Feel like an awkward moose at the gym?
SamanthaD1218
Posts: 303 Member
Because I sure do! I love my morning and afternoon walks to work (a mile each way, which I try to walk briskly), but I know I need to get back to the gym and do some serious cardio and add in some strength training. The only problem? I feel like an awkward flailing moose trying to use exercise machines.
Ever see that episode of Friends where Phoebe teaches Rachel how to run? Yeah, that's me.
I'm 99.9% sure that this weird anxiety is all in my head and no one actually cares what I look like at the gym (after all, I don't stare at other people when I'm there), but it has always been an issue for me. I feel so self-conscious and literally start to get panicky and will cut my workout short just to escape. I won't run outside for the same reason (that horrifies me even more), and I can't really work out in my apartment because I'm on the top floor and don't want to annoy the hell out of the nice woman below me.
So I know I need to stop whining and just do it, especially considering that I'm paying a monthly fee for it, but I could sure use some words of wisdom. I feel great when I actually drag myself there and get in a good workout, but getting over that weird initial panic is so hard for me! Does anyone else ever feel this way? Or should I be hiring a therapist...?
Ever see that episode of Friends where Phoebe teaches Rachel how to run? Yeah, that's me.
I'm 99.9% sure that this weird anxiety is all in my head and no one actually cares what I look like at the gym (after all, I don't stare at other people when I'm there), but it has always been an issue for me. I feel so self-conscious and literally start to get panicky and will cut my workout short just to escape. I won't run outside for the same reason (that horrifies me even more), and I can't really work out in my apartment because I'm on the top floor and don't want to annoy the hell out of the nice woman below me.
So I know I need to stop whining and just do it, especially considering that I'm paying a monthly fee for it, but I could sure use some words of wisdom. I feel great when I actually drag myself there and get in a good workout, but getting over that weird initial panic is so hard for me! Does anyone else ever feel this way? Or should I be hiring a therapist...?
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Replies
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If you actually are having an anxiety response and really need to get away then a bit of hypnotherapy isn't a bad idea.0
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Aww there is no need for you to feel awkward at the gym you look fantastic. I used to feel that way. Sometimes I still do until I get inside the gym. At the end of the day everyone is at the gym for the same reason and that is to work out.0
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Don’t worry! I think what you feel is normal, I've been there too - feeling like people are watching you and judging you.
I know people say, don’t worry about what other people think, but that is easier said than done.
Once you start going regularly you just get over those feelings.
I think, for me anyway, being fat and unfit at a place where everyone's thin and fit is what made me feel like I didn’t belong. But when you look around there are actually a load of people in the same position as you or even more unfit (and we're not judging them, so why would other people be judging us)
Just get on with it and you'll soon start to get over it. Plus as you get fitter you'll feel like you belong there anyway.
Or if you think it might help, get a personal training session to help you get to grips with some of the machines, so you feel more confident on them.
:-)0 -
It's a new experience, so I'd say it's a pretty normal response. Why not ask a trainer to walk you through a few basic lifts you want to learn. Get the form down with those and add another new exercise. Keep getting the form right and adding another until you have a full workout in place. Its hard to remember the correct technique/form for everything at once. If you build up your repertoire gradually, there is less to remember each time as the older ones become habit, and less chance of injury.
And remember to wipe stuff down when you're done.
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I just joined a gym and haven't gone in yet to exercise for your very reason, but I do have a plan to go on this Tues morning. 1. wear my exercise clothes so I don't have to change in the locker room. 2. Hop on the bike because I know how to use it and go for my pre-determined minutes. Bring earplugs to watch the TV (and block out everyone else). 3. and after my bike minutes I am going to go and ask a worker how to use one machine. Use it and then go! I will go back home to change. I guess this is like all hard things in life--break it down into small manageable steps. Whenever I see an overweight person working out (walking etc.) I say Good for them!!! and if you are there too with me, "Good for us!!!"0
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I had 'fat guy at the gym' syndrome when I started. I just kept reminding myself that everyone is focused on their own workout, and really didn't have time to be judging me. Besides, how would I ever feel better about myself if I didn't bite the bullet and get through this phase?
And to anyone that does judge - screw 'em. You may be fat now, but you'll be skinny tomorrow. They'll always be judgmental pricks, and no workout in the world can help them.0 -
Book a PT session, explain your concerns and get them to give you an idea of how the stuff works and what would be good for you.0
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You don't need to worry about this at all. There is no way anyone thinks you look like an awkward moose. It's just how you feel. Getting yourself there is the hardest part. Just go there and do it and don't think about anyone else. Remember you are doing this for yourself. you experience the long term benefits long after the workout is over and no one even remembers who you are at the gym because they are focused on their own workouts.0
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I felt awkward at the beginning, but then I just realized I'm doing it for me not others, I would rather be doing something about my weight feeling awkward at the gym instead of feeling awkward about my weight EVERYWHERE. Plus, if no one pays any attention to me being hugely pregnant and working out, they aren't going to be paying any attention to you either, just remember you are doing this for YOU who cares what others are going to think, people are going to think things about you no matter what or where you are so whatever! Hope this helps you out, just remember, YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!0
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I haven't felt this way in a long time, but I have many friends that do feel this way. I wanted to get them off the couch & feel comfortable exercising. Therefore, I opened my own "No-Judgment" gym at my house. They love it! And keep coming back for more! :drinker: 0
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Definitely, but not much to be done about it so I just go on with my work.0
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I feel the same way - bringing a friend helps a lot I went with a friend for the first few months then after that felt comfortable enough to go on my own. I still get a little nervous sometimes, especially if the gym is busy, but just go for it 0
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From time to time I do...but then most of the time I wonder what the hell other people are doing at the gym and it makes me feel like less people are looking at me.. Like the girls who put treadmill on max incline and hang on for dear life and the people using the weight machines and letting the weights crash down each rep. My favorite was a girl who tried EVERY SINGLE bike and couldn't get them to turn on before she realized that you have to start peddling to make it turn on.
Always someone worse there :laugh: :happy:0 -
This very thing stopped me from going to a gym for a long time. I'd get a guest pass from a place like Lifetime, and be totally freaked at how wonderful everyone else looked, and be too self concious even to try a simple treadmill there. So when a Zip Fitness opened near me, I went in, and loved it. It's not fancy, no classes, no frills. It has the basics, and a lot of people like me seem to populate it. I've been going now three days a week, and love it. No one is judging me, and I've actually made a few friends in the process. It took a lot to get over my overly accute self-awareness.
Also, I avoid locker rooms by dressing for workouts before going. Just remember, you are doing it for yourself, and it does not matter what others think!0 -
If you actually are having an anxiety response and really need to get away then a bit of hypnotherapy isn't a bad idea.
Great I'll just tell my therapist that someone on MFP has all the answers.
OP and anyone else who is scared: no one is watching you. Everyone is so focused on their own workout that I doubt they even notice you're there. Realizing that no one in the world cares about how silly you look is pretty liberating.0 -
It helps to realize most of the people there are feeling the same thing. If it's the machines that makes you feel awkward it can help to have someone show you the proper way to use/adjust them and proper form so you feel more confident doing everything. I'm a personal trainer and can still feel awkward at the gym, especially going to new ones where machines adjust differently than I'm used to... if I have to fumble for a minute it can be embarrassing, but just remember you're the only one who seems your embarrassment. If you pretend to know what you're doing, eventually you start to feel like you do.0
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If you don't want to ask a PT, go up to a guy who looks like he knows what he is doing and ask nicely. Who could say no to a pretty face? Seriously, just ask people there it is an ego boost for them.0
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From time to time I do...but then most of the time I wonder what the hell other people are doing at the gym and it makes me feel like less people are looking at me.. Like the girls who put treadmill on max incline and hang on for dear life and the people using the weight machines and letting the weights crash down each rep. My favorite was a girl who tried EVERY SINGLE bike and couldn't get them to turn on before she realized that you have to start peddling to make it turn on.
Always someone worse there :laugh: :happy:
Not sure this is a good thing to say to someone who is afraid they're being judged/watched at the gym.0 -
Lol THIS IS WHAT I'M AFRAID OF! I'm the awkward girl on all the bikes...0
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Maybe you would feel better if you asked a trainer/worker at the gym to show you how to use the machines properly? It sounds like you panic because your not quite sure how to use them/what to do. That may subside if you feel like you know exactly what your doing. All gyms usually show new members how to use the machines if they are asked. You're not new but you can still ask
I think once you gain that confidence with the machines you will feel like your blending in with everyone else (aka no one would be looking at you because you look like everyone else) and you can focus more on your actual workout. Eventually this may morph into you feeling like a complete bada** at the gym. I'm used to get really nervous when i went to new gyms but I feel experienced now and that has completely subsided.0 -
I used to be really self-conscious when I first started going to the gym back in May. I stuck only to what I already knew how to use and was afraid to try anything new for fear of looking like an idiot. Over time, though, I realized how few people in the gym were paying attention to what other people were doing. Literally as long as I didn't fall off of something nobody would be watching if I had to stop after a few minutes, lower the weight or speed on a machine, or something like that. The first time I used the arc trainer, I literally spent the whole time holding on for dear life and feeling like I was about to go flying off of it, but I stuck with it, and now it's one of my favorite cardio machines. I started to feel confident enough to try new things, and I watched what others were doing so that I could get a sense of proper form on some of the weight machines I'd never used.
I think everybody feels like an awkward moose at some point. As others have said, maybe working with a trainer will help you to feel more confident. If that's not an option, start slowly. Say to yourself, "I'm going to try the elliptical machine for 5 minutes at the lowest setting just to see what it's like," or decide that you'll try one new strength training station or exercises. If you stick with it and don't try to do too much too quickly, you'll hopefully start to feel more confident.0 -
I dont really like working out in front of people. So I got a gym membership at a 24/7 gym to where I could go anytime. Its almost always dead when I go in there or maybe 1 or 2 people on the treadmill. I agree with the awkward moose thing, like I feel normal using the treadmill or bike but when I try to do weighted squats in the weight area or any type of those exercises I see online I look goofy as hell. I use to have a gym membership somewhere else years ago and it never failed, I would get on the furthest treadmill by the wall and there could be 5 empty treadmills next to me and the next person to walk in has to get on the treadmill right next to me, then they start running full speed on like 7 while I am walking...lol..
I also like that my gym is empty when I go because I can check out the machines I dont know how to use with out people looking at me. Idk when you are doing unflattering squats it sucks to have a tons of people around.0 -
Lol THIS IS WHAT I'M AFRAID OF! I'm the awkward girl on all the bikes...
You need to start asking "so what?" If you look unsure or awkward, so what? What is the worst that can happen to you?
Does anyone point and laugh? If they do, so what?
Do they tell you how to do something? Awesome! You got help!
Do they take video and youtube it? Hey! You're famous! Smile!
Do they ignore you and do their own thing? Probably.
Remember. So what?0 -
I have felt like this before. I used to workout in an area of town where they treated the gym like a club! Reviews on Foursquare and Yelp called it "the hookup spot". There were a lot of strippers that worked out there. I left that gym and never turned back! Now I workout at my apartment gym.
What I do at the gym is spot a person that is struggling more than I am and just focus on being more coordinated than them! It works for a while then I realize we are all here for a goal! There are some people that are in awe of you because they are worse off, or were at that stage in at one point in time and know how hard you are working.
Just put on the best music mix you own and work it!
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I feel like this too, but the more I go the better it gets. There are still some machines I don't know how to use, but I was taught how to do the basic ones, so I am sticking with those for now. Also, I still do go at a time when there are only a few people there, as someone already said.0
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Eh, you're really cute... what's the problem here?
If you're not comfortable with exercising that's one thing... but a moose? lol That's a ridiculous thing to worry about, especially in your case, you have no reason to. :drinker:
The cure for feeling like a dumbass in the gym is picking up a book to learn about what you need to do. I would suggest New Rules of Lifting for Women, and you can buy it cheap as an eBook, or otherwise on Amazon.
Really accessible, and you will thank me tremendously once you've read it.0 -
Whaaat?? I love the phoebe run!! That's adorable!!! Nothing to be embarrassed about... :flowerforyou:
Some people are just born with an extra amount of cuteness.. You just have to deal with it!!! :bigsmile:0 -
I have something similar actually. When I go to a gym I feel like everyone's suddenly staring at me with disapproval thinking 'Why is this lazy girl here? Go back to your computer and let us REAL fitness fanatics work out in peace'. Even though none of this is happening AT ALL. I feel your pain.0
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I thought that way too. I joined a gym that caters the "no judgement" zone... but still I thought about it how I would feel yet I pushed those feelings aside and went to the gym. I thought to myself, "I am here for me and no one else". So I go to the gym in my workout clothes and could care less. If they want to look at my stomach or butt or whatever than go for it because I am there for me and no one else. It takes a bit of pepping yourself up and having the attitude of , "I can do this!". Go to that gym and work out don't give away your money for free.0
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I had to ask some random girl how to use a couple of the squat machines. I felt a little like a doofus but got over it quickly and now am a pro at it. Just go for it!0
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