Like the first day at High School I'm aware that, as a 'newby' in the gym there may be some classic mistakes that highlight me as the new kid on the block.

The young adult males of our household are seasoned gym visitors (one in a professional capacity) and I'm painfully aware of the scathing disdain that over-eager newcomers can garner. All sorts of phrases keep flitting through my mind, such as 'lycra lovelies' or 'new year's resolutionrecruits'. I realise that my time of joining hasn't helped my case at all here. I actually started a trial period during the end of December but it doesn't really qualify me as a seasoned member just yet. Knowing that I technically belong to the new year's resolution brigade only makes me more determined to make best use of my membership and not be one of the stereotypical drop-outs in February.

I am still very nervous in this strange, new habitat. I'm painfully aware that I've needed to buy some new gear - I can't keep using a supermarket shopping bag, but neither do I want to conform and kit myself out with all the bling just because it's a new 'hobby'. I bought a low profile brand bag in the sale (making sure there were no neon strips, which are the current gym vogue) and I'm making do with what I have for a shower bag. Is a BBS Phil bag OK to hold my shampoo - or am I breaking some unwritten code?

I was never part of the trendy group at school and wondered how one subscribed to the newsletter that must have circulated during the summer holidays to explain what the next academic years accepted fashion would be. How did that certain 'clique' know that this particular style shoe would be trendy this year when it was absolutely scoffed at last year - and is still pretty ugly now, or so I thought.

Maybe I'm overthinking the issue (maybe??) - does anybody really care? I have the same hang-up over which music bag to take to choir. I've solved that one by making my own!