Joining the Gym - Think I'll be laughed at

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janehen12
janehen12 Posts: 162 Member
in Motivation and Support
There is a cheap gym right by my flat, so no excuse on getting there or cost. The only thing thats stopping me is i'm pretty sure everyone in there will be laughing at me. :(

Anyone had those fears? Was it as bad as you thought it would be?
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Replies

  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
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    yeah , me but to be honest once i went in everbody was busy doing there own thing..

    YOU CAN DO THIS!!! good luck on your journey
  • Nikki582
    Nikki582 Posts: 561 Member
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    Yes, i have most definitely had those fears - I joined a gym 2 weeks ago...

    And now I go every day - and no one even notices me :laugh:

    I'm going to dive into free weights soon - I'm, again, worried I'll be laughed at (fat weak girl with the big buff boys) but, you gotta do what you gotta do!

    No one will laugh at you. Promise. :D
  • luvbwfc
    luvbwfc Posts: 107 Member
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    No one gets overtly laughed at in the gym I go to, and in general the only snark you hear about gym goers(on message boards etc) is when they are not actually exercising, size irregardless.
  • Ahluvly
    Ahluvly Posts: 389 Member
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    Why will they be laughing at you? You're going to get fit and take care of your body & health! Have some confidence in yourself....if anyone does laugh, then they're just arseholes...simple as! Put yourself first flower! This is what it's all about...positive attitude :)
  • rochey1098
    rochey1098 Posts: 285
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    Being self conscious is difficult until you realize that people are barely interested in you. They tend to be interested to the point where they'll look at you but all they're really thinking about is themselves.

    If you do find that one person in a hundred that takes time out of their life to insult you then laugh back because they're obviously very insecure themselves. People that can't raise themselves up to meet their own expectations tend to bring others down to their level in an unconscious effort to make themselves look normal.

    There's a saying in the foreign legion: Don't think, just do :tongue:
  • Ant_M76
    Ant_M76 Posts: 534 Member
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    I am pretty paranoid about what I think other people will be thinking, when they see me working out. I think that in truth, people are only really concentrating on what they are doing themselves. I certainly wouldn't expect to get laughed at - maybe a raised eyebrow, at worst ;-) I have recently started spinning and thought to myself that all of the skinny regulars in the classes probably expect me to drop off the bike with a cardiac arrest after 5 mins, when I first walked into the studio. In actual fact everybody is just in their own world of pain and don't have time to judge or make fun.

    I say - go for it... you never know, if you don't try!
  • StacySkinny
    StacySkinny Posts: 984 Member
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    I've never been laughed at but I've had rude people stare at me.

    Don't let that stop you though. Who cares what other people think, you're there for YOU, not for them.

    I worked out at the gym at my heaviest weight (385 lbs), and if a girl who weighs almost 400 lbs can have the courage to work out in front of others you certainly can too!
  • MissDiscipline
    MissDiscipline Posts: 121
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    Nooooo don't think that!

    People that are into fitness know how important it is for your body, and they would respect you for working out, not laugh at you.

    In my gym there are people of all sizes working out, and no one looks funny at anyone. You go to the gym with a goal in mind, you work on yourself, give it all you have got. I at least don't even have time to judge people.

    Please join the gym, you are going to enjoy it once you get over your insecurity. Go and check it out, ask the trainer and feel the place out first :) No worries.

    And good luck!! :flowerforyou:
  • sapphirelazuli
    sapphirelazuli Posts: 95
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    Everyone has to start somewhere! Ever single person in that gym had to go there for the first time feeling unsure. But as the others have said, once you get there you will realise people are there to work out, not to judge those around. :)
  • Galletakek
    Galletakek Posts: 285
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    Yes, I did get a few lols ... and Yes.. maybe you will be laughed at... and it might hurt at first.... because it hurt me.. but I also lol'd at myself cause I had no idea what I was doing... :) you will be fine...
  • hjy319
    hjy319 Posts: 269 Member
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    At the gyms I have gone to, most people are in their own world and keep to themselves. I know how you feel though, I still look around at times to see if people are giving me the look, espically when I try to run on the treadmill, but I have never seen anyone staring or thankfully laughing at me, :smile:
    Good luck and have fun!
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    Never seen anyone laugh at anyone else at a gym, ever.

    Unless you go to a "vanity" gym (you know, the sort of place with shiny new state of the art equipment and a coffee bar where lots of women with makeup on and wearing designer gear meet to socialise and nobody ever breaks a sweat) you'll be ignored - people in serious gyms are there to do their workouts, not to gossip or to check out who else is there and what they look like.

    And believe me, if you get a half decent routine you'll be concentrating on that, and won't have time to think about who else is in there and what they might be thinking about you.
  • SueGeer
    SueGeer Posts: 1,169 Member
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    Everyone's gotta start somewhere.................who knows what shape they were in when they started??? Besides, if they're more interested in you, they can't be working out very well themselves........

    If they're laughing at you then they're very shallow & are idiots......rise above it & show 'em what you're made of! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

    Sue :smile: x
  • Ready2BEthin
    Ready2BEthin Posts: 133 Member
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    When I was 265 I was embarassed to join a gym because of the same fear, so I joined a 24 hour gym and went late at night... but then that changed, I almost didn't care anymore. The skinny people you see in the gym like 80% of the time they didnt start out looking like that. They were once big too. I watchd an Oprah episode, you should youtube it if you can find it, but in the episode the man was 700 lbs and went to a gym. People did look over at him but he lost 200 lbs just by walking slow and swimming. When I saw that I thought if a 700 lb man can go to the gym and work out in front of people.. their is absolutely no excuse why I cant do the same.
  • chedges9090
    chedges9090 Posts: 208 Member
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    Well, I don't think I iam going to say anything different. Honestly. people are super involved in themselves :) So, you just go about your business and don't worry about it. Is there a friend that can go to the gym with you also? Sometimes that is helpful, especially while getting the "lay of the land"-- . Otherwise-- just go. You will enjoy feeling healthier and watching the weight drop off. PLUS.. you get all of the extra excercise calories :) !!!
  • abbie017
    abbie017 Posts: 410
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    No one is looking at you, really. Everyone is there doing their own thing and focusing on their own workouts. Don't worry about being watched, and really just focus on your own workout.

    The only people I ever even notice are the people doing the incredible workouts (you know, those people on a 15 mile run at 8 mph or something crazy!). Other than that, I can't tell you what anyone else in the gym does because I honestly don't even notice.
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    You know what?

    Your question has been answered.

    The only thing that's stopping you is you.

    SO

    Swich your computer off, stand up, walk to the gym and sign up.

    NOW

    Go on, you know you want to! Really. Now.

    Still here?

    GO!!! :bigsmile:

    Then come back and tell us how it went.
  • MikeM53082
    MikeM53082 Posts: 1,199 Member
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    I'm definitely a gym-rat and believe me, nobody will laugh at you. As long as you take your gym time seriously and don't goof off, you'll be OK. Most people have their headphones on and are in their own little world anyway
  • Alison__
    Alison__ Posts: 107
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    When I started going to my gym, I was soooo scared of what people thought of me. It took me months, and the visit of a friend, to finally make me feel comfortable. She went there with me and showed me how to use some of the machines, how to feel more comfortable and how to stop caring what other people think! I was so scared, but when she went with me, I couldn't care less about the other people, and I still don't! :) I actually talk to some people there.
  • midmomike2
    midmomike2 Posts: 213
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    I was really nervous and worried I'd look like a fool (probably do,but WHO CARES!) the 1rst time I went, but then I realized everyone there is trying to do the same thing as me, get in shape and maybe shed a little extra weight. Don't worry! You can do it!Remember your goals and go for it!

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