Embarrassed to exercise at home.

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13

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  • Microfiber
    Microfiber Posts: 956 Member
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    Heya guys! A little update! I have just done the day 1 of the insanity! Didn't do it 100% fully as I was worn out at the end, but I'm happy you all are pushing me! I really need it!

    xoxo

    Well done. Keep on pushing play :flowerforyou:
  • PlayerHatinDogooder
    PlayerHatinDogooder Posts: 1,018 Member
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    Just get over it.

    Put music in and go

    Ain't nobody payin attention

    This.

    I found being overweight far more embarrassing than exercising.
  • pandabear_
    pandabear_ Posts: 487 Member
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    I think you just eventually have to convince yourself that maybe 30 minutes of embarrassment is worth how your body will look in the end.

    I live in a shared flat and I just started doing 30 day shred again this week. Every time I finish my friend asks if someone is having sex in the flat.... That would be me jumping around in my room. It's embarrassing, but it's my room and I can do what I like in it, as long it's not 3am in the morning or something
  • april1445
    april1445 Posts: 334
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    There's gotta be a way you can move it to the basement. laptop? And do it when people are asleep. I get it--hated being walked in on when I'm exercising. I know lots of people like that, but figure it out. It's worth it.
  • estielouise
    estielouise Posts: 46 Member
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    At the risk of sounding blunt as hell the simple fact is that if you want to do this you need to get over your issues with it and decide to do it.

    Nobody here will be able to magic you a thicker floor or a soundproof bedroom.... you just have to decide if being fit and healthy is worth a bit of mental discomfort.

    Personally I have an anxiety disorder which means that any situation I'm not too keen on makes me more nervous than your average person. The idea of running outside was positively panic attack inducing. I now run out on trails 3/4 times a week. I decided what I wanted and I worked towards that.

    Initially I would run at ridiculous times in the middle of no where in order for people not to see me...I now run whenever I fancy, wherever I fancy.

    If you want to achieve your goals you need to be prepared to push past your anxieties. In order to get anywhere you need to be determined to make the journey.

    This!!!!!! Get over it and think about what you want more. Personally i would ask your sisters husband if he minds you using the living room for half an hour, i am sure he ciuld find something to do whilst your doing this!!
  • iorahkwano
    iorahkwano Posts: 709 Member
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    What about joining a gym? There are a lot of gyms open 24/7 and you can go at any time. At certain hours there is almost NO ONE in the gym. Gyms also have workout classes & trust me, EVERYONE in the class is too busy gasping for air & focusing on their coordination to look around at what other people are doing. I've taken kickboxing, Crossfit, Metabolic Resistance training, jiu jitsu & no one has the luxury to stand around & stare or judge. Everyone is in it together! Everyone's sweaty, panting & has a red face. It's also quite motivational to be in a class. To see fit people, see people the same size as you, try to keep up or get tips from a trainer.
  • grassette
    grassette Posts: 976 Member
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    Try using the treadmill at a time of day when nobody is in the living room, like the early morning, when all are too busy and distracted to pay attention to you, or asleep. Using the treadmill is great when the weather outside is bad. Keep in mind that even a 20 minute stint is worth it, and seize the opportunity!

    As for the thumping in your bedroom, just go for what it is that you want to do. Once everybody is used to it, it won't be an issue.
  • klp1017
    klp1017 Posts: 95 Member
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    "If you give a *kitten* of what people think you're not going to get anywhere."
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
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    What about joining a gym? There are a lot of gyms open 24/7 and you can go at any time. At certain hours there is almost NO ONE in the gym.

    She said she can't afford a gym right now. Maybe a super-cheap, no-frills gym will open near her some day.
  • PunkyRachel
    PunkyRachel Posts: 1,959 Member
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    I have the same issue, I live in a house that is over a hundred years old, and is very weak. Plus 6 people live in this 4 bedroom Victorian. My husband and I, my younger brother and his girlfriend, and both of my parents, plus 7 cats and a rabbit. So its a bit crowded and if I run, jump, or even walk heavier upstairs, my mom will yell and complain. I can't afford a gym either, and I have no car to drive to the free zumba class I was attending at a local church. I am about 3/4 of a mile away from a local high school. I walk to its track, walk/jog the track, and then walk/run the bleachers, then walk back home. That is my workout and its really my only option right now.
  • vikidenn
    vikidenn Posts: 20
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    I am so proud of you for what you are trying to do. Tell everyone you are trying to add some muscles and get in better shape and hope they do not have trouble with the noise. Ask if there is a better time for you to try to do it each day. Then set you timer on your phone and go for it with no expectations from downstairs. Just secretly, and on here, keep it up. You are a winner at heart for trying all this. Stick to it and become a coach and mentor for other in a few months. It's hard to do all this in hiding. If you can pull it off, then you can be a new kind of mentor to others who are trying to do the same thing. Also, If you have transportation, see about the free fitness groups in your county's parks and recreation program. Also, tell you closest gym what you are trying to do. Tell them to see if there are any mentors who might sponsor you if you can do xyz (lose 10 pounds or walk 3 miles a day for 30 days, etc.) - maybe a free memberhsip for 30 days at a time if you do such and such. If they have no such program, ask them to put up a poster and sponsor such a program. Go to several gyms until one says, OK, they will try it!
  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,631 Member
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    I used to be embarrassed to workout. We had a gym at my apartment complex and I used to only go there if it was empty. Eventually I got used to working out and now I wish I had more friends that worked out so I could have a buddy! I'm not embarrassed to run outside anymore either. I think you just have to get used to it. Try taking a class, I go to zumba sometimes and its fun to workout in a group. It can actually build your confidence because you see other people who are less fit than you working out, so you think "If they can do it, so can I!"
  • missbis
    missbis Posts: 116 Member
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    I totally understand this. I did the 30DS last year, but stopped because my live-in boyfriend was home too often (we were both in grad school at the time--lots of at-home work). I did 30DS a few times when my boyfriend was at school, but the workout was honestly really hard for me and I quit. Now that I've been in the gym for about a year lifting weights, I feel like I finally have the endurance and the motivation for 30DS. However, my boyfriend is now finished with his coursework and working on studying for comps and eventually writing his dissertation, so he's ALWAYS HOME. I feel you. It's totally awkward. My advice is to ask the family if they mind the noise and if not, just suck it up and do the workout. At least you're on the second floor; my living room is right outside my boyfriend's office!

    Good luck! :wink:
  • chandy2809
    chandy2809 Posts: 42 Member
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    I understan anxiety issues, I have suffered with them my whole life. But the only thing that can make it change is YOU. I would talk to the family about it and work up a plan of sorts, maybe everyone could take shifts 'in' the living room and you can have you 1 hour shift do to you video. 1 hour is not a long time to ask people to do something in their own rooms or outside <3

    I do this! I live with my mum, her partner, my fiancé and my sister! I ask my family if I can have the luving room for half an hour to do zumba or 30 day shred! they really don't mind!!! just ask and see what happens! they can only say no - which I doubt will happen!!
  • karendee4
    karendee4 Posts: 558 Member
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    I felt too embarrassed at first but I eventually got over it. (I have anxiety issues too) I felt I was setting a good example for everyone living with me. I jump and jiggle and sweat and don't care.

    That is not much help to you now but you may eventually not care who sees you.

    Do you have a laptop that can play DVD's? You could go anywhere with that. I tried the basement in my home. Maybe they have a garage you can try? It would be hot but you could go there at night or early morning.

    I like the jogging/running idea. That can burn a lot of calories for you.

    Good Luck!!
  • lauralopez2486
    lauralopez2486 Posts: 1 Member
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    I feel the same way at times. Although my situation is a bit different. I live in an upstairs apt so doing anything extreme would cause distrupstion. Even when my son runs from one room to the other i feel bad for causing noise for the people downstairs. However, i think maybe if you get some one on one time with your sister and maybe ask her what would be a good time to "make some noise" without causing any disruppstion downstairs and avoiding anyone interrupting you. Maybe mentioning that her son was interested in excersising too may lead into your whole family getting together to do it. Make it out to be an offer rather than a suggestion. Hope my bit of insights help you along your journey. Good Luck!
  • CooperSprings
    CooperSprings Posts: 754 Member
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    Learn to laugh at yourself.
    I was jogging yesterday and tripped right when a goood lookin' man glanced over at me.
    I cracked up.
    What else can you do? lol
  • rissaface
    rissaface Posts: 129 Member
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    One way to not feel foolish is to do it with someone. Ask your sister if she wants to do it with you. You said she's overweight... maybe she feels the same way. That she wants to get in better shape, but is embarrassed.

    I used to feel really self-conscious about running outside, mostly because I didn't want anyone to see me "fail" (ie, stop running). Then when I started Couch to 5K, and realized that many people do interval training... how would anyone know the difference between me failing to run, and stopping on purpose? No one knows what my training plan is. They don't know if I just ran for 30 seconds or 30 minutes. Moreover... they don't care. They're not paying attention to me. I'm no more interesting to them than a dead woodchuck on the side of the road. :laugh:

    I realized I completely lost those inhibitions when I was doing the Zombies Run 5K app, and one of the exercises included 15 seconds of skipping. Yeah, like "tra la la la la" skipping like a little girl. And when the narrator told me to skip, I skipped. In front of a construction site. I had my earbuds in, my sunglasses on, and I didn't pay any attention to whether or not they were paying any attention to me. And skipping is fun!


    I love this!! I need to find this app. :laugh:
  • exie95
    exie95 Posts: 12
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    Heya guys! First time poster. I am 18 years old, and I find it awkward to exercise at home. I almost finished the 30 day squat challenge and did some other leg and arm exercises. Those are fine for me. But I managed to get my hands on the insanity DVD which seems amazing, and the before and after pictures seem so inspiring. The problem is, I live with my sister who is overweight, her husband, and her two children. My bedroom happens to be on the second floor, and each time I jump, or even walk heavier, the whole house shakes and everybody can hear everything. The day before yesterday my sister was in work, so her husband was at home downstairs in the living room. I knew that he might hear but I did the Insanity fit test. i was starting it and doing the jumps or whatever. Later my nephew comes up and asks 'Umm... My dad was wondering..what are you doing?' and I felt awkward and told him I'm exercising. And he asked me if he can do it with me. So I said sure, but I just felt so shy that his dad is downstairs listening to me doing something. My sister also has a treadmill, I'd like to use it, but again I'm too shy. It is in the living room so everybody is always there. I am too shy to do it there. I take my walks which are around 2 miles each day. It takes me around 40minutes walking. But I want to do the insanity so bad, but that stupid floor is so thin you hear everything. I couldn't do much when they aren't home. Sisters husband is home a lot during the day as he works at night at the end of the week. I have no idea what to do. Running outside is out of the question as I'm too shy, and gyms here are too expensive and you have to already buy 6 month memberships which I can't afford.

    Help! :(


    Maybe if you invite a friend over to workout with you it won't be as awkward. Or you're sister, or her kids or whoever(:
  • gr8xpectationz
    gr8xpectationz Posts: 161 Member
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    You have lots of alternatives... find a low-impact work-out. Or try yoga or tai chi. Or a work-out buddy. Or join a gym. Or a set-up in the basement.

    You can totally do this! And some things are worth being embarrassed about. I'd be nervous about shaking the whole house too. But some things aren't. Being on a treadmill shouldn't be embarrassing.

    You could also talk with your sister about making this something you guys do together.

    LOTS of options. You can totally find a way to exercise and work toward your goals.

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