Gym Phobia

lauramdx4

I felt the same way. I went to all my local gyms and did their free trial week/day until I finally found one I was comfortable at. I even had a free week at one and left before I even finished working out and never went back!

elisa123gal

Ease into it..

I get a case of that each time i go back after missing for a long time. What I do is get on the elliptical ..or treadmill..something you know and won't feel weird doing. And just do that for a week or so.. until you feel more comfortable. I go different times and figure out when it is most empty.. and then I work out during those times. and start using a few of the machines..and build up. Before I know it. .i don't feel uncomfortable any longer.

buffalogal42

I hated the gym I belonged to in college (when I was pretty fit) because it was a stereotypical "meat market" and no one showed me how to use/do anything. But to be fair, I never asked. I lasted only a few months. When I joined my current gym (3 years ago at age 36) it was night and day. The club manager gave me a full tour, showed me how to use everything and checked in on me for weeks when he saw me in working out. I started with basic cardio with my headset on trying to be invisible but I quickly realized that no one gave a crap what anyone else was doing. There were fit people, heavy people, "meatheads," old people, young people ... and it turns out everyone is really darn nice!

Eventually, I joined group classes and was the worst at everything ... until I wasn't. But all the people were encouraging and I even made friends with people I never would have expected. Now I also do personal training. I still suck at a lot of things but I no longer feel anything but pride when I am grunting to pull a deadlift or almost in tears from weighted hip thrusts because even the "meatheads" who walk by say "Good job, girl!" Or "Keep pushing" ---

Hold your head up high, get some advice or even a couple of PT sessions and just rock it!

Livgetfit

I suffered badly from this. Or at least I thought I did. However I have recently come to a realisation: just like all people are different, all gyms are different!

I have been a member of about 6-7 gyms at some point or other. I always found that I'd go a handful of times and then dread it. I recently moved to London and joined a gym that is part of a big 'no frills' chain. I walked in my first day and instantly hated it. It was PACKED. There were those meat-head guys grunting, shouting at each other, roaming in packs and dropping weights on the ground loudly which made the entire area around them shake. I could turn my music so loud I could feel my ears hurt but still hear them.

As this was all I could afford, my work around was going at non-peak times. (You can usually see this on google).

Then I happened across the best thing that has ever happened to my fitness: a women only gym near work.

If they were people, the first would be Kanye West and the second would be Stephen Fry.

I'm so happy to go there. Nobody pays any attention to each other, everyone is courteous and even though the space is a fraction of the size of the big chain gym, it has everything I need.

That is my two cents. Good luck, you got this!

ronjsteele1

I so get this. I have 75lbs left to lose. I started needing to lose 90lbs. I exercised outside all summer but knew I was going to have to hit the gym this winter. I also really wanted to start lifting weights again as that has always been a good way for me to lose weight previously. I looked at the two gyms in our little town. I had some parameters I wanted a gym to meet (no contract was one of them), etc. When I joined my current gym I specifically asked when their slowest hours were. I did NOT want to be there when there was a ton of people - I was already feeling so self conscious. It's a 24hr gym so I go at 7:00am. Sure enough, there is hardly anyone there and to my great surprise, at that time of the morning the average age is probably 60 (I'm 46) and it was older, heavier set people (like, needing to lose over a 100#'s). There are one or two that are really fit but mostly it's us "oldies." So ask when their non-busy hours are. It really does help with the phobia feeling.

The second thing I did was invest in some workout cloths I was comfortable in. I wear workout tights, but I have gym shorts over them and a longer shirt so I feel like my backside is covered better. It's obvious putting my gym cloths on now that I've lost as everything is much looser. That is also a great motivator for me to keep going.

Then, take a deep breath, and go in. Go to work and ignore everyone else (headphones are great for this) and in a few weeks you'll feel much more comfortable. It also really helps to ask someone to walk you through the equipment (most gyms do this for free) so you can feel like you know what you're doing. You can do it! And you'll be so glad you did.

JSgetsfit

My fear used to be worse than what you described. I was afraid to excersize if anyone was around that could possibly see me. Then one day i had to excersize do to physical therapy because of spinal fusion surgery. The fear of someone seeing excersize was almost overwhelming but i just kept pushing because i had to and after physical therapy i had to lose weight because of a promise i made myself. I can assure you the fear will go away if you just keep pushing through the fear. Eventually i realized that either people ignore you when you excersize or they will have certain amount of respect because you aretrying to get healthier. Also if there is a piece of equipment at the gym you are not sure about just ask an employee, odds are you will not be the first yo ask.

cerise_noir

If other truly cared about what you do at a gym, there would be far too many accidents.

Do you care about what others at the gym do or what they look like?
No? You're like everyone else.

Also, no one started at the gym being pros.

enterdanger

saramichelle89 wrote: »

Hi everyone! I know people post about this all the time and I sound like a broken record but I have true gym phobia. I absolutely will not and feel like I "can not" go into a gym where there is 10+ people working out. I have this fear that I will do something wrong and everyone will stare or laugh at me, or I look too fat, or I don't know what I am doing. I will try to if someone is with me, but still find it very hard.

How do you get over that? Do you have any tips to share what helped you or people you know? Its really getting in the way of my personal development because I know I could be so much more than this.. :-(

I'm 30 weeks pregnant and I go to our work gym where there are a bunch of my coworkers questioning why I even try to jog on the treadmill this large. Just ask yourself, what would enterdanger do?

I did start changing in a stall instead of just in the locker room when I hit the 3rd trimester. I don't want to scare these sweet young things with what 7 months pregnant looks like naked.

jnlamppert

I used to nearly get panic attacks whenever I would venture into the weight room. It took me sucking it up and convincing myself that I belonged there. I would come in with a lifting plan utilizing only weights/machines that I knew where they were at first. If something was busy I'd just do a different exercise first. While I worked out the first few times I scanned the area for other machines/weights so I knew where everything was and started to incorporate these into my plans. If I ever found myself in a nearly empty gym at an off time, I'd throw out my plan and experiment as much as I could without people looking.

It sounds like a silly problem to some people but everyone has been there to some degree. Another thing that could help is looking on groupon/living social for a personal trainer package. Even a few lessons can help you get more comfortable with the equipment and being in a gym.

edena001

I'm the same. Go to a 24 hour gym, go after 9, after 10 etc. There will be hardly any people there and no staff either so means less people! you then do get into the groove and can go earlier

shadowfax_c11

Nobody has ever died of being stared or laughed at.
Many people die from issues associated with being overweight and sedentary.

Stop caring about what other people think more than you care about your own health and well being.

Michael190lbs

Just like Luke Skywalker going into the cave when Yoda advised against it he brought to the cave what he feared not what was actually there.

peaceout_aly

I started going to the gym when I was in high school and would stick to the cardio machines and then leave because I was so afraid that others would judge me - if I wasn't in shape enough, didn't use the equipment properly or had poor form. It wasn't until this past year and a half that I started using weights. I started with the machines, and let me tell you, it was brutal mentally. I had no idea what I was doing half the time, but I pushed through. I would observe, ask the gym trainers questions when need-be, and then eventually (about a year ago) I got enough courage to get in the weight room and train. Now? I do hip thrusts shamelessly and even wear shorts to the gym which would have never happened before. I promise that even the most fit of the gym rats started somewhere, and chances are they were a tad nervous to get in there and be judged as well. You'll find as you get more into it that the people that you are so nervous to be around are probably so into their own work out that they don't even notice your form. And going by your profile picture, if they're looking at you they most likely are just admiring your gorgeous-ness. My biggest tip is put the headphones in, block out the world, and start lifting. You can do it!

HungryasFuark

First of all you look great if they will look at you they will be checking u out lol now there is no need to be conscious about what you do at the gym or anywhere actually , you are simply free to do whatever you want to do as long as your not harming anyone ...no one owes u anything and there is no need to be even thinking about how other people at the gym are perceiving you because at the end of the day their actions or thoughts really doesn't matter it won't add or take anything form you ! Its all about what you think of ur self.. So just remember that you are going to the gym to workout your mind and body not anyones else's and just focus on you and be sure that people who keep looking etc to make fun of someone are really just pure insecure people who are trying to pass their insecurities to others around and if it did happen ( which probably won't ) and someone gave you a bad look you can do this amazing move just stand still and look at them directly in the eye I'm 100 % sure their eyes will be going all around the place lol because they are like what I said just completely insecure people and they will never dare to look again .

VeganRaptor

People won't judge you for going to the gym In fact, they'll probably be happy for you and impressed that you made it to the gym while many people don't exercise at all! Even if they do judge you privately, remember that you are doing this to better yourself. It isn't your problem what others think- they're pretty much just being toxic inside themselves.

If you still don't feel up to going to the gym, why not work up to it by exercising in other ways? Go for regular walks/jogs/runs (with music, an audio book, Pokemon Go, etc), get some friends together and attend an exercise class or swim at a beach or the pool, walk the dog. Dance to your favourite songs, or start vacuuming vigorously. You really don't need to go to the gym to get exercise anyway, but since you're scared of it, it might be something to work up to in order to help your anxiety around it!