When a lot of people first start going to the gym including myself I noticed that I was worried about what others thought of me. I was always concerned about how they would look at me or if I did a specific workout wrong I thought they would judge me. I literally would skip certain workouts because I was scared of messing up. I often find that this is one of the main reasons that people will not workout. Some of the things you might think are

• I don’t know what kind of clothes to wear.
• I don’t like the way I look
• I’m so awkward. I’m afraid I’ll trip, or not know how to use a machine
• What if it’s crowded and I have to stand around waiting to use the equipment? I’ll feel so uncomfortable.
• I don’t want anyone to talk to me

If you find yourself in this situation today I want to put an end to all of this and help you become confident in yourself. Here are some tips that I want you to follow so you can overcome this fear.

#1. Never care about messing up during your workout.

I know this is harder than it sounds but this is something that I want you to put into practice. The only way to get better is if you mess up. When I first started seriously training I would go to the gym and always look around at everyone who was there before I started working out. I wanted to go to the space or corner where nobody could see me so I could get my workout in. But one day I realized that the people that are at the gym don’t care about what I’m doing, they are focusing on themselves so I thought why am I so focused on them and not myself? And that is when I started going to the gym confidently and didn’t care about what they thought. If I had to do a box jump and I fell I got right back up and did it again.

#2. Come to the gym with a plan

Your lack of confidence when it comes to working out can often come when you do not have a set goal or plan in mind. I used to go to the gym and literally copy what I seen other people doing and have wrong form and almost hurt myself. Having a set plan will eliminate all of this and you will be more focused when you are there. I found myself writing out my workouts in a notebook and after I complete each one literally crossing them out so when I finished I can look back and feel good about what I accomplished. It was always a mental thing for me. So never come to the gym not knowing what you want to work on. Always have a plan

#3 Be comfortable being uncomfortable

A lot of times when people workout they only want to do workouts that they know that they are good at. When the trainer says lets go run some stairs, they tend to shy away from something like this because they worry about tripping and falling so they are not comfortable. I want you to start putting yourself in positions where you have to adapt with being uncomfortable. Whether you hate speaking and you tell your boss you want to present and lead the meeting at work or if you are uncomfortable meeting people, the next time you are going out with friends I want you to introduce yourself with ten new people and get their names and carry on a conversation with them. You will soon realize if you practice this and step out of your comfort zone, you will become comfortable and confident within yourself.

I hope this article is helpful and you will break you out of the fear of being nervous to workout! Love you all

Coach Q