Okay ladies, most of us can say that at some point in their life they have felt a little insecure walking around the gym surrounded by super buff bodybuilders or lean marathon runners. It can be a little hard to get that boost of energy and self confidence for anyone going to the gym. This goes for beginners all the way to professionals who have been working out consistently for years and everyone in between. From experience, I know that going to the gym when you don’t feel your best self can be a pain in the butt. You go to the gym thinking everyone’s staring at you and possibly even judging you. Truth is, no one is looking at you. They’re all in their own little world and trying to exercise, which is the SAME reason why you went to the gym.
This took me months to realize. Just like so many others, I would feel self conscious going on certain machines or going to the weight room. For the most part, no ones gonna be looking at you, they are going to be worried about themselves trying to get fit for the summer. However, on occasion you will get that one creep who seems to always be checking you out everytime you look his way. This is bound to happen to everyone whether it be a guy or a girl. This might be upsetting at first so just give them a little look and go on with your day.
Here are a few tricks to help build some self confidence at the gym:
- Go with a gym buddy!
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When I first started working out, I would always ask a friend to go with me. This way you guys can motivate each other and get in the best workout possible. It is also a lot less scary to do certain things like go to the weight room when you have a friend.
- Choose wisely the time of day you go.
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If you’re just barely starting to workout again and get a little nervous when the gym is busy, try going during lunch time or around 3 P.M. These are usually the times when the gym is a little less busy since during the morning and night everyone and their mother is either getting a quick sweat in before or after work.This personally helped me when I started weight training and wanted to have as much time with the weights to myself and not worry about others around me.
- Walk in with a game plan.
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I’m not saying you have to follow your schedule to the T, but it is always a good idea to have an idea of what you are going to be doing at the gym that day. It saves time and you won’t be taking so long at a certain machine trying to figure out what you want to do next especially when someone else probably wants to use the machine you are on. What I find works best for me is in the notes app on my phone I will write down what exactly I want to do with how many reps and sets. This also motivates me to actually go through with the number of sets I wrote down even though I’m tired, sweaty, and ready to go home. Whether that be getting a gym journal to track your workouts or just writing them down in your phone, find what works best for you to stay productive at the gym.
- Make the perfect playlist
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I would say the number one motivator out there is your music. Who wouldn’t feel motivated during their workout listening to Lizzo, anyways? Spend a few minutes before heading out for the gym making a great playlist to get you in the mood. Also, there’s no need to waste time at the gym trying to find the perfect song.
Now with these tips we can get to the gym with a little less stress and get our summer bod right!