As a student who lives in the dorms across the Aquatic Fitness Center (AFC), getting myself ready and going to the gym only takes a few short minutes. I came into UVA fully expecting myself to go to the gym all the time not fear it. But I could not have been more wrong about myself.
One entire semester, and all I stepped foot into the gym for was free zumba classes and cultural dance practices.
It wasn’t because I didn’t have time for the gym. On some days, I had plenty of time. All I did was sit around and rot. It was simply because I could not face my fear of going to the gym.
facing my fears
The gym was so scary to me. I was constantly anxious that people would notice that I’m working out wrong, that I’m unfit, or that I clearly wasn’t a regular at the gym.
The first step to facing my fears was to find a friend to go with, especially a friend whose willing to help you and teach you how to use certain machines. Having a non-judgmental friend to guide you through your workout, and to push you when you feel like giving up is the best thing to help you overcome your fear.
Research
Prior to going to the gym, I had no idea what muscle groups I was supposed to target. I just did whatever machine that was available, switching from leg abductions to rows to chest flys.
This time around, instead of that, I started off with a goal: to build muscle and feel more confident.
Once I knew what I wanted, I could figure out what to work out. The next step is to learn the correct form for each exercise so that you don’t overexert yourself, work out the wrong part of your body, or cause unnecessary strain.
Motivation
Lastly, what kept me from going to the gym the most was motivation. I struggled with finding motivation to go to the gym. It wasn’t until I had set a short term and long term goal for myself that I was able to push myself to keep going.
One of the major factors that contributed to this was my New Year’s Resolution. For the first time ever, I had finally committed to one: going to the gym. It has almost been four months since then, and I could not be more proud of myself for sticking by this resolution. Every week, the lingering thought of this goal has stuck by me, making me push myself to go to the gym.
Eventually, going to the gym began to seem fun. It became a part of my day that allowed me to destress.
Overcoming my fear of the gym was a long and slow process. I didn’t feel fully comfortable at the gym until around two months of consistency. Sometimes, I still feel a little intimidated by others there, but the more I go, the more that I realize, everybody is there for themselves. People go to work on themselves, and they rarely ever pay attention to anyone else.
If you are nervous about going to the gym, like I was, it’s time to make a move and find a friend to go with. There’s no time like the present to start this healthy habit!
