5 Tips to Cure Gym Anxiety
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Let’s be real about the gym for a second. It can be rewarding and great, but also stressful and scary; definitely an emphasis on scary. Going to the gym should be an easy activity to make us feel good and get away from the complications of life. So, why are we so scared?
Here at The Edge, we love to work out. But, we don’t really love the completely uneven, mostly male-to-female ratio going on at our campus gyms or the awkward feeling you get when it’s crowded. Let’s talk about it.
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Here are our five tips on how to cure your gym nerves.
Fake it ‘til you make it
A motto to live by. No one knows if you really know what you're doing in the gym, so pretend you do! Everyone is so focused on themselves that if you look like you know what you're doing, you’re fine. Forget the awkwardness, doubts, and timidness. Put on a confident face, hop on that treadmill, and blast your hot girl playlist. Wear that workout set from Amazon or Set Active. Be that gym baddie.
Plan ahead
Set a schedule with whatever works best for you. Whether it’s planning every single exercise out or devoting a day for various parts of the body, all are great options. Thinking ahead of time and staying prepared can easily boost confidence and make you feel less overwhelmed. Maybe even writing in an agenda, journal, or downloading an app can work for you, too!
Bring a friend
Go get a gym partner. It can be a friend, roommate, significant other, stranger - literally anyone. Working out with someone is fun and brings some friendly competition. You and your buddy can keep each other motivated and hold each other accountable. It makes the overall experience better as you can learn from one another and share valuable information regarding fitness and exercise. Plus, who doesn’t love a good gossip session on the stair climber?
Embrace the male presence
Being a female in the presence of basically all males in a room is intimidating, to say the least. But, adding that to a gym setting with macho men with muscles bigger than our head is downright terrifying. Just kidding, it’s not that extreme. The key to fighting those nerves is to embrace the males. Who cares? They’re just dudes, nothing special. It might seem like you can’t lift around them or go run a few miles, but you can. They’re too busy blasting their music and trying to get buff just like everyone else. Remember, we can all exist together in the gym. Go represent the girls and be that one female on the downstairs floor among all the boys.
Don’t give a f**k
Who cares? At some point, you have to live your life for yourself. If you want to work out, go work out. Do what makes you happy. Health and wellness are something to value and to work towards; don’t let anyone get in the way of that. Focus on you. As they say, YOLO. You only live once so, do it anyway.
Follow these five tips and those nerves will transform into confidence.