#but the uni doesn't even have enough staff to do things required to keep the uni running smoothly. so checking if students need to change

[bowithoutadaemon]

... I think I'm gonna drop my Friday courses.

I know I want to do a graded presentation in one course. And a paper in another.

One of my weekly Friday courses got changed into a "one week long, 6 hours a day, (same time and day as the course I picked that was advertised as this but also has weekly online things going on,) surely you'll remember things for live if you hear them for once week?" course. Another of my Friday courses got turned into"not weekly but every second or third Friday, missed the first day? Sorry you already missed like 20% of the course and I'm not uploading shit so fuck you students!" course. So I kinda wanna drop both of them. Because fucking hell, no thank you.

And the remaining Friday course starts at 8am. .... which is too early... and I don't wanna go

[talk-shit-get-fit]

Hei! Your blog is fun and you seem pretty cool, so I was wondering whether you'd have any advice for a gym newbie? Just finished weeks of physical therapy & got the advice to start working out more so my back doesn't get bad again (esp when uni starts again & i'll be back to sitting around for like 8h/day). I don't know much about gym atmosphere (i just know *those* people, who go to the gym) but being a short chubby (mostly? passing) trans guy doesn't exactly make me v/ confident. All the best!

Finally getting to this. Again sorry for lateness, was sick all last week. Anyway, fun? pretty cool? Debatable but I’ll accept it. Thanks. Ooh, newbie advice. I’ll try to reblog all the for beginners stuff i have on blog after i post this. 

Hooray for completing PT. I had to go through a couple months of it after a long hospital stay when i was younger. Hope back stays all good. May reblog posture posts too.

So, similarly I knew nothing about gym atmosphere when I started, like 3 or so years back. Most fitness I ever did was the occasional run every month or so. For the most part, i relied on being naturally slim and young metabolism to offset all the junk food i ate.

I’ll offer as much advice as I can but don’t take my word as gospel. Ultimately, find what works best for you and what you enjoy. Its the best way to ensure you stick to it.

ADVICE-ish: 

So one, a gym is not required. Fitness can be done near anywhere and easily without equipment as long you have a comfortable space around you. 

however, if you do go to a gym or similar place(I go to the YMCA) feel free to call them up and request a tour. Staff should gladly show you what is available at their facilities and in the case of the Y will give you a 7 day free trial pass. Not sure if other places offer it, but never hurts to ask.

Also ask if they happen to know the gym off-peak hours, these are the times when it tends to be less crowded and i’ve found the times i find the most variety of people working out. Ages, body shapes, and workout intensities of all types. Off-peak hours can also allow you enough time to be able to try out many machines /get used to the space without the pressure of worrying your getting in people’s way. 

Even if you do come across “those” kinds of gym people they rarely are paying attention to anyone. Some body builders workout near me when im there and they are way more invested in their workout than what i or the elderly or less experienced members are doing. 

Sometimes, you may catch them staring or they’ll unsolicited advice. Feel free to ignore it and instead ask the staff for insight. That is literally their job, along with assisting or spotting whenever it is needed. Whether you intend to lift weights or not, DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK THE STAFF FOR HELP.

Going to use Terry Crews words since he put it so well: “It has to feel good. I tell people this a lot - go to the gym, and just sit there, and read a magazine, and then go home. And do this every day. Go to the gym, don’t even work out. Just GO. Because the habit of going to the gym is more important than the work out. Because it doesn’t matter what you do. You can have fun — but as long as you’re having fun, you continue to do it.“  

Another thing to etch into your mind is comparison is a killer. One of my yoga teachers had a mantra she always recited before starting class. “No competition, no comparison. Our practice takes place on our own individual mats.”

Although she spoke about yoga, it applies to whatever exercise you partake in. Just because person next to you can run longer, it does not diminish what effort you put in. To use my own example, because of how my body is naturally slim my arms, no matter how hard i train them will never look like some of the other gym people. Their body is not mine, mine is not theirs. Where we started from was not the same, our goals may not be the same, but we each put in effort and that is what matters most. 

Sidenote, despite some members having more showy muscles than me, it is not uncommon for me to be able to outlift them either in terms of weight or endurance. but again people get built different.

Whatever type of exercise you do land on make sure its ones you enjoy. Like i hate burpees. They have many benefits, are great exercise, and i hate them. When i did put them into my routine, i had to drag myself to do each one, like most people. but i wasn’t enjoying it overall. Hence they were banished to the land of wind and ghost for me. To be replaced with something i liked doing and was a good exercise. 

Hell, I didn’t start lifting until like a good year into joining a gym. At first i just stood in the corner of the gym and did bodyweight exercises while listening to TED Talks. Figured those exercises are simple enough, require no equipment typically, and bonus i got them from Darebee. 

You may have seen me post them around here, if not just search my blog or tumblr for the tag and you’ll see them. They are super cool, free as hell, nerdy as fuck. The website also includes some long term programs, up to 90 days and even nutrition advice all still free. Plus their apps have no ads and again FREE. the whole thing is just donation based and i have to plug them whenever i get the chance. Were it not for their Hero’s Journey program i wouldn’t have gotten in the habit of regular exercise, i missed about 6 days in total but meh. I’m sure whatever media you are fan of they’ll have some exercise routine to go along with it.

Don’t be afraid to experiment or change up routine until you find something you love and fits in with your schedule and goals. Although there is great value in having a set routine that you can easily follow, don’t be beholden to it strictly. Whether that means not doing something when a part of your body isn’t feeling it, reorganizing whole routine(something i do on occasion), or adjusting an exercise to better fit you.

To use burpees example again, they typically call for jumping up high during the exercise. However, i’ve seen plenty modify it so to be easier on their knees and instead reach up high without jumping so as to be better on their knees. 

For sure listen to your body, know that you should never feel pain when exercising(if you do, stop and reassess what you’re doing or skip exercise if needed). Form is way more important than you think, feel free to look up tutorials about any exercise on youtube to correct your form but keep in mind their body is not yours so adjust if you must. 

Look honestly I could go on for a while about possible advice, so feel free to message or send ask again with any specific and i’ll do my best to answer. Just know that I’m not a professional and just giving whatever advice i can.