I tried doing the gym thing before, for over a year. I belonged to the local YMCA, which is beautiful and has a great variety of machines, classes, and gear available. However, I never felt comfortable there, and I don't think it was any fault of the Y's. It was just my self-consciousness rearing its ugly head.
I am at an age now where I am more accepting of who I am and how being introverted affects me. Instead of beating myself up about not being able to hack it at the gym, I turned to home workout videos and am now in the best shape of my life. I finally found something that works for me and that I could stick with for an extended period of time (currently over 2 years).
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This is all I use with the videos - a mat and our 3, 5, 8, and 12 pound weights.
(Just added the 8s over the holidays - I'm excited!)
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I think the key was that I found something where I was mentally comfortable. Obviously, I am physically uncomfortable at times when working out -- out of breath, sweating, etc. When I was at the Y, I was also psychologically uncomfortable with negative thoughts telling me that I wasn't dressed properly, using the machines properly, or working out properly. (I know these are irrational thoughts, but I get them and I live with them.) I never got up the nerve to try a class - that is too many people potentially watching me, way too close to me. At home, I at least have the mental comfort part taken care of so I can be more successful with the physical aspect.
Have any other shy or anxiety-prone folks experienced this kind of self-consciousness at the gym that affected their performance?
This is interesting because I'm thinking of joining a gym some time in February! Outside of high school I have literally been to a gym once and all I did then was ride an exercise bike.
ReplyDeleteI've been "working out" at home for the past six months or so - just some push ups and a few dumbbell exercises. I haven't made much progress, although I have managed to go from being able to do zero full push ups to being able to do around 15, so that's something I'm quite happy about!
I'm thinking of joining a gym so I have access to a pull-up bar (I can't do any pull-ups at the moment) and a better set of weights than I have now. I'm expecting to feel really self-conscious and like I don't belong and shouldn't be there, but hopefully I can push past that and stick with it once I figure out how to use the equipment.
I found that waking up early each morning to do exercises and really trying to stick with it turned it into sort of a habit, and now I feel weird if I don't do it. Oh, plus I watch Shaytards videos while I do it, so that's an extra incentive!
Heh, yay, daily vloggers! I watch "Interenet Killed Television" while I eat breakfast, usually. It helps me to take my time and have a little downtime for myself, since each video is about 10-15 minutes.
ReplyDeleteI keep meaning to see if I am finally able to do a pull-up. I haven't tried in years, since grammar school gym class (bad memories).