How to get over fear of jogging in front of people?

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Replies

  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    http://flintland.blogspot.com/2012/05/hey-fat-girl.html

    You need to read this!
  • befitlon
    befitlon Posts: 30 Member
    hi! NOT EVERYONE WILL UNDERSTAND YOUR JOURNEY. THAT'S FINE. IT'S NOT THEIR JOURNEY TO MAKE SENSE OF. IT'S YOURS. =)
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Could find a running buddy on Craigslist or Gumtree?
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Could find a running buddy on Craigslist or Gumtree?

    Safer to google for a local running group and show up at one of the group runs.
  • april1445
    april1445 Posts: 334
    First of all: LOVE the hey fat girl thing! Thank you! In my fairly extensive professional experience with semi-professional athletes, I have found this to be true. Athletes just want everyone to come over to the light. they really do.

    I believe that people who are fit, who are trying, who make an effort, will respect your efforts. It is part of your journey to overcome this fear, and you will be a better person for it in more ways than one, when you conquer this. For people who are judging you (and there will be some), they are not worth worrying over. I know that sounds cliché, and simplistic, but it's true. You are improving yourself, and they are not. Allow yourself to become the inspiration.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Could find a running buddy on Craigslist or Gumtree?

    Safer to google for a local running group and show up at one of the group runs.

    Oh yes, good point. Another is meetup.com.
  • ruurik
    ruurik Posts: 143 Member
    Sometimes I now dare to dance in public...not professional or anything I mean while I run! A few little hops and skips there and a sway of the hips and I am on my runners high xxx

    It would make my day if I saw that. Excellent!
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Sometimes I now dare to dance in public...not professional or anything I mean while I run! A few little hops and skips there and a sway of the hips and I am on my runners high xxx

    It would make my day if I saw that. Excellent!
    There is a runner down on the water front here that does this. Will start dancing out of no where. Always puts a smile on my face, no matter how rough the run might turn out to be.
  • ruurik
    ruurik Posts: 143 Member
    Hi! I kind of have the fear of jogging in front of people in public. I walk all the way to the woods to do my running LOL
    Id rather just do it locally instead of going ALLL the way to the woods(its time consuming)
    Im chubby (obviously) so I fear being mocked or laughed at by passer-byers
    I also live in an area where a majority of my old classmates live (Im kind of already over this though)
    And my mother is rather... rude? She mocks me from time to time (which im also over this)
    Im just overall shy and somewhat insecure
    Id join a gym but im poor (wahhhh)
    Im thinking of just jogging before the sun comes up, so no one can see me, ahaha.
    Anyone have any wise words?
    Or tell me if you've gotten over this fear or how you do it?
    Thanks!

    If it makes any difference, I live in a scenic area and no matter the weather, it's full of people jogging and riding bikes. I see them often but... can't remember anything about any of them! In my mind, they all merge into one nameless, faceless person. Jogging is so normal that it doesn't register with me who's doing it.
  • krystina_letitia9
    krystina_letitia9 Posts: 697 Member
    It took me a long time to get out there and run. I started paying attention to those that I saw run and I saw people who were far more out of shape than me. I realized that the only people paying attention were the people like me that needed the encouragement :smile: If anything, I think people see other people walking/running and don't think twice. It took me even longer to run on the treadmill at my gym but realized also that people are paying attention to their own workouts and weren't paying attention to mine.
  • ruurik
    ruurik Posts: 143 Member
    There is a runner down on the water front here that does this. Will start dancing out of no where. Always puts a smile on my face, no matter how rough the run might turn out to be.

    That's sooo cool. I've never seen that before.

    I'd be inclined to join in! I'm fond of a backwards moonwalk past the supermarket deli counter lol.
  • SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants
    SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants Posts: 474 Member
    Hi Sweetie! I started running at about the 235 lb mark. I tried running when I was at my heaviest and Id always end up with severe back pain. At 235 I was all jiggle when I ran (Im 202 now and I still have some jiggle lol) but I NEVER saw anyone looking down on me. If anything I think people say to themselves "wish I was movin my lazy *kitten*". When I was unsure of myself Id think " LOOK AT ME OUT HERE DOING SOMETHING ABOUT MY WEIGHT WHILE EVERYONE IN CARS IS EATING FAST FOOD AND STAGNANT". So I had my own stereotype going, and decided even overweight I was still the one winning at life :) Just do it sweetie. Get your headphones and GO! This is about you and this is YOUR WORLD. Go out and get the body of your dreams!! They'll admire you for your drive if nothing else! xo
  • katalinax87
    katalinax87 Posts: 146 Member
    This is exactly what I needed. I have been doing the C25K program for 3 weeks now and used to run after my daughter had gone to bed, about 7.30 - 8pm but recently my partner has changed jobs meaning that he is not home till 10pm so I have to run during the day. I am fat, unfit and not kitted out very well so I feel anxious about other people. This has given me to motivation to get back out there.
  • SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants
    SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants Posts: 474 Member
    tothefatty.png
  • CubicalF13
    CubicalF13 Posts: 263 Member
    I agree with everyone else, just do it, you will become fearless eventually from repetition, doing it over and over again until you will wonder, what the hell was i even worried about. If people feel the need to harass you, dont become angry, just smile and wave. Dont let a group of small minded individuals bring you down to their level of understanding. Keep your thoughts and their negative beliefs separate and remain positive. If you can overcome a small issue like this then you can overcome anything once you have set your mind on just doing it.
  • PrettyPearl88
    PrettyPearl88 Posts: 368 Member
    Hi! I kind of have the fear of jogging in front of people in public. I walk all the way to the woods to do my running LOL
    Id rather just do it locally instead of going ALLL the way to the woods(its time consuming)
    Im chubby (obviously) so I fear being mocked or laughed at by passer-byers
    I also live in an area where a majority of my old classmates live (Im kind of already over this though)
    And my mother is rather... rude? She mocks me from time to time (which im also over this)
    Im just overall shy and somewhat insecure
    Id join a gym but im poor (wahhhh)
    Im thinking of just jogging before the sun comes up, so no one can see me, ahaha.
    Anyone have any wise words?
    Or tell me if you've gotten over this fear or how you do it?
    Thanks!

    This used to be me!!! I grew up being mocked and bullied by everyone from my peers, to adult leaders in my life, to even random strangers (thankfully not by my family though). I still struggle with the scars and insecurities from my past today. And when I was starting to lose weight, I was terrified to exercise in front of anyone. I used to only walk and jog in quiet, deserted neighborhoods to exercise and it took me two years to gather up the courage to finally join a gym.

    What finally helped me get over my fear was first, just keeping at it. With time I started to get better, stronger, and more confident during my workouts. And then one day I realized that I wasn't the chubbiest, most out-of-breath person around anymore. I saw other people much larger and much more out-of-shape than I was. And you know what I felt? Awe. No part of me felt like snickering at them or making fun of them for being "fat and out-of-shape." Instead, I was proud of them! I wanted to encourage them and tell them how awesome they were. Because they were awesome! Instead of sitting at home and doing nothing about their health, they were making a change an doing something about it.

    It was then that I realized that that's exactly how most people must have looked at me when I first started out. I suspect that most people think that same way when they see chubby, out-of-shape people exercising. And while I have learned that there are always going to be people who will mock, bully, and belittle others every chance they get, I no longer worry about or care for those type of people and I refuse to have them in my life. They are immature, cruel-hearted people who, I've realized as I've grown older, live a rather sad life. They're also in the minority. Most people aren't that cruel and immature, so don't worry about them. Just do your thing, OP, and know that everyone you pass by is secretly cheering you on! :flowerforyou:
  • SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants
    SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants Posts: 474 Member
    [IMG]<a href="http://s1258.photobucket.com/user/GabrielleRosson/media/tothefatty.png.html&quot; target="_blank"><img src="http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/ii528/GabrielleRosson/tothefatty.png&quot; border="0" alt=" photo tothefatty.png"/></a>[/IMG]


    I GIVE UP! I was trying to upload the coolest thing, sorry I cant figure it out :(
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    [img]<a href="http://s1258.photobucket.com/user/GabrielleRosson/media/tothefatty.png.html&quot; target="_blank"><img src="http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/ii528/GabrielleRosson/tothefatty.png&quot; border="0" alt=" photo tothefatty.png"/></a>[/img]


    I GIVE UP! I was trying to upload the coolest thing, sorry I cant figure it out :(
    img should be lower cased lol
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    tothefatty.png
  • jackie_moo
    jackie_moo Posts: 73 Member
    Extremely moving :smile:
  • meganjcallaghan
    meganjcallaghan Posts: 949 Member
    I get that starting those 'inspiring' letters to 'fat girls' running with ''dear fat girl'' or ''dear fatty'' is supposed to make a more obvious juxtaposition between what you would expect the speaker to follow with and what they actually end up saying......but I still can't get past the fact that despite the fact that they supposedly ''respect'' the ''fat girl'' for running, they're still using a disrespectful label to do so. I don't care if someone ''respects'' that I'm running if they're still going to think of me as (and refer to me as) ''fatty''.
  • sydneybeachgirl
    sydneybeachgirl Posts: 209
    interesting topic...i am a big -muscular girl - and whilst I have no issues with working out at the gym I am terrified of running outside of the gym..like on normal road. it is partially due to the fact that I have coordination issues so whilst the treadmill is an extremely safe platform to run on but is also to do with my insercurities. Whilst I have triceps others would die for I dont consider myself to be a runner and feel really awkard when I have to do that. Even the whole sequence of running feels awkard...I dont have any issues with swimming, cycling etc in public it is just the running....so my new year resolution for 2014 is that once a week I will go to the nearby oval and run 1 lap...trying not to care who sees me or not..

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