The only problem? Gyms can be pretty daunting too.<\/p>\n
It seems like 90% of the people you encounter by the treadmill are picture-perfect fitness enthusiasts with chiselled abs and tiny waists. When we\u2019re already hitting the gym because we\u2019re unhappy with some part of our body, it\u2019s difficult not to feel overwhelmed.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, there are ways to overcome gymtimidation.<\/p>\n
Today, we\u2019re going to guide you through the basics of gymtimidations, and how you can stop them from draining your motivation.<\/p>\n
What is Gymtimidation?<\/h2>\n
\u201cGymtimidation\u201d is a word used to refer to the feeling of dread, fear, or general intimidation we feel when going to the gym. Sometimes, you\u2019re hit by a feeling of gymtimidation so intense that you can\u2019t even make the first step in signing up for your membership. Other times, you find yourself paying for the monthly fee and standing frozen outside of the door each week.<\/p>\n
Some people feel gymtimidation more than others. One survey from Cosmo Body UK<\/a> found twice as many women experience the issue compared to men. Ladies are more likely to feel the confidence crash for a range of reasons:<\/p>\n While anxiety is a very real issue for many of us, gymtimidation shouldn\u2019t get the best of you! Giving in to this feeling means you\u2019re less likely to reach your health and fitness goals.<\/a><\/p>\n So, how can you overcome gymtimidation once and for all?<\/p>\n The first step is to get an iron-clad plan in place.<\/p>\n When you know exactly what you\u2019re doing and why, it\u2019s much easier to stay focused on your targets. You stop worrying about people around you and they start to fade away. Much of the stress of the gym comes from not knowing how to start with various exercises, so why struggle with the initial fumble?<\/p>\n Decide what you want to accomplish with your routine and find out what you need to do to get there. For instance, if you\u2019re looking to lose fat and tone up<\/a>, you might focus on building muscle and reducing calories. Taking a look at your genes will quickly demonstrate where you can make the most significant changes to your routine.<\/p>\n When you\u2019ve taken the time to study your DNA<\/a> and figure out what\u2019s going to work best for you, it\u2019s easy to walk into that weight room feeling confident. Your confidence will increase as you know exactly what kind of exercises are going to drive results. You\u2019re not just blindly following what you\u2019ve seen on YouTube.<\/p>\n Gymtimidation thrives on low self-esteem.<\/p>\n Your job is to fight back against that worry with all the confidence you can muster. The great news is that there\u2019s no single way to do this. You can start by getting a good night\u2019s sleep<\/a>, which should make you feel more energetic and self-assured immediately.<\/p>\n Next, create a playlist you can listen to and pump yourself up with. Putting those earbuds in and enjoying some tunes stops you from focusing so heavily on the people around you.<\/p>\n When it comes to choosing gym attire, try not to get too bogged down on what you think you \u201cshould\u201d wear. Ultimately, the best thing you can do is make yourself feel comfortable.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re too worried about what you\u2019re wearing, you\u2019re not going to be focused on crushing your workout. Check that your leggings don\u2019t fall down when you\u2019re squatting. Try to go for a good balance of cute and practical.<\/p>\n Since more people means more to worry about for most gymtimidation sufferers, check when your gym\u2019s \u201cpeak\u201d hours are before you go. Going outside of the times when the location is most likely to be busy will save you a lot of excess stress.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019re at the gym and you\u2019ve got that extra confidence boost going, try to maintain it.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t go to the gym with the aim of outshining everyone there. Kick things off with a pretty simple workout program. Focus on reaching goals that are within your limits (but still challenging enough to push you a little). The thrill of achieving these little wins will give you a massive motivation boost.<\/p>\n Another way to feel more supported is to take a friend. If you\u2019ve ever tried to boost your weight loss with diet and exercise before<\/a>, you\u2019ll know it\u2019s a tough task to accomplish alone. Having your friend along with you immediately gives you someone on your side.<\/p>\n You\u2019re less worried about what other might people may think or say to you, because you know you have your pal to back you up. Plus, having your friend with you at the gym is a great way to motivate you to keep going. If you fail to turn up, you\u2019re not just letting yourself down, you\u2019re disappointing your friend too.<\/p>\n If you and your friend feel particularly nervous about getting started, you can also look into signing up for a class. Classes are a little less intimidating than just \u201cgoing to the gym\u201d because you\u2019re working out alongside other learners. Everyone in the room is going to be struggling with you.<\/p>\n Gym classes are also a great opportunity to make some friends, so you feel like you have even more backup whenever you visit. The more friends you make, the less gymtimidation will get the best of you.<\/p>\n If, despite everything, you just can\u2019t push yourself to visit the gym yet, don\u2019t worry.<\/p>\n One positive thing to emerge from the confusion of the last couple of years is there are now more ways to get fit than ever before. You can sign up for a virtual workout class<\/a> if you\u2019re feeling uncomfortable about going to the gym straight away.<\/p>\n Virtual classes can help you to get over some of your fears about working out in public, particularly if you\u2019re exercising with people over video chat. You get the comfort of your own home, combined with the ability to experience what a \u201cgroup\u201d exercise session might be like.<\/p>\n Alternatively, you could skip the gym entirely and look for other ways to boost your fitness. Going for runs around your local town, hiking, and cycling are all excellent ways to improve your physical health. If you want to improve your strength and build muscle, bodyweight exercises are a fantastic option. It\u2019s also pretty cheap to get weights at home.<\/p>\n Join an outdoor running group, or get involved in a sport with your friends, like football or tennis. There\u2019s no limit to what you can try out. Anything that gets you active is going to benefit your health.<\/p>\n The best way to overcome the stress of gymtimidation is to remind yourself of why you\u2019re at the gym in the first place. You\u2019re here because you want to improve yourself, and anyone who doesn\u2019t respect and applaud that really isn\u2019t worth your time. Keeping your vision in mind and remembering that you\u2019re doing this for yourself \u2013 not anyone else \u2013 is important.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also worth remembering that most people probably aren\u2019t aware of you as you think. Ultimately, most of the people you encounter at the gym are going to be too focused on their own goals and self-esteem issues to worry about you.<\/p>\n Unless you\u2019re intentionally causing a spectacle by throwing equipment around, you probably won\u2019t draw anyone\u2019s eye for longer than a second or two.<\/p>\n Everyone starts somewhere, and the people around you probably don\u2019t expect you to be a pro. Give yourself a break and take the time to learn.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve got this.<\/p>\n Need a hand? Use our CircleDNA kit<\/a> to find out the best workout for your genes. You\u2019re in luck! Use our promo \u201cCIRCLE25<\/a>\u201d to get 25% off on CircleDNA kits!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Gymtimidation is real \u2013 and it\u2019s a serious problem. The gym can be an amazing place. It\u2019s packed full of equipment to help you get fit. Besides… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2611,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[8420,1797,8392,63,49,4741,8430],"class_list":["post-1139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized-en","tag-avoided","tag-biopsychosocial-approach-to-health-en","tag-gymtimidation","tag-pessimism-en","tag-teeth-grinding-en","tag-us-uncategorized","tag-videos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
Overcome Gymtimidation: Focusing on You<\/h2>\n
![\"circle-magazine-circledna-gymtimidation\"](\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1561214078-f3247647fc5e?ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MjJ8fGd5bXxlbnwwfHwwfHw%3D&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&w=1000&q=80\")
Prep for a Confident Gym Experience<\/h2>\n
![\"circle-magazine-circledna-gymtimidation\"](\"https:\/\/circledna.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/kari-shea-qa1wvrlWCio-unsplash-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n
Look for Ways to Boost Your Confidence<\/h2>\n
![\"woman](\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1518609878373-06d740f60d8b?ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8OHx8bXVzaWN8ZW58MHx8MHx8&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&w=1000&q=80\")
Give Yourself Extra Support<\/h2>\n
![\"circle-magazine-circledna-gymtimidation\"](\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1518611012118-696072aa579a?ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&auto=format&fit=crop&w=1000&q=80\")
Try an Alternative<\/h2>\n
![\"circle-magazine-circledna-gymtimidation\"](\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1501555088652-021faa106b9b?ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&auto=format&fit=crop&w=1000&q=80\")
Gymtimidations Can\u2019t Control You<\/h2>\n
![\"woman](\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1610360358706-a76349b74e61?ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8NzJ8fHdvcmtvdXR8ZW58MHx8MHx8&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&w=1000&q=80\")