Gym Fear

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13

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  • needles85365
    needles85365 Posts: 491 Member
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    ask about having a free trial and go and get a feel for the gym, most of them will offer a few free days. As most people have said, no one will be watching. I too put off going but once I faced the fear and got it into my head that this was going to be the only way I could get healthy. Can't say I "love" the gym, but I do love what I'm getting from the gym- my clothes fit better, weight loss, confidence, strength, friends- the list could go on and on.

    Just go, you will have to push yourself the first few times, (weeks) but it will pay off.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    Does anyone else have a fear of joining a gym? I don't want to be mocked because of my size and lack of coordination. I have been doing exercise videos at home but would love to add strength training and machines. Does anyone know out of all the big name gyms if one is better than the other? I live in the Omaha area and there is an array of gyms to choose from, I just don't know how to pick one and how to get past this fear that everyone will be making fun of the "fat girl" at the gym.

    Thanks for any advice.

    I looked like this, but 30lbs heavier, when I started at the YMCA almost a year ago

    8193374926_e25182cc2b_m.jpg
    0120100909 by crochetmom2010, on Flickr

    no one said anything mean to me at ALL. As a matter of fact, after 3-4 months, even though I hadn't lost much weight, people started giving me positive comments. The trainers started letting me know that they noticed my dedication...other members started telling me too!

    I gotta smile because even though I am STILL fat, I am looking better....I have caught 3 different guys checking out my squat ( including the cute, 20-something trainer). And I have a friendship with a 70-something guy who is a regular--just yesterday I told him that if he wore his oxygen he *might* be able to leg press more than a girl ;) so he challenged me and I did a set at the 190lbs he had it set on even though I had already done 4 sets at 278lbs earlier. When he asked "is that all you got?" I told him my legs were wore out since I was just finishing up my workout!
  • jillsjourney
    jillsjourney Posts: 167 Member
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    I did it!:bigsmile: I had decided that i wanted a gym that was staffed at all times. I don't want to hurt myself at the gym and lay there for hours waiting for someone to show up. :laugh:
    Finding a staffed gym severely limited my options but I located two relatively close to my house. The first one mainly just had a walking track and free weights. I wasn't a big fan so I went to the other one.

    I loved it and everyone was so nice! I wasn't the only big person there which was great. It took me a couple minutes inside the car to give myself a pep talk to go in though. I went on a tour and ended up joining the gym! I set up an appointment with a personal trainer and nutritionist for Tuesday. She is going to go over all of my goals with me and give me a guide to follow to help reach them!

    I did my first workout today while I was there. I just did the treadmill but it was great. The personal trainer is going to show me how to use all of the machines that I have never seen before. I can't tell you thank you enough for all of the encouragement. I'm not sure I would have done it today if I hadn't first received so many words of encouragement.

    This is the gym I joined. There are three in town so I can go to any one of them too.
    www.athleticaspen.com/
  • andeey
    andeey Posts: 709 Member
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    I did it!:bigsmile:

    Yea!!!!!! :flowerforyou:
  • calibriintx
    calibriintx Posts: 1,741 Member
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    Yay!
  • Richie2shoes
    Richie2shoes Posts: 412 Member
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    I did it!:bigsmile: I had decided that i wanted a gym that was staffed at all times. I don't want to hurt myself at the gym and lay there for hours waiting for someone to show up. :laugh:
    Finding a staffed gym severely limited my options but I located two relatively close to my house. The first one mainly just had a walking track and free weights. I wasn't a big fan so I went to the other one.

    I loved it and everyone was so nice! I wasn't the only big person there which was great. It took me a couple minutes inside the car to give myself a pep talk to go in though. I went on a tour and ended up joining the gym! I set up an appointment with a personal trainer and nutritionist for Tuesday. She is going to go over all of my goals with me and give me a guide to follow to help reach them!

    I did my first workout today while I was there. I just did the treadmill but it was great. The personal trainer is going to show me how to use all of the machines that I have never seen before. I can't tell you thank you enough for all of the encouragement. I'm not sure I would have done it today if I hadn't first received so many words of encouragement.

    This is the gym I joined. There are three in town so I can go to any one of them too.
    www.athleticaspen.com/

    Atta girl! Stick with it and you'll become addicted!
  • tpt1950
    tpt1950 Posts: 292 Member
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    I did it!:bigsmile:

    Yea!!!!!! :flowerforyou:

    You ROCK!!!! Good for you!! I am sooooo proud of you :D
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
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    If there are jerks that mock you, it says a lot more about them than about you.

    When I see someone new, overweight, and out of shape at my gym, I think "good for you!"
  • JohnDun
    JohnDun Posts: 140
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    I goto a gym where you find people of all shapes and sizes. I dont care what anyone thinks about me or the training I am doing. I look over and see the guys pumping the iron, strutting their stuff like peacocks.....then there are the the ladys who come in with makeup on and smelling of perfume and not a hair out of place.

    I just have a little laugh when I see these folk and just get on with what am in the gym to do. You will eventually start to get to know folk even if its just a good morning, good afternoon or a nod of a head as you pass them.

    So just get on in there, you dont have to have designer brand name kit, I just wear an old baggy thick t-shirt and joggy bottoms. The only thing that I do have which did cost money are my gym shoes, not to make my feet look good but to give me comfort.
  • bearwith
    bearwith Posts: 525 Member
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    I read on the NHS get fit website today that the hardest part of going to the gym is actually getting out of the door. This is so true. Get someone to do it with you - your success rate will double. Commit yourself to logging some exercise on mfp.
  • mousepaws22
    mousepaws22 Posts: 380 Member
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    Go, just go! I'm one of the biggest people at my gym but I have met lovely people there and never had any bad encounters. If you want to try weights then I would recommend getting a trainer (if you can) for a few sessions and getting on the free weights. I use the Olympic bar just for compound lifts and the other blokes in the weights room have been lovely to me. Good luck!
  • ericahassinistermotives
    ericahassinistermotives Posts: 92
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    I totally had OP's fear before going to the gym. Then I realized, how AWFUL and STUPID would those fit people look making fun of an overweight person trying to actually change themselves, like they demand those overweight people to do?

    The answer is: Incredibly awful and stupid.

    So no one actually does it. It's frowned upon.
  • bbgughj
    bbgughj Posts: 219 Member
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    I did it!:bigsmile: I had decided that i wanted a gym that was staffed at all times. I don't want to hurt myself at the gym and lay there for hours waiting for someone to show up. :laugh:
    Finding a staffed gym severely limited my options but I located two relatively close to my house. The first one mainly just had a walking track and free weights. I wasn't a big fan so I went to the other one.

    I loved it and everyone was so nice! I wasn't the only big person there which was great. It took me a couple minutes inside the car to give myself a pep talk to go in though. I went on a tour and ended up joining the gym! I set up an appointment with a personal trainer and nutritionist for Tuesday. She is going to go over all of my goals with me and give me a guide to follow to help reach them!

    I did my first workout today while I was there. I just did the treadmill but it was great. The personal trainer is going to show me how to use all of the machines that I have never seen before. I can't tell you thank you enough for all of the encouragement. I'm not sure I would have done it today if I hadn't first received so many words of encouragement.

    This is the gym I joined. There are three in town so I can go to any one of them too.
    www.athleticaspen.com/

    Good for you ! That was easy wasn't it?
    You'll notice as time goes by at the gym , We are all there for the same reasons , To better ourselves ,! I'm really looking forward to seeing your progress 6 month from now .. That would be cool ! :flowerforyou:
  • BroiledNotFried
    BroiledNotFried Posts: 446 Member
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    LIke everyone else said, everyone is self absorbed at the gym. When we see a new (or heavier or elderly) person trying the gym, we are like, "YOU GO GIRL!!" Everyone at the gym is trying to be healthy, and really want to encourage everyone else.

    For me, i look hard at the restrooms and showers. I want super clean and a separate, closed changing area. I also want alot of classes, from Zumba to cycling to yoga. Keeps it interesting.

    My normal "gym" is a skating rink. Usually, everyone is very nice and wants all to succeed. Everyone on the ice is in their progression of work. One can't do a double axel, but can do a single. Another, can't do a single, but can spin. Another can't spin. No matter who you are, there is going to be someone better, someone worse, some moves you can do, and alot of moves you'll look like a darn uncoordinated fool trying to learn for six+ months. So, skaters have to get over their fear of being a failure, falling, learrning....much less the fear of wearing a skimpy skating skirt. No one is Todd Eldridge when they first step on the ice.

    Remember, forward is a pace. And, joining a gym is a first step to being a healthy you. You don't know this, but you are inspiring alot of people in the gym and alot of people in your life. You watch, your own healthwise attitude is going to rub off on others.
  • IsabellaC45
    IsabellaC45 Posts: 137 Member
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  • BonnieandClyde29
    BonnieandClyde29 Posts: 1,026 Member
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    you know i get self concious a lot myself, but i just think, you know what? i'm at least doing something about it!!! you can do it most people are focused on themselves usually anyways!!! :) you can do it!!! ~my personal favorite gym is planet fitness though!
  • Boogage
    Boogage Posts: 739 Member
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    Before I had kids I used to love having the time/money to go to the gym. I've always been over weight and I was nervous at first but there are people of all shapes and sizes in there and I found I really had nothing to worry about, no one laughed or stared! It was a small gym and that probably helped. Also I found there were times when the gym wasn't very busy such as Friday nights and quite often it would just be me and the instructor having a chat on the treadmills so ask if there are quiet times when you will feel more at ease.
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
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    If your gym is anything like mine, no one will pay any attention to you. Coordination is not required at all. That's why there are machines.
  • JanaCanada
    JanaCanada Posts: 917 Member
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    OK, let' be honest. People may say mean things, and people may think mean things. So what? That's their problem. What these people say or think says more about them than it does about you. Thankfully, they are the minority. In my experience, the majority of people at the gym are there for one reason: to work out. Most aren't there to socialize, but they will be nice to you. Just smile and go about your business.

    I agree with whomever said to check out a variety of gyms to see where you feel most comfortable. Of the 4 gyms in my area, one is known for being a meat market, and during my free trial week there, I found this to be true. Pass. I ended up at the gym that wasn't. It was also clean, had great showers, was open and not crowded during the times I wanted to be there, and where the employees went out of their way to instruct me as to proper equipment usage.
  • myers0machine
    myers0machine Posts: 685
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    I have only stepped into a gym last month I was scared so to speak to lots of new faces new equipment rules to keep to etc etc and of course feeling like the small kid in the gym but at the end of the day everyone starts somewhere and like you I workout at home to start with to get a base now am needing more weight and to be safer when weighting I had to sign up to a gym I spend first few times just checking out all the machines with my best mate trying them all out even ones I new I wouldn't use just so I felt better then I began first week went by fine then I went and there where so many people there all on machines I wanted to get on so felt bit lost but now I go later and seems to be fine aint busy places at best of times so I would say to you

    Go with a close friend check the place out have a little mess around dont actually do a workout just try all machines out workout how they work etc
    Check times of the gym and go late as possible or as early as possible then be less people there

    And yes in this life people will be mean will look will put you down but stick in there and everyday that goes by your step closer to your goal and to be honest there few who go for picking up and looking in mirrors but mainly women and men are at gym for one reason to get fit put your music in your ears and enjoy yourself

    Have fun work hard and enjoy it and remember not to just train the body but the mind and soul too :)

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