Most gyms should have a staff member on duty who can teach you about the machines. While they are not going to tell you how many exercises to do or what weights to use, they will show you how to work any and all equipment. The rest depends on you personally to learn how much weight you can lift, push, etc.

The exercise machines today are much easier to use than the ones I remember from years ago. However, they are not as easily recognizable as to their function. I first went in and tried to locate a rowing machine. I could not. Most of the machines looked broken in fact because they are at such odd angles. However, for the most part they are labeled. Their labels include the name of the machine, the names of the specific muscles worked by that machine, and a color-coded body chart with the muscle groups colored in, just in case you don’t know where for example your trapezoid muscle is.

I eventually made an appointment with the staff for a tour of the gym. Make sure you ask anything you need to. It is better to ask an expert than hurt yourself on a machine later because you did not understand and were too afraid to ask. For example, although he showed me how to adjust the machines, I made sure I could adjust the machines so I could actually reach the arm weights, etc. I was doubtful I could, but he showed me everything, even how to best sit down on some of the machines. I was really appreciative to have a guide. Our gym happens to have Nautilus brand weight machines. These have red dots, plastic or stickers, which you are supposed to line the working muscle group up to match. So the machines even have color-coded guides to help you know you’re using it right.

With all the guidance to exploring the gym, I now feel much more comfortable with going and using the machines. I’m also pretty annoyed that I let my lack of knowledge keep me from this resource for so long. Please don’t be stubborn like me -get to know your local gym!

It was odd being the only girl in that section, but really most guys seemed to approve when a girl, any girl, tried to use the machines. Everyone was courteous and focusing on themselves. One different thing about weights, there is some downtime in the gym. Between sets of exercises people just take a break and rest. Be prepared, they are not trying to stare or be rude, just trying to give their muscles a rest. I hope my venturing into a gym helps someone who hasn’t been to a gym feel more comfortable about the experience. I’m really glad I finally went and I am really enjoying using the different machines.

After one phone call when she hung up the phone I heard her get up from her desk and walk away. A few minutes later she came back, and I heard something hit her desk. It was a familiar sound. So I talked over the wall and asked her if she was a little stressed. She laughed a little and asked how I could tell. I said “I heard the bag of M&Ms hit your desk”

She laughed at my statement about the fact that I knew what M&Ms hitting the desk sounded like. She told me a lot that was going on and then we both continued on our day.

I started thinking about the M&Ms and why I recognized that sound. That was easy… because I had heard it so many times before. I am a stress eater, a happy eater, a boredom eater, a sad eater, you name the emotion and it is an excuse for me to eat. At work it’s usually a stress eater thing and my choice from the vending machine was usually a bag of M&Ms. Plain M&Ms and peanut M&Ms have a slightly different sound when they are tossed on the desk. But I know the sound of both.

Thankfully, thanks to the Biggest Loser Summer Online Challenge I was participating in, I haven’t heard that sound for a while on my desk. I’ve realized that I need to recognize the reasons I eat and not eat in reaction to something else. I needed to learn to eat to live and not live to eat. I needed to learn what triggered me to want to eat (for me it was very seldom hunger).

When I was stressed, or sad, or angry or bored I would try to use food to take care of those things instead of dealing with them in a constructive way. Food did not take care of those things ‘cause unfortunately when I was done eating those M&Ms, ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, macaroni and cheese (all my so-called comfort foods) etc the issue that I was having before is still there and now I feel miserable cause I ate things in a manner I shouldn’t have.

I know that emotional eating is probably always going to be a struggle for me. Even though I am becoming aware of some of the emotional eating I do. I realized sometimes, because I have done this so long, I automatically fall into the old habits. Over the weekend I was stressed over something and my “knee jerk” response was to go to the pantry closet and look for something to eat. Fortunately for me, we have rid our house of any comfort type foods. So I would have to choose something “healthy”. Although I think that when you eat when you are not really hungry even that food is not as healthy cause I would probably eat too much of it or I am eating it when I’m not really hungry.

Even though healthy food is a better choice than unhealthy food…. The “better” choice would have been no food at all.

So when you want to eat, make note of why you are eating… are you actually hungry or are you stressed, angry, bored etc?
I think it is important for us all in this weight loss journey to learn to eat to live and not live to eat. That’s what I am going to try live by, how about you?

Additionally, stretching is a necessary part of a complete workout. You should stretch immediately before and after a workout. It prepares your muscles for an intense workout, it prevents injury and soreness, it increases your range of motion and it just feels good. If your planned workout is using muscle groups not regularly used, stretching again later on after your workout becomes even more important to reduce soreness and stiffness that can be painful.

Stretching should be done in a stress-free environment. It should be enjoyable, relaxing and never hurried. There are many stretching exercises, which would be valuable to explore in more detail in health books, from DVDs, or from online resources where you can see people moving or diagrams of correct motions. Make sure and choose stretches which target the appropriate muscle groups for your chosen activity. Also, you should generally avoid ballistic stretching unless you or your trainer are very experienced with their use and have a high flexibility already. Ballistic stretches involve bouncing motions which could more easily cause injury to inexperienced or unaware people.

Instead, static stretches are recommended for most people as they are less likely to cause injury. Static stretches involve slowly moving towards the end of your range of motion. You should “feel” the stretch, but you should experience no pain. Once in place, you should hold each position for at least 15-20 seconds. This motion should be repeated 3-5 times, each time pushing yourself just a little bit further into the stretch to “deepen” the stretch and increase your flexibility. Remember this should feel good. If you experience any pain, stop the stretch immediately.

Balance is important in everything you do, and that goes for stretching too. Make sure to stretch both sides of the target area being worked out. For example, if you are doing abdominal exercises, make sure and stretch out your back as well, as those muscles will be used along with your abs during any exercise. Just as we have two arms and two legs to work out, we have two sides to our muscles: those that pull and those that retract during exercise. Both front and back muscle groups need stretching and exercise for a balanced, healthy body.

So make sure and enjoy your time stretching before and after workouts, and once a day every evening or morning. Never rush through it in a hurry to get something else done or you are cheating yourself of its benefits. Stretching only effectively warms up, prepares, or relieves tension in muscles if patiently held for the appropriate amount of time. Do it consistenty, be creative, focus on tight areas or muscles about to be used rigorously, and listen to your body to get the most out of stretching.