Gym confidence??

[goodtasteen]

Hi guys! So I've been wanting to go to the gym lately, but my biggest fear is being out in public by myself and doing something that I feel really uncomfortable doing in front of others: exercising. I love treadmills and workout machines, but I don't know how to handle my gym anxiety when I do it in front of people that I do and don't know. It's scary! I was just wondering how some of you guys might have gotten over that? Or even how you seemed to kind of disregard everyone around you without feeling weird or watched? How do I become confident in the gym and not think that creepy men or judgmental girls are watching me? Thanks so much!

[onigiri815]

Just remember that everyone is there to improve themselves.
The only people that get any attention are the guys who scream and yell and grunt when lifting weights. They distract everyone from looking at anyone else

I personally just started out but going with my headphones in. Now I go and can talk to other people if they want and ask for help too when I need. It is a new experience but just know that making mistakes there is totally fine too. Don't ever feel embarrassed.

[Qax]

Keep remembering everybody is there for themselves. When I'm working out I rarely notice other people, I'm too busy with my own workout. Everybody is there for a reason: because they're not happy with their body or because they want to maintain/improve their body/health. Going to the gym is a good thing.

I wanted to give the same tip as the person above me. With your headphones you can stay a bit in your 'own world'. You can close yourself of from the other people. If you want to know something ask the people that work there, or else there are always people who are willing to help you. Everybody has to start in a gym. Everybody has had to take those first steps. When I went the first time I didn't even know how all those machines worked. Ask for a tour in the gym, so you know all the workout gear you can use. That might give some more confidence when you're actually going to use them.

It might also help to go when there are not that many people around, so the first couple of times not to go during very busy hours.

I you want to get to know people a bit, maybe there are classes you can do. I personally am way more comfortable in those classes, with an instructor. People tend to be a bit more social there in my experience. Following classes personally helped me a lot getting more comfortable in gyms!

[rishka]

I've also found that when you go to the gym, if people notice you struggling they're willing to help. Being at the gym means you're there to better yourself, so most often no one is noticing if you're doing burpees in the corner feeling like you look ridiculous; they just notice someone doing burpees.

To get over my anxiety about going alone I started out by going during the day when not a lot of people were there. If you really don't want someone to talk to you then keeping your headphones in the whole time is a good bet, but I often workout without mine because it feels more natural to me and I don't like the chords.

I also found that going to the right gym for me helped a lot. I didn't jive with my town's club fitness, but I liked the one about ten minutes further away so I would go to that one instead. It's all about feeling comfortable to work out in the space.

Good luck to you, I hope you find a gym that fits you that you enjoy going to!