As a late-40s gym rat, these posts are all accurate. I would like to add a few things, because I still remember what it felt like when I was a newbie at the gym. Years later and everyone knows me since I am 5x/week same time in the early A.M.

1 nobody is judging you. Please trust me that the people who go every day are not even thinking about you. In fact, we’re silently cheering you on!! There was a guy about mid to late 40s and he started coming regularly. After about a month to a month and a half I went up to him and said “you’re crushing it!”. I wanted to encourage him to keep coming, because more often than not we see people start and then fall off and stop coming to the gym. Sadly, I stopped seeing him at the regular time (it’s possible schedules change, but not probable imo). Also, I’m way more focused on my workout to care what you are doing. I have a plan and I’m following it. So, nobody is watching you.

2 have a plan if you’re doing weight/resistance training, which you should do because it burns more fat than just cardio. Start light! Again, nobody is judging you! The only time I judge is when guys grab too heavy of weight and then hurt themselves trying to show off. Don’t feel like you need to prove something, because nobody is watching you. There’s a bunch of apps out there. I used an app from a fitness dude out of the UK. Alex Crockford is his name. I’ve enjoyed his plans and see results.

3 you will be sore. You need to push through the soreness/tiredness for a few weeks. Eventually it will become habit, and if you’re like me, you’ll get addicted to how you feel after exercise. At the same time, listen to your body and incorporate rest days when starting off so you avoid burnout.

4 it’s going to be 10% exercise and 90% diet. I was working out so much and my weight wasn’t changing. My thought was, “well, I worked out today so I can eat this not so healthy thing”. I had my annual physical and my blood results, while not bad, had elevated levels getting closer to pre-diabetes and higher LDL cholesterol. I switched back to wheat everything (no more white breads/pasta), dropped anything fried to 1x/week. So, if I eat french fries then that’s it for the week. Nothing else can be fried. Or, sushi! I like some tempura. Well, if I have that then nothing else for 1 week. I also stopped drinking alcohol. I will have a drink here and there, but it wasn’t serving a purpose (I also didn’t drink a ton). All of this to say, I’ve dropped a lot of weight since summer.

5 finally, dedication is stronger than motivation. Be dedicated. Imagine what you will look like in 6 months, in 1 year. Keep that front and center even on the days you don’t want to workout. Especially on those days. You’ve got this, and no matter what you do, just start! It will hurt until it doesn’t. I say it all the time when I’m on the treadmill and just want to stop, “this too shall pass”. Good luck! I’m cheering you on