*THIS WRITER IS NOT A PHYSICAL HEALTH SPECIALIST AND IS SPEAKING FROM HER OWN EXPERIENCE*
In my personal experience, the TCU weight room can be a place of fear and judgement from specific groups of people. As a woman, being in any place dominated by men, especially if you already feel your confidence slipping away and think that everyone is staring at you, can be daunting and prevent women from bettering themselves. The judgement you may experience in this space, like I did, can be crippling, but I hope to encourage my reader to face their fears!
I only started going to the TCU recreation center about a year ago, but it has been a very hard year in regards to gaining a gym routine. With social media telling women what to do and what not to do at the gym, what your goals SHOULD be and what your body SHOULD look like, finding a routine that works for you feels unattainable. Because of these social pressures, I had such high expectations of my body, mind and what I should look like. But, I was following women who didn’t have the same body type as me, had so much more muscle mass than I did, and portrayed themselves as having their sh*t together. I definitely don’t have all of those things, and may never, but I can tell you one thing for certain, every woman’s body is unique. The gym is no different. Now, I’m getting a little ahead of myself, so let’s get into it. Here are a few things I have learned over the years that may help you face your fears of the gym.
DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert and will never claim to be one. Everyone is different, but if I can help at least one of you, I would have done my job.
Confidence
Okay, I am sorry to say this, but people will look at you at the gym. I don’t want this to deter you, however, because we all do it. No matter where you are, whether walking to class, out with friends, or just running to the grocery store, there will be people around that happen to notice your presence. That being said, just because they may be looking, doesn’t mean that they are judging you. Most people that are at the gym tend to be focusing only on themselves and how they look, before even thinking about judging you. Focus on your goals and remember to keep your head up. Looking and acting confident in a space is one of many ways to shake off the fear of the gym. From my personal experience, I was scared sh*tless going into the rec for the first time. I was worried about doing the exercises wrong, the friends I was with were so much stronger than I was, and I thought that all eyes were on me. After going for a bit, I started using the stress of people looking at me to my advantage. As I progressed and focused on my own goals and improving my mental health, I let their presence fuel my lifting.
Goal Setting and Mental Health
One major thing about starting off at the gym, is keeping your goals in mind. One of the major things I wanted to improve through the gym, was my mental health. The gym is now the only time during the day/week that I am truly able to shut my mind off, and focus on myself. Taking care of your body, basically means you’re taking care of your mind as well.
What you want your body to look like is also a great way to start thinking about potential goals that you have. I personally want to look and feel strong. Now that I have been putting in the effort to look and feel great, I’m starting to see results. These results give me so much joy that I keep going back. I want to further improve my physique and look the way I want to. That’s part of the reason why I chose weight lifting to begin with… I found a form of exercise that worked for me.
The type of exercise you want to do, totally depends on your goals and what you find the most joy in. Personally, I love weight lifting because of the way it makes me feel and how I can truly push myself to my limits, but a good friend of mine loves to run. Getting to see the pure joy it gives her makes me feel all the more confidence to do what makes me happy.
Reflecting on what makes me the most happy and forming my goals around that happiness is something that really helps me.
As you start to reflect on what you goals may be, I suggest writing them down, whether that’s in your phone or on paper, try and think of 3 things that would motivate you to go to the gym and what you goals are. This is meant to remind you of your goals at all times, and to keep them in mind when you lose motivation.
Pinterest as Inspiration
Social media is often clowned on, especially in my study of Sociology, but there are ways that we can benefit from social media, especially when it comes to the gym. When searching for a workout plan, there is no need to pay a subscription or buy some random app you see on Instagram (no hate, just doesn’t work for me). What has worked is Pinterest. This app is legitimately my best friend and I use it constantly. That being said, I find most of my workouts on there, and have created a list of exercises that work very well for me.
Try things out!
Not many of us have gone to the gym since we were first born, so feel free to try new things when you get to the gym! Whether you start out going alone or with a friend or two, don’t be worried about doing something wrong. We all began at some point and I remember being right in your shoes. I still feel embarrassed when I don’t do something right the first time. Learn from your mistakes, and try again.
Don’t be scared to start out light with weights. Working on form so much more important than how much weight you are pushing or pulling, that way you won’t hurt yourself and you’ll be working out the muscles that are meant to be targeted.
Here’s a little TL;DR:
- People may look at you, but as long as you come prepared and know what your goals are, you will do so much better than you think.
- List out goals and motivation to keep you going. Keep this in your phone, wallet or backpack to constantly have a reminder of your gym related goals.
- Don’t be afraid to try new things. Make mistakes and learn from them, and don’t take yourself so seriously. You’re safe and worthy of this space.
- Use social media as a tool, not a comparison technique. Find workouts that you can make consistent and find out what works for you. Don’t let your brain compare itself to girls on social media, because you will get there!
I’m so proud of you!
-K