How to get over gym anxiety?

RainbowBrightww23

I was wondering if anyone had any tips for overcoming anxiety about going to the gym, because of their embarrassingly poor fitness level?

About two and a half years ago I started semi-private personal training twice a week, and this helped me become familiar with the equipment and get my fitness level up to the point where I wasn't self conscious, and for about a year I went to the gym 3-5 days a week. Obviously I fell off the bandwagon, and now I'm back to square one carrying 10-15 extra pounds. I just feel so embarrassed that at 23 I sound like I'm dying on the treadmill (I have asthma), suffer from chronic back pain, have no real strength to speak of, and sweat like it is going out of style when I am currently in grad school for public health (talk about the pot calling the kettle black!).

Finances mean I can no longer afford to "get back into it" using a trainer or group classes, but I am extremely fortunate to have an absolutely beautiful/free gym in my apartment building, so I really have no excuse to be sedentary. Logically, I understand that other gym goers shouldn't care about what anyone else is doing/their abilities, but I can't seem to get past that voice in my head that says I was always a little bit proud when I could run further/faster or lift heavier than the other 20ish year olds in the gym.

Does anyone have any words of advice on how they got over this sort of irrational fear?

baconsBACK

one foot in front of the other. Ive been very much in shape and very much out of shape and lots of time in the middle. I feel the same way when I let it go. Just get off your butt and go. No one there cares but you. dont worry about it. They all had to start somewhere too. no more excuses.

soehlerking

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/864171-anxiety-at-the-gym

hdlb

one foot in front of the other. Ive been very much in shape and very much out of shape and lots of time in the middle. I feel the same way when I let it go. Just get off your butt and go. No one there cares but you. dont worry about it. They all had to start somewhere too. no more excuses.

This. Just go do it. No one is watching and judging anyone else, we are all at the gym for the same reason. ( At least I hope no one is there to judge others)

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

No one in the gym cares about what you're doing (well unless you're hogging a machine that someone else wants to use). Seriously, no one cares. You want to go to the gym, right? Do you want to go to workout or to look at other people? I'm going to assume you want to go there to work out. So does everybody else. If you really feel that uncomfortable, consider bringing a friend to work out with you.

melsinct

Tough love time: You are not that interesting where all eyes will be on you. Really and truly, no one cares what you are doing. When I would do cardio, I would read or watch TV. When I would do strength training, I was too engrossed in what I was doing to be bothered to gawk at others. Everyone is there to get more fit. There will always be people stronger and faster than you. The competition you speak of is in your own head, not the person next to you on the treadmill.

cwolfman13

one foot in front of the other. Ive been very much in shape and very much out of shape and lots of time in the middle. I feel the same way when I let it go. Just get off your butt and go. No one there cares but you. dont worry about it. They all had to start somewhere too. no more excuses.

Yup....and I've ultimately found that no one is really paying too much attention to you anyway...they're busy working it. I remember when I first started in the weight room...I was really intimidated to go there...it took me a couple trips to the gym and changing my mind and deciding to just do cardio instead before I told myself, "you're never going to get where you want to be if you don't get your *kitten* into that weight room." I did...one foot in front of the other and you know what I discovered? It's not biggie really...most of that anxiety is all in your head.

Ready2Rock206

Tough love time: You are not that interesting where all eyes will be on you. Really and truly, no one cares what you are doing. When I would do cardio, I would read or watch TV. When I would do strength training, I was too engrossed in what I was doing to be bothered to gawk at others. Everyone is there to get more fit. There will always be people stronger and faster than you. The competition you speak of is in your own head, not the person next to you on the treadmill.

This! The only time I am staring down the row of treadmills is when my kid is on the other end because we couldn't get 2 together. (Sorry to the people in between I'm not looking at any of you) Otherwise I am either watching tv or listening to my ipod and focusing on my own issues.

Just do it! :drinker:

jr1985

Hey There, First off, great job on your decision to bet back out there and go to the gym anyways.

While I know that sadly this is not the case for everyone... I personally have never had anyone be anything less that really supportive and encouraging at the fact that I'm clearly not in perfect shape, yet going ahead and heading to the gym anyways. When I first started working out, particularly lifting weights, as it seems to be the most 'uber-fit people only' activity, at least at my gym... I adopted a "Well... I am a fat chick... where better for a fat chick to be than the gym" attitude and just went ahead and went to the gym anyways regardless of my insecurities.

A lot of people have actually come up to me later and told me that I inspired them to keep going, because if I could do it they could do it... Just because people might be looking at you does not necessarily mean they are judging you... on the contrary, you might be their inspiration!

I generally also tend to go either early in the morning or late at night, when the people that are there only to see and be seen aren't there anymore, and the people that are there tend to just be focused on their work out.

Best of luck!

deekay8507

It's like wondering what to wear to a wedding, no one is looking or paying attention to you!

kbirtchman

Ok, so I am REALLY suffering over anxiety about going to the gym. Had my first panic attack just going to get my membership card and junk. It was PACKED! In fact, it is ALWAYS packed with no parking. The one time I made it there, no one was there and there was a blizzard, however, winter is almost over, and I am still in school. I read these forums looking for a good answer, and the typical answers I see are "Just go and do it" "don't care what others think, they arent judging you" or "go when it's not busy". Honestly, this is no help. The sad reality is, is that the skinny chick running on the treadmill is judging you, everyone judges, even in a "Judgment Free Zone." This does not put my mind at ease, at all. If I could just "go do it" I probably would, but I cannot make it through the door without thinking that I am about to have people talking sh** about me while I am not paying attention. I AM there to make myself better, but I haven't seen a SINGLE comment that gives any advice. I don't have the luxury of having a workout buddy because they won't let my dog in. With that, could someone, perhaps, offer something helpful???

2shedz

Firstly, what everyone else has said about how no-one's looking at you.

Secondly, all those other people at the gym were probably no fitter than you a couple years ago. Some of them are no fitter than you now (you can't accurately judge someone's fitness level by looking at them).

Thirdly, you don't know what other people are thinking. Not everyone judges. What you are doing is called mind-reading and it's a classic symptom of social anxiety; if you can work on it you will not only find it easier to go to the gym, you will help many other areas of your life. See this http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/roger-covin/mind-reading-depression_b_1339977.html

But, despite what I said above, I do totally understand what you mean.

Do you need to go to the gym at all? There are loads of workout videos online that you can use to exercise in the privacy of your own home (and without paying the gym fee). I highly recommend fitnessblender.com. Or just put on some tunes and dance. Or go for a walk.

Whatever you choose to do, well done for doing it.