Scared to go to the gym :(

2

Replies

  • FettsLady
    FettsLady Posts: 82 Member
    I was too. I don't like not knowing my way around all the machines, etc and felt like I would look 'stupid'...I paid for two months of a gym membership before actually setting foot in the gym. The first time in is always the hardest. The second time is much easier and by the third time, you will already be developing a routine. Take the leap - you'll be fine!
  • lorig_2000
    lorig_2000 Posts: 106 Member
    You can do it!!! And all power to you!

    I used to go to a gym that was full of steroid monkeys flexing in front of the mirror. I pushed my way in between them. I thought if they have a problem with a fat, over 50 female, that is their problem not mine.

    If you want some good exercise, put your baby in a stroller and go for a walk! Baby will get fresh air and you'll get slim!!

    Good luck on your journey!!
  • wendybird5
    wendybird5 Posts: 577 Member
    I used to feel the same way and would hardly go, but then I started meeting some great people and found out that the majority of people at the gym are really supportive and non-judge mental. If you go in with a negative attitude, you'll scare off others, but if you're friendly and open, you will meet some great people. I made some great friends at the gym with the very people I thought were judging me.
  • lkweber21
    lkweber21 Posts: 27 Member
    When I see very large people at the gym, I always think "good for them at least they are here doing something!"
  • rabies
    rabies Posts: 62
    Honestly, every time someone who's in bad shape shows up at my gym it adds to my overall happiness. The only ones who care about what you look like are the ones secretly rooting for you, who are stoked one more person decided to take charge and start working out.

    Don't let yourself get in the way, just get in there and start sweating!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,984 Member
    Lol, people go to a gym to GET IN SHAPE and STAY IN SHAPE. That's the one common that everyone there has.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • saxmaniac
    saxmaniac Posts: 1,133 Member
    Anyone else in the same boat?
    I used to love going, I went almost everyday and it felt great - but I was slimmer then.
    Now, I've had a baby and I'm ashamed of how I look, it doesn't help that my self esteem is at an all time zero. I know going will make me feel better but I don't really know what I'm scared of :S

    Lots of people are scared to work out in front of people that they think look better than them.

    That means, lots of people are scared of YOU, too.
  • amylite
    amylite Posts: 40 Member
    This is probably going to sound harsh, but it is a lesson I had to learn.

    Ain't nobody looking at you. Everyone is so focused on themselves and their workout that while they may appear to be looking at you they really aren't. Go in there, work your booty off and feel proud of yourself.

    ^^^ THIS IS VERY TRUE

    and btw, the part about losing weight so you can go to the gym reminds me of cleaning the house before the cleaning "lady" gets there....
  • dawningr
    dawningr Posts: 387 Member
    Do you have an option to work with a trainer for a few sessions? I found that someone showing me good form, what the machines do, etc.. made me much more confident.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    I felt like that after having both my kids, but I just went, put my headphones in, and got on with it. No-one even looks at you.
  • ChristiSykes
    ChristiSykes Posts: 186 Member
    Everyone is in their own zone....No one is going to judge you :)
  • Luvmesumkenny
    Luvmesumkenny Posts: 779 Member
    Don't be SCUUUUUUUUUUUURD!!!!!!!!
    Walk in there and OWN IT!
    Excuses don't get you Results!!!!
  • AlisonTheNerd
    AlisonTheNerd Posts: 41 Member
    You got this. The gym, sites like this, they are all there for people to come together to celebrate working out. I guarantee, the only reason someone might not want you to be there is because you're on their favorite machine or something.

    The only time I've had people pay attention to me was to help my form on a work out, but that was a university gym when I was a student athlete and it was another athlete giving me a few tips. I felt a little self-conscious but he was very well meaning and friendly about it. I also want to say I was the largest person my whole team, and the largest female student athlete in the school.

    Good luck!
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    Don't be ridiculous...I've yet to walk into any gym where EVERYONE is young, hot and in great shape. Go in like a boss, and own it!

    There's nothing to be afraid of :noway:

    This.

    Quit being a sissy.
  • LareishaH
    LareishaH Posts: 205 Member

    Ain't nobody looking at you. Everyone is so focused on themselves and their workout that while they may appear to be looking at you they really aren't.

    THIS!!!! Focus on what you need to do for yourself, and DO NOT worry about what anyone may be thinking or saying about you. The only time anyone pays attention to you is when you are using a piece of equipment that they want to use. LOL
  • Running_Tanya
    Running_Tanya Posts: 14 Member
    I feel the same way about the weight section of the gym. I really want to start lifting because I'm starting to get skinny fat. I'm afraid I'm going to hurt myself and can't afford a trainer to show me how to lift correctly. I attend group classes but they've dropped all of the Body Pump classes and kept just the Zumba.
  • chooselove
    chooselove Posts: 106 Member
    Honestly, I don't notice anyone unless it's someone in particularly good shape, or really sexy, or both. ;)
    If I do notice an overweight person, I always feel a HUGE amount of respect for them because I have been through that struggle and felt afraid of the gym just as you do.
    I respect every single person in the gym because they are showing that they care about themselves.
  • rabblerabble
    rabblerabble Posts: 471 Member
    I'm not the skinniest person in my gym, nor the fattest, and certainly don't have the biggest muscles. I look at anyone else in the gym, whether they are large, small, tall, short, etc, and I simply see someone who shares my desire to become healthier.

    Virtually no one in the gym is looking down on anyone else because of how they look. Their focus is on their own fitness program and frankly, most of us are too busy trying to get our own body into shape to worry about what anyone else is doing or how they appear.
  • jody664
    jody664 Posts: 397 Member
    This is probably going to sound harsh, but it is a lesson I had to learn.

    Ain't nobody looking at you. Everyone is so focused on themselves and their workout that while they may appear to be looking at you they really aren't. Go in there, work your booty off and feel proud of yourself.

    ^^This.

    As much as I like to think I'm the center of the universe, no one gives me a second glance at the gym. No one. And FWIW, I see a lot of different types at my gym. I guarantee you won't be the biggest one there.
  • cmcoll2
    cmcoll2 Posts: 5
    What other people think of you is none of your business, you do you and let them do them. In the end, your happiness is what really matters and you are the one that has to live with your decisions, not the rest of the world. I am in the gym everyday I am 43 and weigh over 200, but I'm there for me and my kids and I act like I own the place. I actually chuckle inside myself at the people who are all dolled up and don't sweat a drop... at least I work my butt off!!
  • jessicae1aine
    jessicae1aine Posts: 885
    I used to be that way.

    Now I take some sick joy in the fact that, even at 275 pounds, I stay longer than 99% of the smaller people that come in, and I work my butt off.
  • rabies
    rabies Posts: 62
    I used to be that way.

    Now I take some sick joy in the fact that, even at 275 pounds, I stay longer than 99% of the smaller people that come in, and I work my butt off.

    Yessss!!! Lift heavy things, eat well and you'll start looking awesome! Thing is, by being heavy, you have an advantage in the lifting department as you're already set up for optimal muscle building :) Use it!
  • Lauramh31
    Lauramh31 Posts: 95 Member
    Aww - don't be scared! I agree with the others that people really don't care or notice others at the gym (except for the girls wearing only sportsbras, i'm sure the guys notice them :laugh: )

    But seriously - even if people do notice you they are probably thinking "wow, good for her for getting out here and getting healthy!" At least, that's what I think :flowerforyou:
  • FionaDFair
    FionaDFair Posts: 125 Member
    You can probably count the number of folks who will judge you for your appearance at a (good, reputable) gym with the fingers on one hand. You can definitely ignore the number of folks who do so with any number of fingers you like.

    This is true. I have come to truly love and enjoy working out at my local gym, even when my workout buddy can't make it. I go in the fairly early morning before work (around 6:30 or 7am), so there are a lot of older people there, some earlier retirees. There are also younger people there like myself, but most everyone is pretty friendly and keeps doing their own thing. The gym employees are very welcoming too.

    However, I was doing my workout at home last Friday and I have not suffered such levels of judgment in a loooong time. My husband and I have four cats and at least two of them were out-and-out staring at me, unashamedly, while I was trying to do lunges and calf raises. They were looking at me like I was some special kind of crazy. Then they licked their butts! IN FRONT OF ME! I will take the gym over that any day. ;)
  • slaura14
    slaura14 Posts: 1
    The thing is, the people at the gym who you think might be "judging you" were in the same place you are when they first started!
  • thirstyflea
    thirstyflea Posts: 114 Member
    This is probably going to sound harsh, but it is a lesson I had to learn.

    Ain't nobody looking at you. Everyone is so focused on themselves and their workout that while they may appear to be looking at you they really aren't. Go in there, work your booty off and feel proud of yourself.

    ^^^ THIS ^^^
  • cbkb1234
    cbkb1234 Posts: 94 Member
    I felt the same way I have a 24 hour gym so I would go when I knw only a few people would be there ! lol but I started going a bit earlier now when its packed and its actually nice! and dont be afraid of people judging you, just think that they are there for the same exact reason!!!
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    I AM A GYM HATER.
  • jdm0804
    jdm0804 Posts: 98 Member
    In my own experience, as long as you're actually doing something and not wasting space (Like sitting on a weight bench just to chill.) then no one really cares. That said, there tends to be this air of "expertise" in gyms for me. I'll go in and feel like everyone else knows what they're doing and I don't; I start feeling really self-conscious that someone is going to come tell me I'm doing it wrong. That's more what keeps me away from it.
  • Coyoteldy
    Coyoteldy Posts: 219 Member
    The single greatest gift you can give yourself is to stop caring what people think of you. They don't pay your bills or your paycheck...go in there like you own it babe...in my experience ( and I have lots I am an old bat) people won't give you a second thought beyond the ten seconds it takes to see you... they are too wrapped up in themselves. Honestly can you remember someone YOU saw a week ago and had NO interaction with? Go for it.. it is about you taking care of YOU and THATS the important part!

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