Celebrating the Superb Owl*

In case you haven't heard, there's a big football game taking place in New Jersey this weekend. 

That's right.  New Jersey.  MetLife Stadium, where the Super Bowl will be played, is in East Rutherford, NJ.  About 20 minutes away from my apartment, actually. 

It's not in New York.  Despite what all the advertising would have you believe. 

Anyway, to get everyone geared up for the big game, there have been a lot of events going on in both NY and NJ over the last week or so.  A lot of them are outdoors.  Like the Kickoff Concert and Super Bowl Boulevard.  Neither of which I went to, because it's been about 20 degrees for the last few weeks.  Entirely too cold to stand around outside for longer than necessary. 

And I definitely won't be attending the big game.  Even if I had tickets or any interest in going.  Sitting in MetLife Stadium (which, by the way, I still want to call Giants Stadium.  I know it's a brand new stadium with a brand new name, but to me, the football stadium in East Rutherford will forever be known as Giants Stadium.  Who cares if the Jets play there too.) in the freezing cold on a Sunday night sounds like the definition of miserable. 

My dad, who actually likes football, agreed.  But, he figured that we couldn't be total Grinch's about the Super Bowl, so when credentials came across his desk for the Super Bowl XLVII Media Party at Chelsea Piers on Tuesday, he snatched up two. 

We had planned to go to the theater that night, but figured that this would be a good Tuesday night activity.  Plus, it was free (minus the $25 that it cost to park). 

We honestly had no idea what to expect. To the point where, on our way over, we were wondering if there was going to be food.  

That question was quickly answered when we stepped on to Pier 60 and were immediately handed a plate of pork, rice and beans.  

The pier, with all it's amazing food stands.

Oh my gosh, this party was awesome.  It was kind of like a giant tailgate that your really really rich friends threw, and had something for everyone.  In what is usually the parking lot area of the pier, there were about 15 or so restaurants, each serving one of their specialty items. 

Dino BBQ's Booth

I had the most amazing crab cake from the Boathouse in Central park (ok, fine, I really had two).  There was great pulled pork sliders from Dinosaur Barbecue.  Parsnip and prawn soup from Crave Fishbar.  What seemed like half a pastrami on rye from Katz's deli. Yummy yummy banana pudding from Magnolia bakery. 

The only food picture I took. This is clearly why I'm not a food blogger.
(Dino BBQ pulled pork slider)

There was also all sorts of beer, wine, and spirits available. 

And, Jets cheerleaders (who somehow weren't freezing their butts off).

That's my dad. We're actually a Giants family.

In the Lighthouse, which is this huge event space at the end of the pier overlooking the Hudson, things were a big classier.  

This is where all the fancier people hung out.  It's also where the cake was.

There were passed hors d'oeuvres and desserts from Carlos Bakery (you know, the cake boss).  I might have gotten two pieces the first time around, and gone back for a second round of the yellow cake with chocolate icing.  But hey, they were bite sized-ish pieces.  

There were performances by the Newark Boy's Choir and and various Broadway productions (emceed by Constantine Maroulis). 

You are the dancing queen!

There was also activity going on at Bowlmor.  Bowling, beers, pizza, and wings were there for the taking. We didn't bowl.  Or eat pizza or wings. 

I wasn't wearing socks, so putting on bowling shoes was out.  They did have socks to borrow though.

We ended up staying for about an hour and a half or so.  Sufficient time to fill our bellies and marvel at the zoo that was the party.  

And now we get to say that we were part of the Super Bowl XLVII extravaganza.

*Sadly, there wasn't a superb owl at the party.  But there were a few cute police dogs, carrying around what looked like super indestructible Kongs in their mouths.

**Please pardon the horrendous iPhone pictures.  While the event was awesome, the lighting was not ideal.  And I was usually balancing a drink and a plate of food in one hand while trying to snap a picture with the other.  Plus, I just suck at taking pictures.

Workout Wednesday: HIIT It

I've been feeling like I haven't been getting a lot of good, sweaty cardio in lately.  But, I kind of hate doing long cardio sessions in the gym, whether on the treadmill, bike, or elliptical. Plus, with all the snow on the ground in Jersey, not to mention the frigid temperatures, I can't really head outside for a jog or some biking or rollerblading. I mean, I could go outside, but that doesn't sound appealing at all.

So I came up with this workout to do after work last Friday and was literally dripping with sweat after about 10 minutes. (Which is impressive, since I was doing it in my dad's basement, which is generally fairly chilly.)  It will get your heart rate up, with 30 second bursts of activity.  It also adds in some strength moves that will give you a full body workout.  Plus, it's totally scalable - the whole sequence will take you 5 minutes. You can do it 2 times for a quick, 10-minute workout, or 6, 8, 10 times for a longer, sweatier workout.  It's all up to you.  Bonus: you don't need any equipment, so you can literally do it anywhere.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Granola Recipe

I was never a huge fan of granola until recently.  

Most people, including store bought kinds, usually put nuts in their granola.  I am not a fan of nuts.  It's a texture thing.  I fully love the flavor of nuts though - peanut butter, hazelnut flavor, almond flavor.  All great. 

Peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, etc?  Not so much. 

A few weeks ago, I was bored, and decided to bake something.  I always have a big thing of oats on hand for overnight oats, so I decided to try my hand at making granola.  I rifled through the cabinets and came up with a simple, yummy, Megan-approved granola recipe. 

I ate it by the handful for a quick and easy snack, and I added some to Greek yogurt for a yummy breakfast. Once we finished the first batch, I made another.  It's just so yum!

If you're more adventurous than I, you could always add in some nuts, seeds, or dried fruit. 

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Granola

Ingredients:

• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 packet ground flax
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/8 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  
2. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil.  Note: a baking sheet with a lip works best for this recipe.
3. In a medium bowl, combine oats, flax, cinnamon, and ginger.  
4. In a separate bowl, combine peanut butter (can use chunky or smooth.  I obviously prefer smooth.), honey, molasses, and oil.  
5. Add peanut butter mixture to oat mixture.  Stir until fully combined. 
6. Spread mixture on to prepared baking sheet.  
7. Bake mixture, stirring every 10 minutes or so for even baking, until mixture begins to dry, about 20-25 minutes.  
8. Add cranberries and raisins and bake for 10 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and let cool completely.  
10. Add mini chocolate chips. 
11. Store for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. 

Enjoy!

80/20

You know how they say that managing your weight is 20% how active you are and 80% what you eat?  That you can't out train a bad diet? I used to think that was at least a little bit exaggerated. I mean, I eat healthy enough most of the time and I sure work out enough to counteract most of the negative aspects that came from my less than healthy indulgences. 

And my weight has stayed within a 5 pound range over the last 2 years or so. So I thought I had it generally figured out. And I thought they were wrong. 

But apparently, they are not. 

I realized this after the month-long binge that is the holiday season. And after traveling for work and then to Disney World last week. 

I have been indulging a lot. I have also been working out a lot more than normal, but I could just tell that I wasn't at top form. I felt softer, especially around the middle. I felt more sluggish. I felt less, ahem, regular. (TMI?) I'd been relying on probiotics and multivitamins to make sure I was getting all my nutrients.

I don't weigh myself obsessively, or even very regularly.  It's more of a sporadic thing, and it usually happens when I feel like I've been going a bit crazy with the eating, or not working out a lot. 

So, with a bit of dread about what I would see, I got on the scale a few days ago.

And I hadn't gained a pound. I was shocked. 

But really, I truly realized that the number in the scale means nothing. Who cares if it said I didn't gain a pound? 

My pants that are now tighter than normal say I did. All the active time in the world (and it's not like I have time to be active 8 hours a day) can't possibly put a dent In all the rich foods I've been indulging in lately. 

I guess they are right.  It is mostly about what you eat.  And how you feel.  Not what the scale says. 

While indulging usually feels like the right thing to do in the moment (I mean, I'm not at Disney very often.  And you only get Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve dinner once a year.  And Christmas cookies only come around every December.) I usually don't feel good about it afterward. 

It's time to climb back on that wagon.  Take care of my well-being.  Make sure that I'm striving to eat well - foods that are good and also good for me - 70-80% of the time.  And not denying myself when I really want a treat that other 20-30% of the time, but also not going crazy. 

I want to make sure that I keep working out and being active as often as possible, because that feels good to me.  But I need to remember that a workout doesn't work off a Haagen Dazs bar (no matter how good they taste).  

And also that it's ok to eat a Haagen Dazs bar once in a while.  But it probably shouldn't come right after eating a hot dog, mac and cheese, Caesar salad, and a pork slider for dinner.  

Workout Wednesday: Mouse Madness

We were at Disney World for four days last week and had a ton of fun.  Despite what you may think, two adults with no kids can still enjoy Disney as much as adults with kids.  

Maybe even moreso, since we could do whatever we wanted and didn't have to deal with kids who wanted to wait in line for 90 minutes to meet an underpaid actress who's job it is to dress up like some random princess and pose for pictures.  Kids do realize that those aren't the cartoons that they see on their TVs, right?  And that cartoons aren't even real people? 

Anyway, I digress. 

I created today's workout in homage to our gracious host (who charges up the wazoo for everything!) and his long-time girlfriend.

Even though Mickey has probably never worked out a day in his life yet still looks the same as he did 20, 30, 40 years ago (ah, the magic of Disney). 



Enjoy!

Out of town activity

I just got back after a week away from home.  I was in Orlando for a mix of both work and pleasure.  Three nights for a conference, and four nights at Disney.  

Even though I was working from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day I was at the conference, I still got in a workout every morning. 

At Disney, we slept in a bit, but were still up and at 'em by around 8:30 or so every morning.  And we were out all day until around 9 or 10.  Yet, I still got in a workout every morning (except for the day we were leaving).  

True, they weren't my usual workouts.  I didn't necessarily have the time, or equipment, to do a 30-45 minute strength workout with  free weights.  But, I planned ahead, brought a pilates band and resistance band with me, and used those, as well as my own body weight and the internet, to get in a decent workout every day.

I get that some people just don't like to work out when they're not at home, but, for the most part, I don't buy that they don't have enough time or the necessary equipment to work up a sweat.  I mean, you can't wake up 10 minutes earlier and bust out a few pushups and squats?  Or take a quick walk outside a few times during the day? 

I generally find that vacations actually inherently make me move more.  And definitely in different ways than I'm used to. 

For example, the resort we stayed at in Disney, the Caribbean Beach Resort, has mini beaches around the lake that's the center of the resort.  I generally don't get an opportunity to work out on the beach, so despite the chilly temperatures (seriously, Florida - 55 degrees?!), I got my butt to the beach one day for a workout.  Unsurprisingly, my basic workout was so much harder on the beach.  I could barely hold a plank for 30 seconds! (Maybe I'm just getting weaker?)

I also used to pilates band and the resistance band to do some new workouts that I found online.  And, at the hotel for my conference, I made it to the gym one morning and got to use the rowing machine and the assisted pull-up/dip machine. Both of which are woefully missing from the gym at our apartment complex.

Not to mention the time that I spent walking around the conference all day.  Which was probably much more walking than I would have done at the office, getting up to go to the bathroom or the kitchen or to talk to my boss a few times a day.  When we were at Disney, we walked around the theme parks for hours during the day. During a regular day at work, the most I walk is probably 30 minutes at a time, to and from work.

I get it if you don't want to workout when you're on vacation or on a business trip.  You're not home, you're off your schedule, and you have a really comfy hotel bed that you just want to stay snuggled into as long as possible. 

But saying that you don't have the time or the equipment to workout is just silly.  You just have to prepare ahead and maybe get a little creative. 

Pack some resistance bands or pilates bands.  They take up virtually no room (although I would put them in a plastic bag so that the rubbery smelly doesn't rub off on all of your clothes).  If you really have some extra room, throw your TRX in your suitcase.  

Use what's available to you.  That might be a hotel gym, a beach, a bench, or a big rock.  It could also be your heavy purse for some added weight or a pillow for some extra instability (just try to remember what pillow you use so that you don't sleep on one that you stepped on earlier in the day).  

Make up your own workout or look on YouTube, Shape, Men's Health, or Google for a workout that works within your time constraints.  

It may seem like a pain, but I think it's totally worth it.  It kick starts my day and makes me feel slightly better about all the crap that I will inevitably eat.  

It is still vacation, after all.  You don't need to be a saint. 

Snack time

Has anyone seen the new Sargento string cheese commercial?

A woman tries to walk past the vending machine at work, but is magnetically drawn to it, eying the Crunch bar and all the bags of chips. 

A guy opens his fridge and sees a plate of cupcakes sitting right at eye level, calling his name.  (Who just had cupcakes sitting around in the fridge uncovered anyway?)

A female yogi drools over an ice cream stand on her way to yoga class (or home from class? or maybe she just likes to carry her yoga mat around?). 

Of course, none of these individuals give into their cravings.  That would be unhealthy.  And defeat the purpose of being in a Sargento string cheese commercial. 

Instead, they all turn to - you guessed it - Sargento string cheese. 

Craving stopped.  End of commercial. 

My problem with this, other than the fact that two of them eat it wrong - it's string cheese.  You're supposed to rip off strings to eat.  Not bite a whole piece off like some sort of animal. - is that, if they really are craving sweets, the odds that cheese is going to satisfy that craving is probably pretty slim. 

I'm not debating the fact that Sargento string cheese is probably a very satisfying snack (although I prefer Polly-O).  But, in my experience, if I'm craving something sweet (like they apparently are in the commercial), something cheesy just isn't going to cut it. 

And if I'm craving something crunch, or salty, or savory, sweet isn't going to cut it.  In fact, if I'm trying to beat a craving, I need something that is at least along the same lines of what I'm craving.  Here are some of my favorites craving substitutes.

• Apple with peanut butter - get a sweet apple like a fuji or gala to up to sweet tooth satisfaction
• Homemade granola - mix in some raisins, craisins, mini chocolate chips, dried fruit, etc. to really please your sweet tooth.  It also has a really satisfying crunch to it.
• Two dove dark chocolate squares with a little schmear of peanut butter- sometimes, if you want chocolate, you just have to have chocolate.  The peanut butter makes it more filling.
• Hot chocolate made with 1% or 2% milk really hits the spot in the winter when I need something sweet.
• Fiber one oats and chocolate bars are sweet and filling.
• Pretzel crisps are always a great substitute for chips.  They come in lots of great flavors and offer a really satisfying crunch.  Dip them in some bean dip or hummus for an extra filling snack. 
• A piece of whole wheat bread with a little cookie butter on it - this reminds me of having cinnamon toast when I was growing up.  It's a little sweet and a little comfort food all in one.
• My favorite salty snack is edamame (in the shells), with a little sea salt sprinkled on top.  It also takes a while to get all of the edamame out of the shells, so it takes some time to eat.
• I love red peppers (or yellow or orange, when they're not super expensive) with garlic hummus when I need something crunchy and filling.  Other veggies would work as well.
• Nature valley bars provide a very satisfying crunch - just be careful when you eat them or you'll find crumbs everywhere.
• Popcorn is also always a great option.  Get the plain kind and you can dress it up however you want.  I usually stick with salt (yum, salty and crunchy) and maybe a little spray butter or olive oil, to get the salt to stick, but my husband loves to add jalapeno powder to his to give it a kick.
• Greek yogurt is great for all sorts of cravings. Add some honey for a sweet snack, some granola or cereal for a crunchy snack.

While these often do the trick, they don't always.  Sometimes, I just really need to eat what I've been craving (like the Cool Ranch Doritos I had the other day after craving them for two days straight). 

And I'm totally fine with that. 

Workout Wednesday: TRX

My sister's boyfriend got her a TRX for her birthday last year.  I would use it when I was at my dad's house and loved it.  It was a great way to get in a full body workout, it was easy to modify to make the exercises easier or more difficult, and it was quick and simple to use. 

When my birthday came around, my husband bought me one.  It was perfect timing.  I was training for a half marathon at the time, and my three weekday morning workouts were consumed with running.  I never wanted to actually go to the gym on Tuesday, one of my cross training days, so I would sling the TRX over the door and do one of the 15-25 minute workouts that was available on their website.  The perky Canadian voice-over actor giving the instructions, the crazy fit guy or girl demonstrating the moves, and the really nice looking all-white apartment where the workouts were filmed all made me feel bad when I cursed at the videos when my legs or arms started to ache in protest.  They were really pretty good workouts, and I would always end up a sweaty puddle of mush on my yoga mat by the end. 

But after a while, I started to get bored with the videos.  Plus, my marathon training ended, so I was using my morning workouts to do a lot more strength training at the gym.  Once that happened, the TRX got relegated to a weekend-at-home workout, or a bust-out-a-few-random-moves workout.

But I still love the thing.  So, when I saw Julie from Peanut Butter Fingers post the other day about teaching a TRX class, I got a bit of inspiration. I was working from home on Friday, it was snowy and cold and crappy out, and I didn't feel like even venturing downstairs to the gym for my workout.  Or putting shoes on.  So TRX sounded perfect.  (Note: I do recommend wearing shoes when TRX-ing.  It makes it easier to keep your feel in the cradles and it kind of hurts a bit when you're shoe-less.)

I did a quick Google search and came up with a great circuit that's fairly quick.  It took me a little over 30 minutes to complete the whole workout (I didn't take the full 30 second break between each exercise) and my arms and legs were still sore a few days afterward (the hamstring curls kill me). 

Check it out for yourself: 

And, here are links to each exercise in case you're not familiar: 
- Jackknife push-up
- Hamstring curl
- Side plank
- Single arm power pull
- Single leg squat
- Inverted row
- Triceps push
- Squat and flye
- Pike
- Chest press to standing roll out
- Deltoid flye

Enjoy!

Sister Sweat Session: Turbo Fire HIIT 15

I can be clumsy sometimes, but I don't generally think of myself as uncoordinated or a klutz.  There's only a few things in life that have truly made me feel completely uncoordinated.  

Latin dancing was one of them. 

Turbo Fire HIIT 15 is the other.  

TurboFire is Chalene Johnson's workout video series, and the HIIT 15 video is meant to be a quick, intense workout.  Chalene does three different one-minute "fire drills" - and you repeat each three times, for a total of nine minutes "on".  The full video is about 16 minutes, which includes warm up, cool down, and active rests between each interval. 

The moves are fairly simple - think jacks and squat jumps and jumping lunges - but the idea is to work to your full intensity for the full minute to get your heart rate really up, then rest briefly and repeat. 

While I ultimately get a decent workout, I find it really hard to follow, especially the first few times I did it.  Chalene walks you through what each interval is before the fire drill begins, but I've always found the explanation lacking.  It's more of a verbal walk-through than a visual demonstration, and I guess I'm just a visual learner.  She also has some weird timing on some of her movements - like when she says that you do three squat jumps, I always just assume you do them right in a row.  But she does an extra hop between each, which always throws me off. 

So I never end up actually on the same beat as her.

Full disclosure: My sister owns the Turbo Fire DVDs and has done the whole program.  I have only done the HIIT 15workout on occasion, when I've wanted a quick, sweaty workout.

So, maybe it's different if you've done the whole program and are used to.  I will definitely say that the more I've done it, the better I've gotten at it.  And by the third set of each fire drill, I'm more in synch with the video than the first set.  

But the first few times I did it, I felt like I was just randomly hopping around a lot and not really following her at all. Which is still a workout in and of itself, but probably not the most effective one.

In terms of the workout itself, I gives you a pretty good cardio blast.  HIIT workouts - whether they be strength/cardio combos (like this one from the Fitnessista that I loved last week!) or just straight out cardio HIIT - usually make me feel like I'm going to puke (in the best way possible, whatever that means). TurboFire HIIT 15 definitely gets me breathing hard and sweating (but really, what doesn't get me sweating?), but I haven't felt like puking yet.  So I don't know if that means that it's a bit of an easier HIIT workout than I'm used to, or if it just isn't a pukey workout. 


However, I've never actually just done this video as a workout on it's own, and I don't know if I would ever just do this video and count that as my workout for the day, unless I was seriously strapped for time.  I usually combine it with some sort of strength workout - if I do arms, I feel like I get more of a full body workout, while a legs workout really burns after this (my sister and I did this and TRX legs back to back and both wanted to cry). 

I do generally love Chalene - she's always so happy and upbeat, but not in an annoying way, so it's kind of hard to hate her.  I think I'll keep this video in rotation for when I want to feel like a baby elephant just learning to walk.  

Gymtimidation

Cosmopolitan Body, via the Daily Mail, recently published their findings from a poll of 546 British men and women.  They found that twice as many women as men suffer from "gymtimidation" - or being intimidated by or at the gym.  Reasons span from the gym being too busy and putting them off, to not feeling fit enough to go to the gym.  Women are also less likely to ask for help in figuring out how to do an exercise, or asking someone how long they'll be on a piece of equipment.  

Even though the research was conducted in Britain, I can definitely relate. And I am for sure not British.

I hate busy gyms.  They're intimidating and frustrating and more time consuming than they need to be.  My gym is in my building - it's one of the amenities that we get for our not-so-cheap HOA fees.  So only people that live in my complex can use it.  Even so, it's a pretty small gym and it does tend to get crowded during peak periods, such as after work or later in the morning.  So I get up at 5:15 and make sure that I'm out of the gym by 6:15 to avoid the crowds and the frustration that comes with it. 

Our gym overlooks the dog run, and when I take my dog out at night, either right before dinner or even before bed, I can see how crowded it is.  All or most of the five treadmills are taken, there's someone on most of the ellipticals, and there are very muscular men and women in front of the weight rack.  The weight rack that I usually have all to myself in the wee hours before dawn. 

It's at these times when I'm actually happy that I get up before farmers do to go to the gym.

I used to go to New York Sports Club.  There was one in Hoboken, where I lived, and another one across from my office in midtown Manhattan, both of which I frequented.  They were both busy, but the one across from my office was usually a nightmare after work.  I don't ever remember leaving because it was too crowded, but there were definitely times when I modified or shortened a workout because it was too difficult to get a piece of equipment or I felt like I was wasting time waiting for one of the treadmills to open. 

And, while I would occasionally ask someone if I could work in with them on a machine, this was an exception rather than the norm.  While this sounds horrible, I was much more likely to do it with a woman, or a guy who wasn't super buff.  Both options were much less intimidating than the typical "I lift things up and put them down" gym going guy. 

I only ever remember one time when I asked someone to show me how to use a machine.  It was in college, when I was apparently much bolder than I am now. It was a woman who was a bit older than me.  I really admired her muscular body, and saw her doing a shoulder machine that I had never even considered before.  I waited until I had seen her at the gym several times doing the same machine to approach her.  She was very nice and explained the exercise to me and it became one of my favorites.  Despite this totally positive experience, it was an exception, rather than the norm. 

The funny this is, now that I go to a gym that's generally not very crowded (at least when I go), I feel like I've probably lost a lot of my gym etiquette and social skills.  If I was thrown into a crowded NYSC, I'm sure I would be able to eventually figure out how to work in with people and not cut in line, but it would take a bit of acclimatizing.

I think that's a big part of gives people gymtimidation - they walk in, see the crazy shit-show that is the gym on Monday after New Years, and freak out, never to return.  What they don't realize is that those "regulars" (one reason for gymtimidation, according to Cosmo Body) that dominate the gym, or those "really fit people" that they're nothing like were definitely newbies at one point.  And, they might have even been "not fit enough" (another culprit of gymtimidation) to feel like they belonged in the gym at one point.

But I get it - when you're in that mindset, it's you against them, and them can bench press 200+ pounds.  It's scary.  It's intimidating.  It's enough to make you want to run for the door and never come back (but never actually cancel your gym membership.  That would be admitting defeat.)

I think that a lot of gyms, especially the bigger chains and those in more crowded locales, can do a lot better job on-boarding new members.  Just as they would on-board a new employee to make sure that they know where everything is, what the proper rules and procedures are, and that they feel comfortable in their surroundings.  I'm not sure what that means or how that looks, and I'm sure that it varies by gym.  Maybe its offering a free personal training or get-to-know-your-gym session. Or setting up a gym mentor/buddy system, where current members hang with a new member for a day or two to show them the ropes.  Maybe its learn the basics classes or skills assessments that are required for all new members (much like you'd go through if you were to join a CrossFit box).

I know that's generally not the case, and most gyms sign you up, take your credit card information and turn you loose.  But that doesn't mean there aren't things that you can do yourself to help ease the transition.  

See if a friend of coworker belongs to the same gym and ask them to show you the ropes.  Sign up for a class if your gym offers them - it's a great way to meet a gym buddy, or at least get to know some familiar faces.  Be observant - see how others interact, ask to use a machine, treat the equipment, etc. and emulate them.  If you're not sure how to use a piece of equipment or perform a certain exercise, ask.  You could ask someone who works at the gym.  Or the guy or gal that just finished using the machine.  Or even uncle Google (we all know you have your phone with you on the gym floor - hopefully just for music and the occasional exercise Googling, and not for obnoxious phone calls).  

Most importantly, go to the gym with a plan and stick to it - set a workout that you want to complete and do whatever you need to do to complete it.  And start slow - its better for both your body and your mind to ease into your new gym routine.  Go for 10 minutes the first time and maybe just do a few light weights and some stretching.  No, that's not going to get you in the best shape of your life, but it will help you get comfortable with your surroundings.  Maybe the next time you can up to it 15 minutes, and maybe the time after that you venture over to the treadmills.  After that, maybe it's the weight floor.  You get the picture.  If you're not comfortable, don't throw yourself right into the lions' den for two hours and expect to experience anything other than pure, unadulterated fear and hatred.

If you already go to the gym regularly but are bored with your routine and afraid to venture into new, unknown areas of the gym (the weight floor! gasp!), ask a friend what workout they did yesterday.  Read blogs to get inspired. Hire a real-life or virtual personal trainer.  Use apps like Nike Training Club to do the thinking for you.

If you're too lazy to go to the gym, then make a bargain with yourself.  Tell yourself that you'll get a massage/pedicure/facial/new pair of shoes if you go to the gym 15 times in a month. Or use an app like GymPact to make sure you go.

If you're really committed to fitness, but have  experienced gymtimidation and have sworn off gyms altogether, I don't think that is a valid excuse to completely give up on your goals.  In this day and age, there are so many alternative options that don't include a smelly, sweaty, dark, intimidating gym.

There are tons of at-home workouts that you could do.  The BeFit YouTube channel has great options (and I just noticed that there are some full-length Jillian Michaels workouts on their now.  Oh, how I love Jillian's workouts).  Magazines like Shape offer a new workout every month.  There's HIIT.  There's plenty of DVDs that cater to all ages and fitness levels.  There are body-weight workouts that require no equipment.  Figure out what suits you best and Google around.  Try the first workout that tickles your fancy.  Not for you? Try a different one tomorrow.  You'll eventually figure out what types of workouts you enjoy, and you won't even need to leave the comfort of your home to get fit.  (Bonus: you also don't need to change out of your PJs if you don't want to.  And there's no chance for an awkward locker room encounter.)

There are also smaller studios that offer specific types of workouts.  You could try rowing, yoga, weight training, spinning, boxing,  Pilates, barre, swimming, rock climbing - the possibilities are endless and expanding all the time.  The downside to this option is that specialized studios tend to be more expensive than your big box gyms.  But, you usually get what you pay for - individualized attention, a great atmosphere, and instructors that care about your health and well-being.

If you've already signed up for a gym and don't want your membership to go to waste, why not add on a few personal training sessions.  Again, these usually aren't exactly cheap, but you'll get one-on-one instruction and a workout plan that's personalized for your body and your goals. Just make sure your personal trainer is accredited. If you're new to a gym or to fitness in general, this could be the kick in the butt that you need to motivate yourself to keep at it. Plus, if you're spending money on a trainer and know that you have someone waiting on you, you're less likely to flake because your bed is just so comfy.

My favorite option is to just ditch traditional workouts altogether and get outside.  Now, I know it's winter and the last thing you want to do is go outside.  But even so, why not start thinking of things that you want to do when it warms up.  Maybe go for evening walks.  Take a hike in the woods on the weekend.  Canoe or kayak on a balmy summer afternoon.  Try stand-up paddleboarding.  Run along the beach or on a trail.  And hell, while it's still cold and snowy, you could ski, or snowboard, or cross country ski, or snowshoe. You could build a snowman or go sledding (dragging that sled back up the hill in the snow is a lot of work). 

The bottom line is, I get it.  Gymtimidation, while a horrible word that needs to never be used again, is a real thing.  In my book, it's the same fear that many people have about networking.  Or going to a party alone.  You don't know anyone, while everyone else seems like old buds; you don't know why you're here or what you're doing; and you don't want to make an ass out of yourself.  So it's easier to just avoid the situation all together. 

Which is fine.  If you don't want to go to a gym, that's your choice and I totally respect that.  But don't use it as a reason to remain unhealthy.  Just as there are ways to get a new job even if you despise traditional networking, there are plenty of ways to find fitness without a gym.

Experiment.  Think outside the box.  Find something - or things - that work for you and make you happy and go with it. 

But don't let gymtimidation stand in your way.  You're better than some stupid, made up word.  You just have to show it who's boss.