5 Ways to Overcome Gym Anxiety

Does the thought of going to the gym stress you out…?!😟😁

If you get anxious about exercising, especially at a gym, you are NOT alone.
In fact, I had this same conversation with THREE of my clients in the past few weeks about it.

They do GREAT with personal training sessions or if they have a friend with them. But going to the gym alone, especially at peak times, causes a slippery slope of anxiousness 😩

“How busy will it be? Will I be able to get on everything I need? If not, then what do I do?”

THEN when those thoughts start, we usually talk ourselves out of the hard, uncomfortable things.

“I am so tired after work, I have a bunch of other things to do, I’ll just go tomorrow”…and then it’s Saturday and you haven’t exercised ALL week 😞

Yep, it happens, but we gotta get OUT of that cycle.

➡️ Here is the framework I use with my clients to break “Exercise Anxiety” and get the ball rollin again!

1. Set very specific days & times that you will exercise. Put them into your calendar just like any other appointment

2. Have a specific routine that you will do, so there’s no guessing.

3. Have back up routines in case the gym is packed or the day got really busy. For example: bodyweight (home) circuits, going for a walk, run, bike ride, or routines that only require a set of free weights and bands vs machines.

For my clients I have these “metabolic routines” designed in their workout app, so they feel confident they have something to do even if everything is packed 💯

4. Pump yourself up. The more positive (and flexible) you can be, the better relationship you will create with exercise. After those hard sessions, you prove to yourself that you CAN do this!

Pick out an outfit you feel confident in, make an upbeat playlist, and even mini rewards (i.e. doing your nails or a nice sauna session after) can help create a positive association with workouts.

5. Find Accountability. I schedule in the workouts for my clients each week in their app, allowing them to move things around if need be. Structure yet flexibility I say! Knowing someone will check with you can make all the difference!!