Dare to Dream

Gymtimidation can make going to the gym a miserable experience. It can turn into a vicious cycle of feeling bad about yourself so you don’t go to the gym, and since you don’t go to the gym you feel bad about yourself. We have all struggled with it at some point so you are not alone. Don’t let your gym anxiety prevent you from getting fit and improving your health. Here are some tips to help alleviate some anxiety:

Music.

Music is extremely powerful and personal. It can help you escape into your own world and focus on what matters most. Turning on your music puts you into your own bubble. Create a playlist that will keep you pumped and it will make your gym session about you.

Mirrors.

Practice squats, lunges, crunches, etc, in a mirror at home to help perfect your form. There are hundreds of infographics online to tell you what the good form looks like. Once you feel confident doing them in front of a mirror, your confidence at the gym will go way up.

Personal trainers.

Yes they can be very costly, but you would be surprised the power of a single session. They will lead you through a workout which can be extremely helpful if you don’t know what you are doing. They will show you proper technique and show you how to use all the equipment.

Friends.

Heading to the gym with a friend gives your moral support and can make you feel more secure. It will make the experience more enjoyable and can push you through your workout. Virgin Active Health carried out a study that showed that two-thirds of women try harder when they are exercising with a friend.

You don’t need to be fit to go.

The whole point of a gym is that you are going there to get fit! Everyone has to start somewhere.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

They hire people to work at gyms for a reason. If you don’t know how to use a piece of equipment ask someone. They are being paid to help you.

Take classes.

Many gyms offer different classes. Taking a class will help you feel more comfortable being in the gym and will help you learn how to use equipment. You can also make friends and maybe they will even become your gym partner!

You are there to build confidence.

If you are lacking self-confidence, use that as a motivator. By working on getting fitter and healthier, you are also building your confidence.

Everyone is focused on themselves.

Maybe even though you saw him with another woman, laughing and joking in a smoky bar with their heads held close together, you still think you have a shot with him.

You don’t.

This way of thinking will ruin you; you need to stop looking around corners and walking on eggshells when you’re near him. Your chances are slim to none; it would be easier to win a handful of cash on a Roulette wheel than get together with him. The stars have a better chance of kissing the moon than you have a chance of even so much as brushing his hand in passing as you walk across the street.

Realize this. Drill it into your head and into your brain; carve it into your bedpost instead of his initials. Smear it on your bathroom mirror in a tube of the very same Sugar Plum lipstick you bought in hopes you could wear it on a fancy dinner date with him. Scrawl it on your wrist in permanent marker; walk into a tattoo parlor and get it inked onto each hand, each finger, so that whenever you ache to hold his hand, you can look down at your hands and see the reminder instead. Memorize this thought; chant it over and over again to yourself like a mantra.

Let it be your new motto.

Do not let yourself regret him; do not lie in bed in a quivering heap for days at a time; do not mope or hit the snooze button simply so you can drift off to sleep and dream about him. You are not a kicked dog and your ribs are not showing. If you look in the medical dictionary, lovesickness is not a disease. Wanting someone who is already taken is not a disease.

So don’t treat yourself like a victim or a hospital patient. Stop putting Band-Aids on wounds that need sunlight. Stop trying to mend your heart with a splint and bandages; give it some fresh air instead.

Dress yourself up if for no other reason than making yourself feel good. Put on your tightest, tiniest little black dress and some high heels and have a dance party in your own room with the stereo blasting.

Throw away his photos. Delete his texts, crumple up his notes and slot them into the paper shredder like old credit cards.

Thinking about him any more than you already have is dangerous. It is a palmful of lit matches about to fall into a puddle of lighter fluid. It is a warning sign, a canyon of deceit and sadness and regret.

Do not let this canyon become your new choice of vacation.

Hang out at the beach instead. Step into the ocean and feel the water swirl around you; stand among the jellyfish and tilt your head to the sky.

Breathe in the salty air.

This is the very same air he is breathing at this moment, but he is sharing it with someone else.

You deserve to have your own air now. It is yours.