How do you deal with gym locker rooms?

[LovebirdsFlying]

Gym membership is a medical necessity for me. I am physically disabled and diabetic, exercise is essential to controlling my blood glucose, and the only exercise I can get is in a pool. To have access to one, I must have a gym membership.

Which means locker rooms.

I am a non-practicing bisexual, by which I mean I am married and faithful to a man, but I struggle with same-sex attraction. I have to be careful online with provocative images of women, so that I don't lust, but a similar image of a man won't even make a blip on the radar. In a gym locker room, I can pretty much only talk to the other women around me if they're fully dressed. Otherwise, I must be careful to keep my eyes fixed on the floor as I walk past.

Those of you with gym memberships, what are your coping strategies for avoiding lustful thoughts in the locker room?

 

[Radrook]

Here are some suggestions.

Put on real dark sunglasses and squint. I used squinting successfully when I was forced to dispose of mice and didn't want to deal with what was there visually. With dark sunglasses it would have been even more effective. However, that poses the problem of tripping or stepping on someone's foot in your case. S you will have to determine on whether it will be practical. Also, choose times when the place is not packed.

There is also the option of doing other types of exercises that don't require going to a gym such as jogging, stationary cycling, light weights, and calisthenics.

In addition and most importantly, keep praying for God to remove such desires and thoughts and keep your mind on biblical things.

 

[PloverWing]

Are there days or times when the locker room is less crowded than others? At my gym, some times of week are really crowded and other times are relatively deserted.

Additionally, you might be able to minimize your time in the locker room. Go to the gym with your swimsuit already on under your clothes, so you can just quickly take off the outer layer. After swimming, you could change into dry clothes and shower all in one step in a private shower stall (assuming your gym has these).

Those are the best ideas I have right now. I wish you well. Locker rooms aren't the easiest places.

 

[LovebirdsFlying]

I'm thinking later in the year, the crowding might taper off a little. This is January. New Year's resolutions, y'know, and the resulting membership special promotion with no joining fee. I'm wondering how many people will still be there in April or May. I'm not trying to be judgmental about people who join up and then stop going. It's just that statistically it's shown to be that way; gyms are the most crowded in January.

Good ideas about minimizing time in the locker room. Since I have long, thick hair that won't fit under a swim cap, I put it up in a bun before I leave home. That helps save time, not having to mess with my hair in the locker room. I can't wear my bathing suit under my clothes, yet. It has an attached skirt. Which, it so happens, is getting worn out. I'm going to replace it soon with a non-skirt version so I can move better in the water without all that extra fabric trying to float up to the surface. A bottom without a skirt, I can wear under my clothes as suggested and be ready to leave the locker room sooner. Unfortunately, the shower stalls aren't big enough to change in, and I need to sit down while dressing, so I probably won't be able to do the second half of that suggestion.

I'm also finding it helps that I don't put my glasses back on after I change into my bathing suit. My daughter wears hers in the pool, but I don't, so as not to take a chance on breaking them. Multifocal lenses are more expensive to replace than her single-vision glasses would be. Ah, getting old.... Anyway, without my glasses on, I can't see quite as clearly unless someone is standing right next to me. It's a good thing that having blurry vision doesn't make a lot of difference in being able to navigate my way through the locker room. I use a cane anyway, so I walk very slowly.

 

[Guy Incognito]

It's not quite the same in actuality, but similar in principle - I have a foot fetish, so the late spring-early fall months can be rough. Since I only want eyes for my wife, I always have my phone or video iPod with me. If it's an especially tempting day (I don't know about you, but some days I wake up and feel like it'll be a rough one), I make sure I have a show/video or some heavily involving music (or even reading) cued up so that'll maintain my focus - and then when the temptation to look lustfully is there I have something to distract myself with and I can focus on praying.

Is there anyway you can listen/watch a show while limiting your time in the change room? I hope this suggestion is at least somewhat helpful. And I'll be praying for you

 

[Radrook]

Hard not to look at feet though! They are everywhere in the locker rooms! Just don't look down!

 

[LovebirdsFlying]

*giggle* And I have to look down, to avoid the other problem.

Cell phones aren't allowed in the locker room. I don't know about other devices, but probably not. Does anyone remember the news story not so long ago where the model ended up losing her job among other negative consequences? And rightly so--she had used her cell phone to snap a picture of an older, slightly overweight lady in the shower, and posted it on her social media page with a remark about not being able to unsee this. Yeah, making fun of out-of-shape people at a gym, where they are obviously trying to do something about it, is really encouraging, isn't it? But that's a different subject for a different thread.... point being the devices probably wouldn't be an option. Good idea, though. If an i-pod is allowed, with ear buds, I might save up for one. It won't change the visual, but it could serve as a distraction.

My non-skirted swimsuit bottom has arrived by mail order. Now I can do as suggested and wear my swimsuit under my clothes, so I'm faster getting out of there.

 

[Guy Incognito]

Ahh, fair enough, didn't think about that. Glad my suggestion was atleast somewhat helpful lol

Glad your new suit has arrived, and hope it's helping with everything

 

[JeffofGallifrey]

For slightly different reasons, I completely avoid locker rooms. 100%.

Unless there's a gender neutral/family/one seater, I wear my gym clothes for the gym and I wear my swimsuit in and out, for the pool.

If the facility has a policy about only entering through the locker rooms, I'll take my membership somewhere else.

 

[Guy Incognito]

Hope things have been improving

 

[LovebirdsFlying]

Doing pretty well. Mid-March now, and as speculated, the locker rooms are less crowded. I try to go at a time of day when it's mostly senior citizens who are in worse health than I am.