Gym Phobia

Spend the money on some good workout programmes to do at home instead. If you're not comfortable going to the gym then don't but remember, most people are too busy looking at/worrying about themselves or working out to care about you and what you're doing!

I don't like the gym either... I workout at home... I am currently doing the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels... When I finish that, I'll be working out on my treadmill at home... The downfall is that I only have a treadmill and the dvds... If I want any other equipment, I would have to go out an buy it. Another negative about not going to a gym is that I cannot ask trainers for advice. The plus side is I don't have to care about what I look like working out. I don't have to care about feeling like I take more breaks than other people... I tend to compare myself to others... Working out at home helps me to avoid this and focus on myself and what my body can/cannot handle... I personally love working out at home... Plus, I'm a stay at home and a work at home mom. I honestly have only 30 minutes a day (and barely that) to work out. Either way, as long as you are exercising, it doesn't matter whether you are at a gym or at home... Do what makes you feel comfortable...

Can you start going to the gym during slow times or early in the morning to get comfortable with your new surroundings?

I struggle with anxiety as well and still get nervous when I go to the gym during a busy time. This is why I like working out early in the morning. The people there are focused on getting in, working out, and getting out.

Also, going with your friend is a great idea as well! If she's already been going to that gym, she will be a great resource for learning how to use the equipment, and you will have someone to talk to and be comfortable with while you are there!

Good luck!!!

Ha! This is SOOOO me!

I had a Y membership for years and maybe went 20 times? I blamed in on the fact that it wasn't really conveniently located.

Then I discovered a gym right by my house. AWESOME! Okay...not, LOL...I was a member six months and thing I went (excluding the 4 zumba classes I attended) eight times.

I will be of no help...

I didn't get over it. I still don't like the gym. I have equipment at home that I use in a space that I am lucky enough to have so that I can do the workouts I like (lifting and elliptical, belly dancing and yoga) in a comfortable space. In what I have saved in further gym memberships, it's already more than paid for the equipment, and I am just as happy as can be.

Just do it ...... you have every right to be there ....... just shut off that little voice in the back of your head and get in there :drinker:

I to was like you. I didn't wanna get sweaty and gross in front of a bunch of strangers. I would pull up and drive away. It was an awful cycle and the times I did finally go in...I did my hair and make up before I went....(uh yeah I was that girl). It took me finally being ready for a change in my life to plug in my headphones and drown out everyone else and just do what I had to to feel better about myself. I don't pay attention to those around me (as in if they are staring and I don't stare) I just tune it all out and go. I know LOVE the gym and can't imagine have ever being worried about going into one!

but like someone else suggested if the gym really isn't for you then just do at home programs. don't bother wasting your money on another membership your not gonna use when you could have just worked out at home.

I did...and then I stopped caring what I THOUGHT people were going to think. Everyone is there for the same reason. I had to get out of my head and just get in there. Now, I can't imagine NOT going at least a few times a week.

I've had two different gym memberships & can probably count on my fingers how many times I actually went to the gym. You'd think getting myself to work out in front of strangers would be easy, I mean no one knows me, but I've seriously had times before where I got the parking lot and never went in. I have a friend who wants me to join the YMCA with her & I know there really is no GOOD reason not to, but can anyone else out there relate to this fear of the gym?? Do you have a story to share on how you overcame your fears? Or even if you want to tell me to shut up & get over my fear, I'd love to hear it all. I'm new to MFP & will take any kind of support/motivation I can get

I used to feel the same way, but now I walk in there head high and totally oblivious. I found wearing head phones help zone out others. You gotta woman up bite the bullet. Every time you do it it gets a little easier.

I generally haven't had too much of an issue with going to the gym, but after my cancer treatments, where my performance was REALLY weakened and I looked like Uncle Fester, I was nervous and even slightly ashamed about being out in a public gym again.

I found that the YMCA was actually a pretty good place to go because there is such diversity among the users. You have everyone from the fitness nut to the high school athletes to the aged and infirm. It didn't feel as focused or efficient as I'd become accustomed to when exercising in military gyms where everybody's at the same basic level of fitness, but I really didn't feel embarassed out on the floor because there were so many other ability levels out there with me.

One of the things that really had me feeling uncomforable were the 12-18 inches of scarring on my body from my cancer biopsies and treatments. In fact, I'm still not terribly comfortable taking my shirt off in public (although I'm comfortable doing it in locker room scenarios, now). But there are plenty of people who went to the YMCA who werent' focused on aesthetics and many who had scars similar to mine. The only downside to that is that there were some people who were so cavalier about how they looked they'd hang around in the locker room stark naked- no towel, no underwear, just their bits out there for everyone to see, and sometimes for extended periods *shudder*.

So I would say you might want to look at less-intense gyms such as the YMCA because everybody's different and you'll have that variety from serious athletes to people who are simply trying to move, period. Plus, depending on your schedule, you may be able to even find a particular timeframe when you feel more comfortable.

I have a phobia of sweating in public,and a fear of changing clothes in public, and one of showing how weak I am in public. I actually like the ymca. There is always some little corner where no one can see you workout, and they have a nice steam room. They have a sauna but I do not like the dry heat.

Anyway the ymca is not like any other gym. Its friendly and if a serious weight lifters grunting is making you uncomfortable, there are always duplicates of machines on the other side of the gym. For some reason I really hate the serious weight lifters seeing how light the weights im using are and how much I struggle with them, even though I know they had to start with light weights too.

I like a gym where I can see other overweight people working hard. Ymca attracts a diverse group