When I first started going to the gym, one thing was very evident to me: women stuck to the cardio machines, men occupied the weightlifting areas. It didn’t bother me all that much at first, I was there to run a mile and call it a day. But soon enough, I had lost all the weight I could from cardio and had to make a change in my fitness routines. I needed to start doing resistance training to replace fat with muscle.
The first moment I stepped into the weightlifting room, I immediately felt all eyes on me. In retrospect, that didn't happen at all. It just felt as though every guy in the room was staring me down, mentally asking me, “What are you doing here?” At 5-feet-tall, very petite, in a pink shirt and spandex, I was very out of place. The only experience I had with lifting weights was the 5-pound dumbbells I used in the privacy of my home. Trying to figure out how to work all of the machines, how to change weights, and how to achieve the correct form can all be daunting tasks - especially with you feel as though you’re sticking out like a sore thumb.
There is no reason to feel insecure at the gym.
Hearing these words has no effect until you truly grow comfortable with being in the gym. But there are truly no reasons to feel insecure at the gym. I promise. The people who are in the gym are there for the same reason you are - to better themselves in one aspect or another. Speaking from personal experience, when you’re at the bar, you’re usually so focused on what you’re doing that nothing else going on around you matters. Besides, if anyone actually does say something to you - they’re the joke. Not you. If you are actively trying to fix a problem, and someone says something about it, that speaks volumes about the kind of person they are, not you.
Going to the gym builds so much more than just muscle.
Once you start going to the gym, you’ll find that you start off strong. But after a few weeks, you’ll hit a rut and want to quit. If you can push past that, you get into a habit of going to the gym. It almost becomes impossible to skip a gym day because you’re that addicted to it. Going to the gym builds up self-confidence. If you can start achieving goals, you’ll see just how quickly your confidence skyrockets. Getting in the habit of going to the gym should be the first goal. Not giving up on yourself should be the second. If you can achieve those two goals, you can achieve anything at the gym because you will have redesigned your mentality.
Whatever your reasons are for going to the gym, they’re good enough. If you have a goal, whether that’s to run a certain distance or lift a certain amount of weight, it’s good enough. If you truly want to achieve your fitness goal, don’t let any insecurities stand in your way. You’ll find that they slowly start to melt away as you begin to achieve your goals.
Love,
A gym rat
