… Also eating junk is expensive. I spend a lot of money each month eating out which I would like to put those funds toward other things. From some research I’ve done im thinking about 2,500 calories a day (will adjust as needed once I start a workout routine and see the changes on the scale). Ive read to eat at least 1g of protein per lb of body weight so 150g protein a day and will increase this over time.
Here is a link to the fitness center if you care to check it out. Its small. Not much gym equipment. But honestly I really only want to use it as a stepping stone. I could lie and say I would go to Crunch Fitness but I know myself. At this time in my life I don’t feel comfortable in that kind of environment due to my poor self confidence and inexperience. That’s exactly the goal of this whole thing is to improve that.
https://www.tcpara.org/p/mcabee-activity-center
I’m open to any and all advice, criticism, tidbits, whatever youre willing to share I’m eager to hear!
If you got this far, thank you sincerely… I know we all live busy lives and so taking time to read all that means a lot to me!
Best,
Ryan
For the past several years I’ve lived the “college life” which for me has meant my daily life hasn’t been lived with much purpose. I would go to class or work or whatever I had to do and the rest of my time would be spent just doing whatever… I was recently accepted into a physician assistant graduate program in another town and I really want to take this as an opportunity to really change a lot of things that I currently really don’t like about myself. And the biggest thing I don’t like is my physical appearance and the way others view me.
I’m 5’9 150lbs. So overall a relatively smaller dude. I never really was involved in sports growing up. My dad passed when I was in kindergarten. So the gym has never been a part of my life. I’ve had a PlanetFitness Membership for a while but every time I go I just get really anxious and self conscious and end up not really doing much with it. Today, I filled out an application for my city’s parks and rec department for personal training and waiting to hear back from them. They have a gym about 5 minutes from my house and on the way home from work so I’ve really got no reason not to go. Its also a senior center, which I think will be good for me as the main reason I don’t go is im scared of judgement form people around my age. I think spending my money on a PT instead of wasting it going out twice a week to the bars is a much better use of my money. Also, I have no idea where to start when I step into a gym. We’ve been blessed with technology and there are plenty of videos for me to use to learn, but every time I step in the gym I get so nervous that anything I try and study just leaves my brain.
I want to meet with the PT at least once (maybe twice a week depending on cost). In the past I’ve been advised to follow the FierceFive beginners routine. I really like this idea. In the gym M,W,F lifting. Then the other days I want to start exercising my dog more on walks/runs and other activities. I know that the personal trainer may have his/her own routine for me to follow. The real goal with the PT is to get me in a position where I am comfortable going to the gym alone and I can then start to do the things that I want to do there. I think having someone there to focus on other than myself or the people around me will help me to build this comfort and confidence.
As far as diet. In the past I just ate whatever I wanted. Ive never been a huge eater so most days I know Im not eating enough… and most of the time junk… I want to change this too… I know a big part of body composition is what you eat… Also eating junk is expensive. I spend a lot of money each month eating out which I would like to put those funds toward other things. From some research I’ve done im thinking about 2,500 calories a day (will adjust as needed once I start a workout routine and see the changes on the scale). Ive read to eat at least 1g of protein per lb of body weight so 150g protein a day and will increase this over time.
Here is a link to the fitness center if you care to check it out. Its small. Not much gym equipment. But honestly I really only want to use it as a stepping stone. I could lie and say I would go to Crunch Fitness but I know myself. At this time in my life I don’t feel comfortable in that kind of environment due to my poor self confidence and inexperience. That’s exactly the goal of this whole thing is to improve that.
https://www.tcpara.org/p/mcabee-activity-center
I’m open to any and all advice, criticism, tidbits, whatever youre willing to share I’m eager to hear!
If you got this far, thank you sincerely… I know we all live busy lives and so taking time to read all that means a lot to me!
Best,
Ryan