Are you an anxious all around mess when it comes to the gym? Welcome to the club!
I think everyone has felt some sort of anxiety on their first working out experience within a gym, and I am here to tell you it is okay and you can overcome it!
For a long time I feared the gym because I didn’t know what I was doing, my form sucked, or I would not “fit in” with all the experienced gym goers who had all of their workouts down packed. You see those people who speed walk on the treadmill because they’re too scared to run? Yep that was me, till one day I realized, whats the worse that could happen? Falling? I have fallen thousands of times already and frankly there is only one way to go after you’re fallen ; right back up.
No one wakes up being a gym expert, we all feel anxiety when entering a place unknown to us. Once you realize that it will all seem to come together beautifully and you’ll ask yourself, “why in the hell didn’t I join the gym sooner?!”. Below I will list a few tips to help you beat that gym anxiety to help you achieve all of your fitness goals in the upcoming year.
1. Bring a friend! Nothing makes a workout go by faster then working out with someone you know. Bringing a friend can be motivating, specially if that person is competitive. You can spot each other or check each other’s form during a workout, making you feel less anxious!
2. Go to the gym when it is less crowded! Yes something this simple works! Less people in a gym area will decrease your anxiety and make your workouts feel hassle free. When signing up you can ask at the front desk what times are the busiest and you can schedule your workouts around them to avoid the crowds.
3. Plan your workouts ahead of time. Set up a schedule, focus on specific body parts on specific days and make a plan! This way you’ll be in and out of the gym in no time.
4. Ask for a training session! Most gyms have complimentary training sessions when you first sign up. A trainer can walk you around the gym, show you machines and how to use them so you feel less anxious when trying them out.
5. Join a class! Many gyms offer classes like spinning, which may motivate you and feel more at ease since your workouts will be constructed and guided by a trainer.
6. REALIZE everyone has felt the way you do. Suffering from anxiety, even if it’s just on the first day at the gym may make you feel like you’re the only person in the world and no one else can understand the roller coaster of feelings within you, but truth is, EVERYONE has been there. Shake it off, and push yourself! Everyone starts off somewhere.
7. Focus on yourself. Stop suffering from wandering eyes, listen to music you enjoy, dress comfortably, you don’t have to wear anything tight, form fitting or revealing because others do, and focus on your goals and workouts. This will make you feel so much better and eventually you will come out of that shell.
I hope these tips will help you fulfill your fitness goals in the upcoming year.
Happy New Year and remember, we all start off somewhere. Rome wasn’t built in a day and at the end of the day, everyone is at the gym to work on themselves, not to look at you.