Hate exercising with people watching:(

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  • Kristinemomof3
    Kristinemomof3 Posts: 636 Member
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    I'm shameless. I don't care what or who is watching me exercise. They can make all their grins and laugh and whatnot and I'd just scoff knowing I'm taking care of myself.

    Luckily I don't have to do that, because my family is considerate and doesn't bother me when I'm exercising, or when they do make comments it's supportive/encouraging. Most of the time they act like I'm a piece of furniture and just make emotionless faces as they walk around me if I'm in their way.

    Me too, I really don't care what they think. Dh can laugh all he wants. He does cycle, but I feel I am getting in better overall shape than him.
  • skittles8810
    skittles8810 Posts: 67
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    I dont care either.. mostly if they make fun of you its because they are jealous of what your doing and cannot or will not do the same as you are. People who struggle to lose weight do not make fun of others because they were/are in the same boat.. i would look at them and say: "Hey come over here and do this with me or do it like me" that usually shuts them up.. or come here and hold my feet.. I pick on myself... esp when i do sit ups.. I go : "1 fatty Mcfatty sit up lol.. 2 fatty Mcfatty situp, usually makes my husband or who ever is there laugh.. LOL :) have fun with them.. and yourself..
  • Samstudent88
    Samstudent88 Posts: 135
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    I totally agree, and I absolutely hate people watching me do anything. I'm so clumsy and if they walk up on me and I don't know they are there I might hit them. I've done it so many times. :) So I try my best to get up at like 3:30 or 4 am to get my workout over with, so I don't have to deal with my little boy interrupting , and by the time the afternoon comes I really don't feel like it. So it's just great to get it done and over with, kinda sounds like a chore! But I feel great afterwards.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    I often work out in the park while watching my sister's kids. I'll bring a jump rope and either a suspension trainer or set of resistance bands and go through a complete hour long training circuit while watching them. I used to be like you, but it eventually dies out when your determination takes over.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    If an audience that isnt paying attention to you is enough to keep you from working out, then you dont really want this.
  • cdpm
    cdpm Posts: 297 Member
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    I'm a bit odd like that too.
    I have no issue going to the gym and sweating like mad infront of strangers, but when I do a workout at home and my boyfriend walks into the room, he tells me to ignore him and carry on, but I just can't. Although doing a workout with my mum at her house is no problem and we love working out together.
    I thought about getting my boyfriend to join me in a bit of P90, but we don't have enough room in our flat
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    I hate working out at home with people around. My daughter doesn't bother me, she usually works out with me:) But we live with my parents and I can't work out with them around, I'm too embarrassed! Suggestions?

    No, I haven't sorry. The main reason being, I am exactly the same LOL.

    I used to do one particular aerobic video in my living room and would demand that nobody came in whilst I was in action - it only took two tantrums and throwing stuff about before they ceased entering the room and left me alone :D
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
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    Planet Fitness... everyday people like you and me... no muscle heads... they are against that actually... it is cheap... check to see if they have one near you... I live in Virginia and its only 10 or 15 per month... nobody judges you there.

    i worked out at a planet fitness once. for a gym that advertises "no lunks" they sure had a whole lot of lunks around.
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
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    I also hate it when I'm working out at home and then all the people there including our helpers are watching me. They make me lose my focus. However I don't feel the same when I'm at the gym probably because everyone is so busy & focused with their workouts that they don't have time to watch. So when I'm working out at home, I make sure to lock my room first before I begin.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    Planet Fitness... everyday people like you and me... no muscle heads... they are against that actually... it is cheap... check to see if they have one near you... I live in Virginia and its only 10 or 15 per month... nobody judges you there.

    i worked out at a planet fitness once. for a gym that advertises "no lunks" they sure had a whole lot of lunks around.

    My gym is Planet Fitness. Its three stories and the basement is the weight room. Its nothing but like 40 huge scary dudes swinging their arms around and grunting and I gotta stand in there and pretend I dont hear them. Just get through my sets. They are actually talking to me and trying to get my attention. And Im making god awful faces and breathing so not ladylike and sweating and ugh.

    But i want to get stronger. I want to change my body. I want to do this consistently and prove to myself that I can conquer my obstacles by working hard enough. That I can earn the right to a world filled with fun physical adventures just waiting out there to get my heart pounding.

    And when I think about how much I want to succeed... there's suddenly no one else around and Im alone, and I can prove that I mean it.

    I wish it was only roommates or family that I had to exercise around.

    Good luck.
  • RobynDCrossman
    RobynDCrossman Posts: 252
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    If an audience that isnt paying attention to you is enough to keep you from working out, then you dont really want this.



    I concur!
  • riskiestlavonn
    riskiestlavonn Posts: 207 Member
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    I'm a foreigner living in China. For the past month and a half I have taken up running (people just don't run outside here). So, the result is I usually get a lot of people starring/ pointing/ talking about me while I run past. It use to REALLY bother me... but now when people laugh or point at me as I run past I just think F@#K IT and turn up the volume on This American Life. If I decided not to do things that make people stare at me I would never leave my house.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Go for a walk (or run or bike ride) around your neighbourhood. That way strangers might see you, but they don't care and won't say anything like family might!
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    I'm a foreigner living in China. For the past month and a half I have taken up running (people just don't run outside here). So, the result is I usually get a lot of people starring/ pointing/ talking about me while I run past. It use to REALLY bother me... but now when people laugh or point at me as I run past I just think F@#K IT and turn up the volume on This American Life. If I decided not to do things that make people stare at me I would never leave my house.

    Kudos to you for persevering!!

    No offence meant to any Chinese that may be on MFP, but some of their own foibles and mannerisms leave a hell of a lot to be desired, they can be a little closed minded in some cases as proved by your exact experiences when you go training.

    Out of interest, do they have gyms and use them over there in the big cities? I wonder how they train if they are runners?
  • riskiestlavonn
    riskiestlavonn Posts: 207 Member
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    I'm a foreigner living in China. For the past month and a half I have taken up running (people just don't run outside here). So, the result is I usually get a lot of people starring/ pointing/ talking about me while I run past. It use to REALLY bother me... but now when people laugh or point at me as I run past I just think F@#K IT and turn up the volume on This American Life. If I decided not to do things that make people stare at me I would never leave my house.

    Kudos to you for persevering!!

    No offence meant to any Chinese that may be on MFP, but some of their own foibles and mannerisms leave a hell of a lot to be desired, they can be a little closed minded in some cases as proved by your exact experiences when you go training.

    Out of interest, do they have gyms and use them over there in the big cities? I wonder how they train if they are runners?

    Thanks for the encouragement. :-)

    To answer your question, I'm not sure how people train here if they are runners. One of the big problems is pollution (terribly high pollution in the big cities) so that keeps a lot of people from exercising outside (I only go when the pollution index is under 200... which is already too high actually). On VERY RARE occasions I will see older people outside running as well. I also sometimes see people who look like serious bikers wearing what look like heavy duty gas masks as they ride by.

    In the large cities at least there are a huge numbers of gyms. My gym was always filled with people on the treadmill and taking classes.
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
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    The Y in your area might be really good. They are obligated to let anyone join and only pay what they can afford.
  • lanenalatina
    lanenalatina Posts: 239 Member
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    I feel the same like you!! Thats why I go for walks and if I do exercise at home I make sure no one is home!!!
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    Can you kick them out of the room? I think you deserve some "me" time and not have people gawking at you while you work out. It doesn't bother me at all at the gym, especially since everyone there is doing the same thing. Working out at home is fine too on the treadmill or bike, but any kind of work out video or dance thing that requires some sort of finesse and coordination, I can't stand people watching me because I have neither of those two attributes.
  • hsk1019
    hsk1019 Posts: 235 Member
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    It's something that you will HAVE to get over!!!!! Listen to me, I used to feel the EXACT same way. I still get nervousness about it now but there came a point when I had to begin to make decisions to work out regardless of not only what i thought other people were saying about me, but also what i was thinking about other people seeing. Jiggling, big wide body dude in here working out and know he is not going to stick it out. Or look at him he is fat. Your mind can convince you of so many negative things. You have to go at it and say to yourself, It's not about anybody in here sitting around me watching (after all, they are SITTING) You have to say, I'm in here working out and i'm doing it for ME! Eventually those stares will turn into looks of admiration and the comments coming from family will be more like, I remember when you first started and now look at you. Make it about YOU! It's YOUR PROCESS and only YOU can determine what is the right and wrong way to do whats best for YOU! Opinions and criticisms are like Armpits, Everybody has one and eventually they stink! (i didnt say *kitten*) I have now begun to jog OUTSIDE at the park.... I would often worry about my butt shaking or people judging me. But once I started, I got into a "ME" mode real quick. and then it just became all about me! So yep, this 260 lb man gets out there and jogs out in the wild blue yonder for all to see and it's all ABOUT ME! So you do you and then shake off the haters as you gear up for that two piece! :)
    Yeah baby!!!
  • tahini
    tahini Posts: 4
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    This is me exactly. I've been overweight for most of my life and in the last few years my family knows I want to lose weight. They encourage me to get on the treadmill and exercise but, when I do, they proceed to mimic the sound of the treadmill going and sit in the living room (the treadmill is in the kitchen but can be seen via a clear glass door) watching TV while I work out, all the while making comments that I'm so lazy with my fitness and need to run, not walk fast. I'm able to run but it's so embarrassing in front of everyone because the fat moves around and draws even more attention to my body. Just not sure what to do now, I can't really afford the gym.

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