By: Alan Ataman
Founder of Total Health Immersion Program
Alan Ataman Founder of Total Health Immersion Program
Want to hear a sad, sad statistic? A statistic that if it was lower could possibly lead to a lot of things being different in our country. Things such as…
- Cardiovascular Disease not being the #1 cause of death in the U.S.A.
- Diabetes being further away from the #7 cause of death.
- 70% of Americans over the age of 20 years wouldn’t be either Obese or Overweight.
If 36% of Men and 65% of women didn’t avoid the gym in due part to anxiety and the fear of judgment from others, the statistics above may all be different.
We’d be healthier. We’d live longer. We’d feel cleaner. We’d be more confident. Depression may be down. Stress wouldn’t be as high. Antidepressants wouldn’t be as popular. Alcohol usage could be lower. Drug and Treatment Centers wouldn’t be as filled.
A lot could possibly be different with us. But the fear of judgment is real and it is 100% scary. I take my hat off to those that reach out for help. There is nothing wrong with it because most of us need it but our feelings of pride prevent us from allowing it. It takes a lot of courage to walk into the gym by yourself not knowing where or how to start, figure things out, not get injured, then decide what your next step will be.
80% of new gym goers who don’t have a personal trainer quit the gym within 5 months.
So how can we become more confident in ourselves and be more prepared for Day 1 in the gym?
- Take a Tour- Take a Tour of your new gym with a staff member there and while doing so, take notes. Write down the name of some of the machines. Then go home and search some videos on YouTube of others using these machines. Make sure we’re knowing what body parts these machines are going to be utilized as well.
Watch a couple different video’s just in case there are possible modifications on each machine that you may be able to also incorporate into your workouts.
- Know their busy times- And that’s going be the time we will NOT be going to the gym. Less is definitely going be more here. The fewer people, the better for us. If judgment is what we’re nervous about, then let’s go to the gym when it’s least busy. Let’s try around the smaller crowds until we get a little more comfortable with our knowledge of the machines and workout routines.
- Stretch a Few Days before- Stretch a few days before Day 1 in the gym. Get some flexibility started and loosen up the muscles a little. Maybe try a few air squats, high knees, pushup, shoulder presses, and field goals to kind of get prepped for it. It will also give you some time to recover in case you do get sore from these exercises and stretches, which is a possibility if you haven’t done any recent exercising.
- Have a Gameplan- Remember those notes you took back on your tour of the gym? Yup, it’s time to use them. Time to create a Gameplan. The first month (if without a trainer), I’d recommend just going and doing the machines. All of them. Get comfortable using them now that you know what they do. It’ll turn out to be a full body work-out, which is okay.
But then moving forward, create a plan of attack. What body parts are you going be working out? On what days? How many days are you going be able to make the gym? What time are we going so we can mentally prepare ourselves that day for it? How much time are you going to be able to spend at the gym? Have a plan of attack.
The more prepared we are, the better the chance we succeed is. Like a test or a presentation you’re about to give, the more comfortable you feel with the information you’ve researched, the more comfortable you’re going feel about presenting it to others. Same with the gym. Know about the equipment and how to use it before walking in and the more comfortable you’re going feel actually using the equipment, which in turn will help lead to a reduction in common gym jitters a lot of new members face.
So the best way to be eliminated as much anxiety and fear of judgment before walking into the gym? Is going to be proper preparation. Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. Have an awesome workout this week and if you’re better today than yesterday, you’re on the right track.
As always, we here to help you get started! If you need advice or an extra nudge. E-mail Alan at ImmersionCoach@gmail.com or visit our facebook page, or instagram!