If you’re self-conscious about your fitness levels or your weight, going to the gym can be one of the most daunting experiences ever. The fear of being judged takes over and makes the whole thought of the gym absolutely terrifying. I went to the gym for the first time recently and here are 5 things my friends told me about the gym that I thought were lies but it turns out they’re 100% true, and hopefully if you’re reading this and feeling the same way about going to the gym, this might just encourage you to go. Trust me, you’ll feel so much better about yourself if you do!
1. “Nobody even looks at you.” The amount of times this was said to me and I rolled my eyes and thought “yeah right…” but turns out, it is true! People are so occupied doing their own thing that nobody even cares what you’re doing or how well you’re doing it.
2. “It barely takes up any time, you don’t even feel the time going.” I was always complaining that I had too many assignments to do and that going to the gym would take up too much of my day. Today I was at the gym for 25 minutes and it flew by. With some good tunes, 25 minutes can feel like 10.
3. “It helps you relax.” I never thought the gym would help me relax. I always thought I’d be so busy watching out for people judging me that I would be in a state of panic the whole time, but actually it was the complete opposite, you forget there are people even around you, especially if you’re focusing on not collapsing like I was.
4. “You’ll feel so good after it.” I didn’t believe that one for a second. My response was usually “eh no I’ll be tired and sweaty and gross.” But actually I felt really good afterwards. I was tired and sweaty obviously but there’s a great sense of achievement which over rules the negatives.
5. “It’s actually a really fun experience.” I never thought I’d agree with this one but it was actually really fun. I really enjoyed myself. I went with a friend and it was great to have a friendly face next to you to have a bit of a laugh with.
Now, I’m no gym expert but I hope this will encourage others who aren’t gym experts either to give it a try – honestly it’s really not that bad!