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Overcoming Gym Anxiety: 8 Basic Steps to Get You in the Door
The hardest part of any workout is getting there. It may be cliché, but this phrase is so true! Taking those simple steps of getting dressed, filling up your water bottle, and walking out the door to go to the gym can be harder than the workout itself. But how about once you get there? Have you ever sat in your car and had to talk yourself into just walking through the doors of gym? If you have, you’re not alone! Gym anxiety is very real, but that doesn’t mean that you have to let fear call the shots. Read on for tools to get you in the gym and feeling confident!
1. Know before you go. Walking into any new place can be intimidating, so why not remove the stress of the unknown by asking for a tour? When you take a tour with us, we’ll share every fitness hack and helpful tip we know to get you started, AND you’ll already have a friend at the gym before you leave!
2. Plan your workout in advance. All those nights you spend in front of the TV staring at your phone, now you can make them productive! Use that time to plan your workout, queue up the videos you want to use, and research the best exercises for your goals. Not sure what to even Google to hit your goals? Let us help you! We start all of our new members off with a FREE fitness consultation where we talk with you about your goals and show you what parts of the gym will benefit you most.
3. Choose your Entrance Tune. Pro-athletes do it, so why shouldn’t we? Pick a song that makes you feel pumped up, confident, and ready to take on the world. Put your headphones in and blast it as you walk through those doors.
4. Go during off-peak hours. Do you worry about people “staring” at you when you walk in the gym? Whether the staring is real or imagined, you may benefit from visiting the gym during quieter times. This way, you’ll be able to build confidence in your workout routine and try new equipment without fear of failure or judgement. (P.S. One thing to remember when you feel like people are looking at you in the gym is that most people there are so focused on their own workout, that they’re really not staring at you at all.)
5. Talk to the instructor. Arrive a little early for your first class, and introduce yourself to the instructor, let them know that you’re new! After class, feel free to ask questions about moves that challenged you or that you felt you weren’t doing quite right.
6. Find your tribe. Working out is always better with a friend. If you need help finding workout buddies, start taking classes. In classes, you’ll find a community of people just like you who are working to achieve their goals. Just remember, they were all new once too!
7. Stay positive. Find a few mantras or sayings that make you feel good and repeat them to yourself when start to lose your nerve. Here are a few of our favorites: “Whatever I do today is enough, and so am I. ”Healthy is an outfit that looks different on everybody.” “I’m strong, and I can do anything I put my mind to.”
8. Be scared and do it anyway. Your health is too important to allow fear to stop you from taking the best care of yourself possible. Set small goals to achieve when you first start. Goals like: Walk for 10 minutes on the treadmill, and then leave. Take a yoga class. Ask a staff member to show you how to use certain equipment in the gym. Small goals will help you to gradually build confidence. If you’re still struggling with feelings of anxiety in the gym, consider working with a personal trainer and getting some extra 1-on-1 attention.
Ready to put these tools to good use? Come visit us for an awesome workout! Visit our website for a FREE 3-Day VIP Trial to try us out! www.alcovyfitness.com