Overcoming Your Fear of the Gym

As a kid, we were all frightened by the show "Are You Afraid of the Dark?", but now as we age, and are in our prime years for peak physical fitness, I ask you, "Are You Afraid of the Gym?" This article sparked tons of interest in me because many of my fellow classmates, back in high school, and still in college, do not go to the gym simply because they are "scared" of what goes on in there. They don't know what to do in the gym, or are too intimidated by the people who are already in the gym. Well this article goes over 9 Amazing Tips to Overcome Your Fear of the Gym. Since you're probably not going to spend 20 minutes reading the link I will post at the end of this, I'll highlight the main aspects of the article from Bodybuilding.com that I loved...

1. The first tip was to exercise outside of the gym, and I could not agree with this more. Often times beginners go into a gym, see these huge "muscle heads" throwing around ridiculous amounts of weight, and get down on themselves for not being as strong as others. A great way to get these sideshows out of your environment, is to exercise outside of the gym! You don't need any weights or spectators to do push ups or sit ups outside on the track or on a nice patch of grass. You could even do them in the privacy of your own room. Go for a run out on the street or in the woods. Who needs a gym?

2. Avoiding peak hours is one of my personal favorite things to do. I love exercising in the morning when 80% of the college population is still sleeping, so you can try this too. You could even wait until the late hours of the evening to go, when most people are done for the day. The hours of 3:00pm to about 6:00pm are probably the most crowded with people, not that there's anything wrong with working out at these times, its just usually crowded and hard to get your work done. Plus socializing is a huge pet peeve of mine, you go to the gym to workout, not chit-chat; and you can avoid this by going when no one else is there.

3. The third, and possibly fourth, final tips that I want to highlight is, if you skip over tip number one about working out outside of the gym, and you are in fact, IN the gym try not to compare yourself to others who are working out at the same time. Yes, that is easier to say than it is to do but, don't worry about what other people can do or what they look like. "IF YOU WANT TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOUR BODY BY COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS, GO TO MCDONALD'S." Their gains will be much different than yours, so don't fret about other people's development, worry about your own. Also, I liked the piece they had about trying new machines and new work out styles, that just tied in with not being intimated by others and what they do, do your own thing.

Anyways, hopefully this article isn't too long for people, and maybe it'll even help some of you who are on the fence about going to the gym. It's a must for everyone now a days so don't let your fears of the gym change your lifestyle. Once you get in the routine and lose that fear, you'll be a regular in no time. It's never too late to start.


http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/9_tips_to_overcome_gym_fear.htm