5 Tips for Overcoming Gym Anxiety
When I first started working out, I had exactly zero idea what I was doing; walking into the gym felt like I was on display. Gym Anxiety is real & causes a lot of people to feel like they’re not qualified to workout in. Over the last couple of years I’ve become pretty confident in my little gym routine, but it didn’t happen overnight. Here are 5 things that helped me overcome my gym anxiety.
Come prepared.
Being prepared makes me feel like I have a little more control. When it comes to the gym, I like to have a prepared playlist for my workout, that way I’m not fumbling around every few minutes to find a new song or figure out what I’ll listen to. Before I get to the gym, I decide if I’m going to listen to music or listen to a podcast. I decide which playlist I’ll use or create it beforehand, that way I don’t have to stop & feel like I’m spending the whole time on my phone. Another way I come prepared is by having a dedicated set of headphones for the gym and always keeping them in the same place. Very few things are worse than forgetting headphones at the gym.
Wear a hat.
One of the biggest ways I was able to overcome anxiety in the gym is by wearing a hat. It’s just a grey, “dad” hat that’s not flashy & is pretty low profile (it says “Dog Mom AF” so it’s pretty chill). Wearing a hat makes me feel like I’m hidden & or incognito. It’s easier to be in my own world when I block out everyone else from my peripheral vision. Plus, I’m not constantly fixing my pony tail, critiquing my frizzy fly-aways or re-doing my messy bun every 5 minutes. Now I feel so naked when I forget my hat!
Set a plan.
As mentioned, when I first started working out I didn’t know what I was doing. I remember being in the gym on a yoga mat trying to look up glute workouts on Pinterest during my gym time & feeling like I was so out of my element. So, have a game plan. Maybe you download a workout guide to follow. Or you plan which muscle group you're going to workout & write out the exercises ahead of time. Perhaps you subscribe to a service that curates workouts for you. I have been using FitBod for almost a year and seriously love it so much. It plans my workouts & tracks my progress, so I’m constantly pushing myself towards my goals. It’s priced really reasonable at $9.99 a month or $5.00 a month if billed annually (half the price). Totally worth it.
Stick to the basics.
A word of advice? Stick to the basic exercises until you feel comfortable in the gym. Don’t try out some random exercise you found on Instagram that requires you to balance on your head or lay upside down on the leg extension machine so you can isolate a tiny muscle in your left hamstring. Obviously that behavior is going to land you in a YouTube compilation of weirdos at the gym. Just use the machines as they’re designed. Free weights are your friend (just don’t be that guy who grunts & drops the weights super loud. No one likes that guy). Basically don’t act like a weirdo & you’ll be fine.
Remind yourself no one gives a crap.
When you walk into the gym do you judge & critique every one in sight? Probably not (and if you do, then maybe work on not being a dick?). The biggest way to push past gym anxiety is to come to terms with the fact that no one gives a crap about you. Maybe that’s harsh, but it’s true. No one is judging you. No one cares what you’re doing. Everyone is there to do their own thing, not rate your dumbbell curl form on a scale of 1 to 10. Just work hard & focus on yourself. And remember, every single person in that gym had a first day in the gym. No one exited the womb with a squat rack on their back (except maybe that one guy in the corner who looks like the Incredible Hulk. He may be super-human, no one knows for sure).
Do you have any more tips for overcoming gym anxiety? Let me know! Hope that helps!