I have always felt a little self-conscious about working out – especially when I first started. I knew that I was out of shape and I didn’t have the correct form for everything. I was worried that everyone was looking at me and making fun of me.

Sure, some people might have glanced at my general direction when I was doing laps around the block but it wasn’t to point and laugh. It wasn’t until I saw an overweight individual riding his bike around the block and thought to myself, “Yeah! Way to go!” and felt a swell of pride and motivation for him that I realized, “Oh, maybe that’s how people see me too!” That’s when I stopped thinking about others and continued to work hard for myself. After all, I’m not working out for them. I’m working out for myself. Well, for myself and for my fiancé. We have so much fun doing outdoorsy things, I wouldn’t want to be the one to hold us back from fun outings.

So here’s my number one rule for anyone who wants to start working out (especially at a gym):

Stop being so self-conscious.

When you’re in a vulnerable position or if you’re doing something that you’ve considered to be a tad embarrassing, you probably have a tendency of thinking that everyone is looking at you. This includes the gym. Well, you don’t have to worry about that. No one actually cares about what you are doing or what you look like when you’re at the gym.

Even if you do something to catch everyone’s attention (like trip and fall or do something loud – or even breaking the equipment), they’ll forget about you within minutes. That is, if you’re being as polite and follow some basic “gym etiquette”, they’ll forget about you.

1. Don’t occupy exercise equipment/benches if you’re not going to use them for their intended use (i.e. don’t use the power rack bench as a bench for other exercises).

2. Wipe down the equipment after you’re done with them. It’s obvious that we’re going to sweat when we use gym equipment so be courteous and wipe it all down after you’re done.

3. Don’t be afraid to ask for a spotter. You’re all there to better yourselves and stay healthy so no one will balk at you if you ask for a few minutes (not more than 5 – 10, mind you) of someone’s time – especially in the name of safety.

4. One piece of equipment at a time. Don’t hog more than one piece of equipment because you know that you’re going to use all of them eventually.

5. Put equipment back in the right place. It’s respectful and courteous to everyone.

If you’re feeling especially self-conscious or if you just don’t like crowds, consider looking into a 24 hour gym so that you can go at your convenience and you can pick a time where there aren’t many other patrons.

Sources:

Image by Lynettelhm (http://pixabay.com/en/dumbbells-weights-rack-training-290378/)

Nerd Fitness: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2014/08/18/proper-gym-etiquette-how-to-not-be-a-newbie-in-the-gym/