Isobel Pereria Garcez
Gyms have always felt like quite scary places to me; lots of big men, people being loud, lots of machines that I don’t know how to use and exercises I don’t know if I’m doing right. They can, as expected, seem quite daunting as a newcomer, and especially to one who is normally anxious, which makes gym anxiety is very normal. However, I recently decided I want to commit to going to the gym more, and so I came up with some of the things that have helped me get over some of my anxieties when it comes to motivating yourself to go the gym.
I WENT FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH A FRIEND WHO HAD BEEN GOING TO THAT GYM FOR A WHILE, AND IT REALLY HELPED ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE STRESS THAT CAME WITH BEING IN A NEW PLACE
One of the main things that has always helped me is going with a friend, especially if they go to the gym frequently and have their own set of routines which I can just follow along with. I recently did this when I started going to a new gym; I went for the first time with a friend who had been going to that gym for a while, and it really helped alleviate some of the stress that came with being in a new place with new equipment that I wasn’t familiar with. 
Now, this next tip might not be helpful to all – or may appeal to some more than others – but I always find that getting dedicated clothes for a new activity helps me become motivated to do it. So, I bought some nice gym clothes to sport the next time I want to work out. I found this helped considerably with my motivation to go to the gym as I wanted to wear the new clothes I bought.
If your main anxiety with the gym is the people there or how busy it is, the main way to get over that, which I’ve found to be helpful, is to find out when the gym is at it’s quietest and go then. This will help you get familiar with the equipment and get used to having a few people around as you work out. If you begin by going at quieter times where you can learn how to use the equipment, you can then build up to going at busier periods and feel more prepared to use the equipment you’re more unsure of. Plus, the majority of machines have clear guides on them as to how you correctly use them, and even if they don’t, the people at the front desks will be happy to help if you don’t feel comfortable asking someone else who is working out.
THE MAIN WAY TO BEAT ANXIETIES IS TO FACE THEM, HEAD-ON, AND AS YOU GO TO THE GYM MORE AND MORE, YOU’LL GET MORE AND MORE CONFIDENT WITH THE IDEA OF WORKING OUT
Another way of gaining confidence in a gym environment would be joining a class, like yoga, pilates, or spin. These classes mean you don’t have to decide what workouts to do as you will have an instructor leading the class, but also means you may make some friends who you could go into the main gym with, or to just organise going to the weekly class with. This will help build your confidence around the idea of going to a gym, as you will feel yourself getting stronger even if just through classes.
Getting over gym anxieties is hard, but there’s lots of people who will want to help, whether that be class instructors, random gym go-ers, people in your classes, or a friend who also goes to the gym, but especially gym employees. The main way to beat anxieties is to face them, head-on, and as you go to the gym more and more, you’ll get more and more confident with the idea of working out and being around all the other people in the gym.
Isobel Pereria Garcez
Feature image courtesy of Jessica Streser on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of on Andrew Kayani on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of Jaspinder Singh on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
For more content including uni news, reviews, entertainment, lifestyle, features and so much more, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like our Facebook page for more articles and information on how to get involved.
If you just can’t get enough of Lifestyle, like our Facebook as a reader or contributor.
