{"id":38488,"date":"2016-01-24T09:00:51","date_gmt":"2016-01-24T14:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=38488"},"modified":"2021-11-18T08:12:58","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T13:12:58","slug":"overcoming-fear-of-gym-intimidation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/overcoming-fear-of-gym-intimidation\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get Over Your Fear of the Gym"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It took a layoff and breakup on the same day last summer to motivate 28-year-old Meghan Ragni to take control of her health. In the bleak months that followed her boyfriend of two years announcing, \u201cWe need to talk,\u201d Ragni embarked on the time-honored tradition of getting over rejection via self-improvement<\/a>. After losing 30 pounds, and lowering her blood pressure<\/a>, she knew it was finally time to overcome one last hurdle: \u201cI thought, \u2018I need to go farther. I need to do something that\u2019s really going to scare me,\u2019\u201d she says. That meant going to the gym<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ragni had avoided working out since college, when she\u2019d visit her campus gym on occasion and leave quickly due to embarrassment. \u201cI hated it,\u201d explains Ragni, now an elementary school teacher. \u201cI felt like everyone was watching me and judging how well I was doing. Or they were looking at my body and what I was wearing.\u201d She was frustrated that she didn\u2019t know how to operate the weight machines<\/a> and felt too ashamed to ask for help.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The 20 Worst People at the Gym, According to Trainers<\/a><\/p>\n

Finally, last fall, she found a way to get over her gym-timidation. A new<\/em> boyfriend helped her design a workout that included free weights and dumbbells, and Ragni, who lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, spent a couple hours on YouTube<\/a> watching instructional videos. Armed with a cheat sheet she\u2019d made of stick figures demonstrating proper lifting technique, she signed up for a membership at her local Planet Fitness.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I got there, I almost froze,\u201d says Ragni, who wrote about her journey for the health and fitness blog Charmed Wellness<\/a>. \u201cI had to tell myself, \u2018Even though you\u2019re afraid, you have to keep going.\u2019\u201d Ragni now puts in an hour of weights and a half-hour on the elliptical machine most weekdays. \u201cI\u2019ve actually begun to enjoy my workouts, and I get through them without crying or having to run out of the gym,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Building Muscle, Breaking Down Fears<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We all have our excuses for avoiding workouts, but \u201cgym intimidation\u201d can be one of the most powerful in preventing people from exercising. \u201cSo many people are worried about being judged and say, \u2018I need to get into better shape before I go to the gym,\u2019\u201d explains Michelle Lewis<\/a>, a Salt Lake City-based counselor who specializes in helping patients overcome their barriers to weight loss. \u201cI reply \u2018How do you think those people got into such good shape?’\u201d<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re all worried what everyone else is thinking. But no one is paying attention. They\u2019re focused on themselves.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

She says patients often express self-defeating thoughts, such as \u201cI\u2019m going to fail\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m not good enough,\u201d before they even make it to the gym. \u201cOr, they\u2019ll look at the person next to them on the treadmill<\/a> who\u2019s running an eight-minute mile and think, \u2018Why should I even bother walking?\u2019\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The 25 Craziest Workout Excuses Trainers Have Ever Heard<\/a><\/p>\n

The fear of working out with others can be so extreme it might result in people exercising less overall. \u201cPeople who suffer from social anxiety<\/a> might be worried [about] appearing awkward or receiving funny looks from others, whether it\u2019s at the gym or even running on the street,\u201d explains psychologist Cheri Levinson at Washington University in St. Louis who\u2019s studied<\/a> the link between anxiety and social exercise.<\/p>\n

To treat such anxiety disorders, counselors often prescribe a combination of exposure<\/a> and cognitive behavioral therapies<\/a> that challenge one\u2019s thinking. For example, instead of assuming, \u201cThese people are staring at me,\u201d a patient might be prompted to ask, \u201cWhat evidence do I have that these people are staring at me?\u201d The exposure component might include taking small steps to build up to an actual gym visit. \u201cYou\u2019d start with the least-feared scenario, such as wearing\u00a0gym clothes\u00a0to a therapy session, then going to the gym but not exercising, and then maybe going but trying an easy exercise,\u201d says Levinson.<\/p>\n

\"How
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Finding Your Workout Comfort Zone<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Therapists say many people find their stride once they visit the gym a few times and realize their fears are overblown. \u201cWe\u2019re all worried what everyone else is thinking,\u201d says Lewis \u201cBut no one is paying attention. They\u2019re focused on themselves.\u201d Need a little nudge to get in the door? Here are some tips to make the gym experience less scary.<\/p>\n

1. Take a group class.
\n<\/strong>\u201cThere\u2019s safety in numbers, and you quickly realize everyone is different ages and body sizes and is struggling together,\u201d explains Justin Rubin<\/a>, group fitness manager at Equinox fitness center in Los Angeles and trainer for Daily Burn\u2019s True Beginner<\/a> program. You\u2019ll probably also discover you\u2019re not the worst one there. \u201cIt\u2019s encouraging because there\u2019s always someone behind you and someone better than you.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Dress comfortably.
\n<\/strong>Don\u2019t wait until you lose weight or have sculpted arms<\/a> before you buy yourself some nice workout clothes<\/a>. \u201cThere are many reasonably priced options so find something that fits you now and is flattering,\u201d advises Lewis. Avoid clothes that are too big and make you feel like you’re swimming in fabric. The same goes for restrictive clothing that might make you feel self-conscious.<\/p>\n

3. Own the back<\/a> row.
\n<\/strong>It\u2019s perfectly OK to plop down your Pilates mat<\/a> near the door, claim a spin bike<\/a> in the back row of the studio, or a treadmill that\u2019s in the darkest corner of the gym. \u201cGo early and stake out your own little space, if that makes you more comfortable,\u201d says Rubin. \u201cPut your towel on your bike, listen to your own music beforehand and get in your own zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 5 Exercise Machines That Aren’t Worth Your Time<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Go to the gym during off-hours.
\n<\/strong>Ragni manages her anxiety<\/a> by going to the intimidating male-dominated weight room<\/a> in the afternoon, when it\u2019s less crowded. \u201cA room full of guys who look like they know what they\u2019re doing would have prevented me from going in the past,\u201d she says. Now, she takes comfort in seeing the same handful of people each afternoon. Her progress<\/a> keeps her coming back. \u201cThe first day I could barely lift a six-pound weight, and now I can lift a 10-pound weight<\/a>. That makes me feel great because I was able to push through my fear and earned it,\u201d she says. \u201cWe all have to start somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fearful of weight room haters? If a recent\u00a0Reddit post<\/a>\u00a0about one 19-year-old\u2019s \u201cdemoralizing day\u201d at the gym is any indication, those gym snobs are few and far between. You’re much more likely to encounter fellow fitness fiends who will\u00a0cheer you on. After sharing his story, that down-and-out Redditor got more than 1,000 messages of support \u2014 including one (allegedly) sent by bodybuilding champ and ‘governator’\u00a0Arnold Schwarzenegger.<\/p>\n

Originally posted March 2015. Updated January 2016.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Intimidated by the weight room, terrified of the treadmill or too shy for spin class? Here\u2019s how to get over your gym intimidation once and for all. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":38495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,6,14],"tags":[288,289,103,281,282,341,353,99],"class_list":["post-38488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardio","category-fitness","category-strength-training","tag-cardio","tag-exercise","tag-motivation","tag-strength-training","tag-stress","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2weight-training","tag-weightlifting"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38488"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38488\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}