Finding my “tribe”

alicia163425

I’m at this crossroads in my life I feel. Most of my friends do not like to do active things and aren’t interested in eating healthy. This has been a huge road block for me. I am managing to get the eating down but the exercising thing has been tough for me. I’m a social person so I always prefer to do things with other people. It’s also motivating to know someone is counting on you to show up. I am also still pretty insecure about myself so going to workout classes is a terrifying thought. I really want to go to them but I can’t seem to get out of my own head. I worry the people there will look at me and go “what is that fatty doing here”.
Anyone ever been in this situation and found a solution to overcome the fear of going to the gym/ classes?

Live0rDieTrying

I found that just forcing yourself to (or what I called forcing), will at least get you in the door. I went to a few fitness classes and overall, everyone (mostly females) were really nice and basically were focused on the instructor rather than being judgemental. I didn't even get that judgemental vibe from anyone. Although fitness classes were not for me, my local gym has plenty of people who go there and who are very kind. Everyone is just there to do their own thing, get strong/buff/lose wt, and then leave. I might have gotten lucky with the area I live in (a small city of around 15k people. But still, I'd like to think that most people are just there to better themselves, and some people actually look pleased seeing a larger person working on themselves.

Besides, you never know if you will find a new friend in a workout class. Maybe talk to the instructor or one of the people at the class, ask how long they've been going, and find out some info about the class. That would be sure to open up a nice discussion.

Cassandraw3

Those are some of the things I love about crossfit. No one is judging you. Everyone is very supportive. Moves can be scaled to all levels. Some crossfit gyms have on boarding classes to prep you before you get started. That could help you get over the fear of going. It's kind of like having a personal trainer in that your workouts are programmed for you, but you get the support and community feel of a group class. I would definitely recommend trying it out!

mkculs

Although it may seem terrifying, the anticipation is going to be much worse than the actual experience. Make a promise to yourself that you will face your fears and just go--for a set period of time (like 3x/week for a month). Then just do it, no matter what--even if you are so tired you can only do part of the routine, for example. Once you get through the door (whether it is heading out to jog on your own, or entering a class), the battle usually ends b/c you got through the door--if that makes sense. Remember that fear is just an emotion, and it cannot hurt you. If you cannot get past this, you should see a doctor about your anxiety, because that would mean it is interfering with your daily life, and that's not healthy. Meds for anxiety work wonders--I cannot tell you how many people I know (including myself) who have benefited. Good luck and please let us know how it goes.

serindipte

"The best things in life are on the other side of fear."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHnYpcmc2m0