Focus On Your Workout
When you’re seriously working hard, you wont have time to compare yourself to others, or to look around and catch them watching you work your butt off. Concentrate on you, and consistently remind yourself of how great youre doing. If you are in need of a distraction, plug in those earphones and rock to some motivating music, or catch up on the latest episode of your favorite show.
Use A Personal Trainer
A personal trainer is a professional who works one-on-one with a person to help them achieve their fitness goals.
- explain the layout of the gym and show them where everything is
- explain how to use each piece of gym equipment
- show the person how to properly carry out exercises to ensure they are doing them correctly
- answer any questions the person may have about their fitness, the gym, or certain exercises
Mindfulness Techniques To Help With Social Anxiety
Mindfulness is a helpful practice when it comes to issues with anxiety. There are some wonderful apps that you can download for guided mindfulness or meditation . If youre looking for something simple to do while youre at the gym, here are 3 techniques to try:1. Focus on your breathing as you exercise. For example, inhale as you lower into your squat, and then exhale on the exertion as you push back up to the top.
2. Think about the muscle that youre exercising. Doing rows? Think about squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top and activating the lats and biceps.
3. Count your reps. This is pretty standard with a workout, but if your mind wanders you will lose count. Really focus on the count as you move and youll find that your mind is set free from wandering thoughts.
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How To Get Over Your Fitness Anxiety And Get Back On Track
There are ways to do ityou just have to be kind to yourself.
Working out is one of the best stress busters on the planet. But, the flip side is also trueand for many people, fitness can be seriously anxiety-inducing.
Ive experienced both sides of that coin. Fitness used to be a huge part of my life I ran five days a week, did a race at least once a month, and even finished all 26.2 miles of a marathon. But, thenwell, life happened.
Over the past two years, I got engaged, bought a house, moved to a new city , planned a wedding, and took on a truckload of new clients in my business. Its been a crazy few years, and with everything going on, fitness fell to the bottom of my priority list.
Ive been trying to get back into running, but after such a long break, I can barely run a 5K. Plus, the anxiety I feel around my diminished fitness makes it really hard to lace up my shoes and run.
Whether youre just getting started with a fitness routine or youre coming back after a long break, it can be challenging to push through your anxiety and find your groove. Challenging, but not impossible.
Here are a few expert tips on how to get over your fitness anxiety, get back on track, and start enjoying the stress-busting benefits of your sweat sessions:
Tips To Get Rid Of Your Gym Anxiety
Gettingstarted in a new gym or changing your current lifestyle to include moreexercise can be so exciting but, also a little scary. It is actually extremelycommon for both beginner and experienced gym-goers to feel out of place whenthey are going to a new gym. A lot of us let our anxiety about what otherpeople might think stop us from joining a new gym and creating a new exerciseroutine.
Noone should have to feel like this and you do not have to either. Try out these4 tips to ease your gym anxiety.
We purposely put thisas the number one point because it is vital to having a comfortable gymexperience. The gym closest to you might have the best rate in town, the bestamenities or some nice equipment, however, if you do not personally like it orfeel comfortable there than youll be very unlikely to keep going back thereevery day.
Most gyms will offeryou a trial so that you can try out the space for at least a few days and seeif you like it as well as chat with the people within the gym and see if theymake you feel comfortable. Another good way is to chat with friends in yourcircle and see where they go. Training with a friend can put you at ease untilyou feel more comfortable going on your own.
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Anxiety About Gym Class
Anxiety at the gym is not limited to adults. Many children and teenagers also suffer from social anxiety at the thought of taking part in a physical education class. Some of the triggers of this anxiety might include:
- Being self-conscious about your weight/changes in your body
- Worrying about making a mistake while playing on a team
- Getting picked last during team selections
- Being bullied by other students
- Lacking confidence in your physical ability
If you’ve been diagnosed with SAD, have your parent arrange a meeting with the phys ed teacher, guidance counselor, principal, and/or school psychologist.
In this meeting, you can talk about alternatives such as one-on-one exercise programs or credit for exercise done in your home or at places outside the school. As a parent, you can help by practicing sports with your child that you know they will be doing soon in physical education class.
Also, talk to your teen about how it is okayand even therapeuticto laugh at yourself, and that trying is more important than being the best at a sport. Help your child/teen find physical activities that he/she truly enjoys to build confidence and a love for exercise.
Choose Your Entrance Tune
Having a workout mix of upbeat music is helpful, but kick it up a bit if youre feeling hesitant about stepping into the gym, suggests Pilates instructor Julie Driver. Put your headphones on before you walk in, she advises, and have an entrance song that gets you feeling invincible. You can also choose a finale song for the end of the workout to keep you motivated, she adds.
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Bring A Friend Or Fitness Mentor
When gym anxiety gets the best of you, invite someone you know and trust to work out with you. When youre with a friend, you feel more relaxed and are able to have fun. Even if a spell of gym anxiety arises, dont be afraid to face your insecurity share a laugh about it with a friend, and learn from your experience.
Ways To Get Over Your ‘gymtimidation’ Anxiety About The Gym
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Analysis: here’s how to associate positive rather than negative feelings with going to the gym
By Jenny Meggs, Lancaster University
Whether you’re new to the gym or returning after a long break, it can be an intimidating place. There’s even a term to describe the feeling of nervousness or anxiety that many people feel when they think about going: “gymtimidation”.
One survey found as many as half of Americans experienced “gymtimidation”, while another UK survey found one in four women reported feeling it. There are several reasons why people might have some fear of going to the gym, including fear of being judged by other people, believing they might not be able to do certain exercises properly, and being insecure about how they compare to other gym-goers.
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From RTÉ Brainstorm, 10 reasons why more women should lift weights
But at its core, one of the biggest reasons people may experience “gymtimidation” is because many see the gym as an unfamiliar or intimidating place. This is largely because they may feel uncertain about what they may encounter there, or because they might not know what they’re doing there.
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How To Get Over Gym Anxiety: A Complete Guide
You may have heard that exercise can help anxiety but what if you feel anxious about going to the gym in the first place?
If you feel anxiety at the gym, youll need a strategy to overcome it. Dont worry, it wont be too difficult if you take it slow, step by step!
Whether or not you suffer from anxiety, the gym can feel intimidating.
Theres so much equipment and there are so many people that already seem to know exactly what theyre doing. Anxiety at the gym is totally understandable.
What if you screw up? What if you hurt yourself or make a scene? No wonder youre scared of the gym!
With all this in mind, its natural for people to have a fear of the gym.
But there are ways you can help conquer gym anxiety and feel more confident in the gym. Being prepared ahead of time can help ease anxiety at the gym.
Take it slow and build confidence to go to the gym slowly.
Ask Your Trainer Or Group Fitness Instructor About The Game Plan
While your trainer or group instructor may not give you the exact program youre doing ahead of time, theyd likely be willing to help you set your expectations for whats to come. Your trainer is likely to have mapped out a general progression plan for you based on your goals and where youre starting. They can help you understand what phase of training youre in, what types of exercises to expect, and how long youll be in that phase so that you can mentally prepare. In group fitness, youll find that the workouts change often, but the style of workout is consistent. This can help you set your expectation for upcoming classes even though each class might vary in difficulty. If youre considering taking a class at the gym, talk with the instructor to find out what to expect as you take their class. You might even come to the gym when the class is going on to scope it out and see if it might work for you. However, you wont know until you try it!
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Getting Over Gym Phobia
So youve made the decision to get in shape. You want to start working out on a regular basis, because youve heard enough positive truths about the benefits of exercise to your health and well-being. Maybe youve been doing a few exercises at home. You feel good, but you want more. You know you cant do it all at home. You know you dont have all the necessary equipment. You need support. You need the type of support you can only get at a gym surrounded by people like you. Being in the presence of people like you trying to get in shape can be a tremendous support system, but it can unfortunately also bring about some anxiety. Its known as gym phobia.
Gym Phobia is many things to many people, but it is essentially the fear of going to the gym and working out in front of others. Getting over gym phobia begins by identifying what may cause you to feel overwhelmed when you enter a gym or think about going to the gym. These identifiers can be a number of things, and they will most certainly be different for each individual. Its up to you to be honest with yourself, and think about what is really hindering your adherence to regular gym visits.
Dont be afraid to fail. If you drop a weight, do an exercise wrong, or sit on a machine backwards, it wont be the first time someone has screwed up. Learn from any mistakes and move on. You are doing something worthwhile to change your life, and it mistakes happen, so be it.
Youre A Woman Wanting To Use The Typically Male
Utilizing the weight room can be intimidating as a woman, even if youre not a gym newbie.
One study including 116 college-age women found that a good portion of them was aware of the benefits of resistance training but still didnt partake in the recommended amount.
In part, participants cited time and effort as barriers. Yet, researchers also found that feelings of judgment and intimidation, as well as a lack of knowledge about how to use the equipment, also contributed.
The study suggests that a womens weightlifting class or womens-only area of a gym could give them the motivation to move forward (
A handful of strategies can help you overcome gym anxiety and get in a great workout.
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About Jeana Anderson Cohen
Jeana Anderson Cohen is the founder and CEO of asweatlife.com a premiere wellness media destination that creates content and community to help womxn live better lives and achieve their goals. Before founding health-focused companies Jeana earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison – and fresh out of college she worked on the ’08 Obama campaign in Michigan. From there, she created and executed social media strategies for brands. aSweatLife fuses her experience in building community and her passion for wellness. You can find Jeana leading the team at aSweatLife, trying to join a book club, and walking her dog Maverick.
What Makes The Gym So Intimidating
As part of our wider investigation into how gym anxiety affects the nation, we spoke to Dr. Margee Kerr an expert in the realm of fear. She earned her PhD in 2009 from the University of Pittsburgh and currently teaches and conducts research on fear.
Dr. Kerr shares what it is about the gym which makes it so scary, and shares nine ways to help you get over your gym anxiety and start your journey to getting healthier and fitter.
Going to the gym can be scary, because it is a social experience, meaning it carries all the potential gains that come with socializing, but also all the fears and anxieties too.
Social judgement is of massive importance to humans, in fact many fear social judgement in public speaking, more than they fear death. This is because in todays modern world, social interaction and communication are more important to us to get right than knowing how to treat a spider bite. So its no wonder that going to the gym alone, a hugely uncertain space full of social judgement, is more frightening for some than needles, spiders, and rollercoasters.
Working out in a public space can be just as scary as public speaking, in a gym we might feel like everyones eyes are on us, watching our every move, waiting for us to slip up. As highlighted in PureGyms survey, nearly 2 in 5 reported fearing they would look stupid in front of others, the same number reported feeling nervous others would judge their body shape.
Tips to Overcoming Gym Fear
From Dr Margee Kerr
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