Throughout elementary, middle and high school I used to beg my mom to let me skip school on the days I had PE. The thought of displaying my lack of physical fitness in front of a large group of people made me feel physically ill. This mindset lasted for a very long time, and even a year ago, the thought of going to a public gym would cause my palms to sweat and fill me with anxiety.
Now I’m on my seventh month of working out at the gym and I’ve never felt better. I’m not writing this to encourage you to start working out and tell you how much “clean eating” and “leg day” have improved my overall happiness. I’m writing this to tell you that the gym is not as scary as you might think it is. If you’ve had even the slightest urge to start working out, but you’ve been too afraid to do it in public in fear of being judged by gym rats, I’m here to tell you: no one is worried about you.
I’m serious. When I first started going to the gym I always felt like every eye was on me. The minute I stepped through that door I thought everyone would drop their weights, stop their elliptical machines, look at me, and think about how much I didn’t belong there. Saying it now seems completely nonsensical, but at the time this was a genuine fear.
I started going to the gym and counting the number of times I looked at someone working out and made a negative judgment in my head. The number was always zero to none because I had other things to worry about. I also took note of how many stares I got while working out. The number was normal, just people passing by. Everyone is so concerned about what they’re doing and how they look that they’re not worried about how anyone else looks.
Having a gym buddy helps immensely. If neither of you know what you’re doing, you can learn together. If you both look stupid, at least you look stupid together. If you go with a friend who knows what they’re doing, then you benefit from having someone tell you if you’re doing something wrong. Having a gym buddy will also help keep both of you motivated. I have three of my best friends to thank for always pushing me to go to the gym.
Taking progress pictures of yourself is the best form of motivation. It takes a while to start seeing progress but once you do, it’s the most satisfying feeling. Progress is gradual and it takes a lot of patience but if I can do it, literally anyone can.
I’d be lying if I said I don’t still get nervous trying out a new machine. I’m also not going to deny that the first mat I always go for is the one all the way in the corner of the gym. I can however say that going to the gym regularly has boosted my self confidence in a way that I never thought was possible.
Being able to walk into the gym and not feel completely self-conscious is one of the hardest tasks I’ve been faced with. The improvements I’ve made to my body since I started working out have made me more confident, but the fact that I can walk into the gym without a rush of anxiety gives me confidence in other aspects of my life. If you can conquer your fear of the gym, you can conquer anything.
Start with the lowest weights and if your arms shake, let them shake. Start doing squats in the most secluded area of the gym and work your way up to the more open parts so everyone can see how solid your form is. Everyone in the gym is there for the exact same reason you are; to put in effort and make progress. You belong there just as much as anyone else, so if you want to start working out at the gym nothing is holding you back. Put a workout playlist together, get yourself some cute workout attire, and get going. Happy squatting!