GYM GIRLS LOCKER ROOM - What is GYM ANXIETY? Secrets to Building Gym Confidence, Women's Only Gyms & Big Scary Gym Bro's #3

Episode Date: March 19, 2024

EP 03 - hey besties. it isn't a sydgrows podcast without talking about gym anxiety. join Syd and Ellis as they take you through facts, tips and their experiences on navigating gym anxiety. we're in this together girlie 🫶 WATCH the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WN5aHWQTo1s Hunkemoller study - https://tinyurl.com/ycycvp27 Samsung study - https://tinyurl.com/4nztuz5s 💘 join the GGLR community: INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/gymgirlslockerroom/ FACEBOOK COMMUNITY PAGE - https://bit.ly/3TqhxDG TIKTOK - https://www.tiktok.com/@gymgirlslockerroom/ 📲 find Syd on socials: INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/sydgrows/ TIKTOK - https://www.tiktok.com/@sydgrows/ GYMSHARK - 10% off code: SYDNEY

Hello and welcome back to the Gym Girls Locker Room podcast with your host Sydney, say it grows, Sydney Cassidy and my beautiful, wonderful, lovely co-host Ellis. Hello. Ellis Cassidy. Before we get into today's topic, can I please ask you to open up your podcast player and hit subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify and subscribe on YouTube. This really helps us support the show and helps us create an even better show for the gym girls locker room community and i will love you forever and ever and ever and ever cute echo it's kind of like asmr okay right let's get on with the episode so gosh we have had a funny little afternoon.

It wasn't funny. No, it wasn't funny. Well, I actually, you know, there's been, you know, a fair few instances, you know, this past year where I've really had to step up to the plate. I've really seen my fight, flight or what's the other one? Fight, flight, freeze response come into action. And, you know, every single time I've stepped up to the goddamn plate. And today was no different for approximately oh um two hours two hours i've now been um chasing ladybugs that have appeared in our office um ellis has been squealing and freaking out yeah i've never been scared of bugs but this has triggered something in me yeah which is weird because they're not really the kind of thing

that makes you you know your skin crawl creepy crawlies that sort of thing and i you know as well another thing i think of myself as quite a hot glass half empty kind of person honestly i am quite a negative debbie downer at times and um i've taken it in a positive way i'm seeing it as like a good omen i put it on my story and people have been saying that it's good luck yeah good fertility um but yeah um so anyway that's what we've been doing this morning um but it's all sorted now so that's good and you know maybe it's a sign of better things coming and good things positive vibes absolutely uh anyway today we have a good helpful i think topic for us um we will be tackling the topic of gym anxiety which i feel like is something that we have all absolutely experienced and dealt with um and some fear it more than others a lot of us have worked through it but yeah we're going

to talk all things gym anxiety and um i forgot to preface this in the last episode actually the last well i didn't know you weren't in the second one but the first one i forgot to preface by saying the unique and beautiful thing about ellis being my co-host um on a gym girl podcast ellis do you want to say oh yeah so i don't go to the gym i the only time i step foot in gym is for shoots for work and it's really funny because i always say to Sid, I'm like, I know so much about the gym. I don't go. I don't do anything. Which is just so funny. And what would you say?

Actually, I don't even know the answer to this. What would you say that your experience is? Experience with gym? On a personal level. On a personal level. Not related to work. I'd say a 0.03. Oh, okay.

You're giving me you see the 0.3 is um i went to um a gym uh when i was 14 with my friend and we went on the treadmill and i'd say i was about there i was there for about 25 minutes and then left which is, I don't know why I haven't gone to the gym since, I think it is literally gym anxiety and it's funny because you're my sister but maybe that's a reason why I am more scared

I don't know I need to dive into that more we can psychoanalyse, we can deep dive because I, sorry no no, so sorry I keep thinking like I need to dive into that more. We can psychoanalyse. We can deep dive. Sorry. No, no. So sorry. I keep thinking like, I would really like to get into it.

I'm not going to lie. Really? I don't know about weights, but something. I would definitely like to do something. Shouldn't have said that, Ellis. Shouldn't have said that. Literally, I ask Ellis all the time. I'm just like, come on, Ellis.

But I've yet to. And you know what like i don't want to push no so because i feel like that's how you don't enjoy it in the end or like there's no longevity when you force yourself to do something absolutely yeah it comes i feel like you know exercise and fitness finds people when they need it or when they feel ready to accept it like with anything in life when you're ready to accept something it will it will find its way to you so uh yeah but i i think that's interesting to note anyway yeah so feel free to feel free to ask any questions um okay so i want to start off with um what is gym anxiety we have a definition here uh gym anxiety aka gym intimidation have you ever heard that one yeah okay is a feeling of worry nervousness or unease about going to the gym

it often stems from concerns about not knowing how to use equipment correctly feeling self-conscious about one's body or fitness level worrying about being judged by others or simply feeling out of place in the gym environment it is common and can affect anyone regardless of their fitness experience or background period period on that i think what's really interesting to know is that it can affect anyone regardless of their fitness experience or background um I think let me just start off with like my experience yeah because um it's something that I'm very open about and I think has become quite like sort of on brand for me to talk about

gym anxiety um but I guess now is interesting because I'm in a place where this is my job. I'm surrounded by, you know, people in health and fitness and like the best of the best. Um, and so with that, I've really grown in confidence a lot. And so it's interesting, but yeah, I'll be the first to admit that I am like someone that still gets gym anxiety and I probably always will um I going back to the start I did mention this in episode one if you haven't listened to it um do definitely give it a listen because it talks more about sort of my history and my journey but um just to summarize like I didn't really have much more experience than the next person and I went into it alone to begin with and I found it really really really intimidating um I think you have this feeling

or this idea that everyone's watching you and you feel all the eyes on you and that everyone's better than you um and so I think that kind of stopped me from doing a lot of stuff to begin with and I would say that there's things that I'm doing now um which I still get very intimidated by but I've worked through enough to realize that like like, you know, I can try things now because I'm able to bear the gym anxiety. But I've only kind of got to that after years of training. I managed to work through it and I'll definitely go into details about how to do so. But I did just want to say recently I've started CrossFit, which is something that, like, I've really wanted to do for a while and I mean there's other reasons as to why I didn't why I've kind of held back I think when your work is wrapped

up in your what training you're doing it becomes a little bit complicated and it's a new thing for me um contemplating the idea of train changing fitness styles I think also when you're like I'm gonna say a pro at lifting or you know a lot about it you're good at it and then you're going to a completely different genre I guess where it's like so different but so similar so different and like yeah well I think yeah so I I think on the one hand I did have like the whole career and whatever but I think also part of it was just like I just didn't I just did not feel like I had it in me and I had that gym anxiety popping up something I haven't experienced in a really really long time um because for me switching to like almost I'm

trying to think of what the word is like a different sort of training style that has recently evoked a lot of a gym anxiety in me and yeah that's not been something I've experienced in quite some time would you say you got humbled I mean yeah completely and utterly but um I do love learning new things so with that you know it's been actually a really pleasant experience but um you know even just turning up into that gym space and it's like the fear of the unknown I think for me that's the part that makes me just how long have you been um doing crossfit for now I've literally been doing it for like three weeks do you see like a difference in your anxiety from like because you were nervous weren't you yeah well I I've wanted to do it for a while

and yeah like I said besides the point the sort of worries about the fact that I also have to train and stuff like that um and and film content uh when I when I put that aside when I was talking to people I just I was like I don't want to do it but I don't and I feel nervous and all these things and I think a lot of people look at me and they're like you still get nervous it's crazy what was your question I can't even remember I said is there a difference oh yeah so well that's actually something that's been quite uh funny for me to kind of experience because um I have been going with Jay my boyfriend and today because we were recording in the evening time I knew that I needed to go in the daytime and I was like all right so I'm gonna have to go by myself aren't I and is it your first time that was my first time

and and I felt fine about it I think it was just um you know as we sat sat there I didn't have my like safety like support person yeah and so I was like wow I'm here but it was fine it's absolutely fine um and I feel like quite often once you get over that initial part you know um it does get better but yeah i want to spit spitball some facts at you because i find this interesting yeah and i feel like in doing so it makes you feel like oh damn i'm not alone um because i think all too often you feel like it's sort of you versus everyone else you walking into the gym everyone else knows what you're what they're doing you walking into the gym everyone else has like way more experience you like and then the list goes

on so I want to just read some because I feel like I was kind of surprised by these according to a study done by gonna absolutely butcher the name hunkamola who knows who knows over a quarter of women 28 percent uh feel anxious in a gym environment almost 61 percent of women would prefer to work out in a female-only space. That's interesting. Well, actually, but not a shock. I'd love to know what your opinion is on women's-only gyms, especially as someone who's not in gym. Who's not in gym.

This is great. And clearly is put off by something. If there was a women-only gym, and it was also around the corner from the house, so I would probably go, yeah. Really? Yeah. How so?

Like, if you told me to go into your pure gym, I'd be like, actually, you made me go in there. Oh, my God. So I've actually... There's two times that, actually actually i have been in the gym that has not been to do with work let me set the scene it's 10 p.m i finish work at waitrose i'm in i stink of meat and fish if you listen to the first episode you would know that i worked on a meat and fish counter um and sid we would go to the gym uh and drop me home because she'd finish at the same time anyway she said ellis could you walk to the gym please and usually i would just weigh outside but she goes oh i think i was there to meet your gym friends or something yeah and i was

like no it was um a guy though and i really want to just like stress this was like right at the start and there was a guy that i was like talking to from the gym no i wanted ellis to meet him and so you made me go into the gym in my meat and fish smelling uniform and the looks i got have you not seen the gym trends what um nobody's watching you oh yeah nobody's watching you and until you smell like meat and fish and then they're like oh my god okay here's this girl okay yeah but yeah i i know that i know but like people wouldn't look at you if you weren't smelling meat and fish but i think it was because of that and i was in a weight clearly branded waitrose outfit yeah from top to bottom actually just as a

little uh yeah to keep going off on topic actually Actually, there was a woman, I remember there was this lady who is a construction worker. And she used to just go to the gym in her construction clothes, her hard boots, her high-vis. Wow. Yeah. Was that comfortable for her? Don't know, but she got it on for younger girls i think they would definitely go and it would be quite like positive for girls and like when you're nervous and stuff even like not just female only but probably men's only that'd be great for them as well i don't know

um but then also i feel like once i say i did go to the female only gym and then i started to learn more i think it's also the lack of knowledge like being nervous because you don't know what the So I feel like once I say I did go to the female only gym and then I started to learn more. I think it's also the lack of knowledge, like being nervous because you don't know what the machines do, how to use them, blah, blah, blah. But then I would go to a I'm not against mixed gyms. Yeah. Do you feel like you have I feel like that's an interesting perspective that I actually think a lot of people would probably have that being in a women's only gym would you'd feel like you'd have more permission to get things wrong. Yeah. Or to maybe ask questions. Ask questions for sure.

If you were around the girlies. I'd happily go up to a girl unless she was like, I don't know. No, I'd happily go up to go and say, sorry, could you help me? Yeah. So fair. No, I, happily go up to a girl and say, sorry, could you help me? Yeah, so fair. No, you know what? Like, I definitely agree. Just to talk about, you know, female-only spaces at the moment. Because I always, I don't know, because I've not experienced it.

I do find it, like, interesting when I go to a gym and then there's a female-only section. Like, the other day day I just went to the Gymshark well not the other it was literally not the other day but you know a few weeks ago I went to the Gymshark lifting tour yeah and it was a gym in Birmingham can't remember what it's called literally it's gone straight over my head um but it was really interesting had a section not only did it have a women's only section it had it through the changing rooms wait what yeah i know and us girls like me and the athletes we arrived sorry i've got an itchy head what do you

mean through the changing rooms so we arrive it's like this like meathead like yeah like gym like you know a gym i would find really intimidating like back in the day uh walked through there like a proper like muscle muscle like iron weight sort of gym when in there you go into the women's changing rooms and it's just like a run down little changing room and then there's another door and you you go through the door and there's a whole gym section i know it's like narnia but like gym girl that's kind of cool yeah because if you are like genuinely so scared you go from a to b and you get you don't see anyone you see girls boom i know it was so interesting i've never seen that and it like proper you went into the gym you went into the

changing rooms there's tiny changing rooms and then it opens up into like a wider space and there was everything you would possibly need um and i do definitely think that would have been so i would have really have benefited from that um in the earlier parts of my journey just because that was something that i was definitely conscious of um being around men and like i guess i don't know if you're not used to like quote unquote gym bros it's a different kind of guy like you know what i mean well so it's like the culture like of gym as well like a whole thing i had no idea about that but obviously because of my job i now know yeah but there's so many things like a big thing is not going up to people in the gym and asking for their number and stuff like that isn't it yeah and like no you would not know that if you were a beginner or like you didn't go to

the gym no like gym etiquette and all that like yeah definitely so I think I definitely would have you know benefited from that although it's funny because my opinion of things is that I really I'm like an advocate for like men and women coexisting in a mixed sort of environment and I always get asked this question actually whenever I go to like an event and I've got a Q&A or whatever and I always say that like I think that men should be men and women sort of men should be allies of you know women in the gym space and should help to alleviate you know those natural like fears and anxieties they're going to have in a sort of space like that that is so male dominated um so it's a bit of an interesting one yeah it's a different it's an interesting answer because i do definitely see the benefit of that um and there's also so many

like scenarios like people could not want to be in mixed gyms for like religious reasons reasons or like experiences where like they've had a negative um absolutely yeah yeah so many different reasons yeah so no i don't i can understand that um 61 of women would prefer uh okay here's another one one in 10 women disclosed that going to a workout space actually has the opposite effect causing them to feel stressed out when with seven percent saying they actually feel worse about themselves afterwards wow that's kind of crazy i wonder what the it'd be interesting to know the reasons like why like is it seeing other people like looking good or i think it's it's so overwhelming to begin with um that's something i've definitely been reminded of being in a space where I'm feeling all the new sort of beginner feels again. And I'm feeling that gym anxiety.

It's so overwhelming. Like when you're new to something, there's just so much to think about. So much to think about. you know, something I found really beautiful about CrossFit is something that I actually didn't even really think has ever really affected me. But I definitely think that it's something that probably I could guess, or I'd probably bet that those one in 10 women that do feel worse after they work out have it like feel sort of overwhelmed by. Is CrossFit doesn't have any mirrors in the gym? Oh, I like that. Right?

Yeah. There's no mirrors. You're not checking yourself. You can't see yourself. You know, if you're unhappy about your body and you're feeling the gym anxiety, you're just starting out a gym or you're feeling new gym anxiety, you're in a new space. You're just surrounded by mirrors. And on those days where you're just not really mentally in the place to deal with it, that's like a lot. And I found it so, I mean, I'm someone that if there's a mirror there I'll use it don't

you worry um but you know for me it's been amazing and then it's like all these other things start to happen where you realize oh actually I'm just gonna chuck on some clothes and I'm not gonna wear do my hair or do any makeup and you know what i'm not even gonna film i mean well actually i'm not allowed to film at my gym um but that's another story but you know then it's like oh i can actually focus on what i need to focus on because you also can't see other people and like oh my god are they looking at me or like what are they doing or and stuff like that that's so fair yeah because i've just never thought about that it's like those mirrors they just like magnify everything everything your insecurities your like worries of judgment or like people staring at you it just feels like everything

and like i do i do really you know i empathize with a lot of people that feel that way because there are people out there that you know do struggle to look in the mirror you know i mean especially wearing like workout clothing so it can feel really overwhelming then you go to a quiet space a studio and then that's got mirrors so it's like yeah it kind of makes sense. On the flip side, though, I'd be like, I really want to check if like, say you're on your period. I know, that is one thing. Yeah.

And also just like a little like post-workout, like, hey, like selfie. I don't know. But yeah, that's really sad. On the flip side, good that like nine out of ten women don't feel that way. Yeah, that's great. So I'd say that's a win. All right. This is a good one.

The top five causes of gym intimidation. Oh, I keep saying it wrong. Gym intimidation are. And the stats are quite high. Like the numbers are actually quite high. Okay. Do you want to guess any? Should we play a little game i would love to wait so what is it so the top i it was like is it like pointless that game yeah i don't know no but oh no that's the one way so yeah it's fine we'll just create our own quiz show um what are the top five causes of gym intimidation?

Okay. Definitely like self-conscious, like image. I don't know. What do you think your five are? Well, I've got the answers here. Oh, yeah. Not knowing enough. Wait here. Oh, yeah. Not knowing enough. Wait.

Kind of, yeah. This is too hard. Just don't tell me. We'll try another game thing another time, maybe. My brain just isn't braining. Okay, so top five causes are with 56% of Brits saying that it's understanding how to use all of the equipment 56 wow 52 percent found it was other more experienced gym goers yeah

50 percent found fellow gym goers waiting to use the machines and equipment they were using. That's a good one. 47% of Brits found the weights area. And 33% found complex machines. Complex machines like what? Like you walk up to the machine and you're just like, what does this do? Yeah. Wow. like um you walk up to the machine and you're just like what does this do yeah yeah wow god i feel like i could really just go off and like and talk about all of them and i can yeah so shall i yeah

no because i feel like you know what it's so funny the five top causes are really what i would argue are like the top five like pillars of getting over it yeah period period um i think like you go through all of those as well yeah still kind of do um okay so let's start off with the first one so understanding how to use all the equipment i feel like this is like one of the biggest ones you walk into the gym you're like god damn god damn i don't know what the frick to do with any of these things and that's completely fine that is literally fine that's we all start somewhere right no one is like born knowing poor born a gym rat i knew what i was doing out of the womb yeah that's so true everyone everyone's been a beginner knows nothing yeah no zero yeah so you go into the gym

and you're like what the heel do i do i would strongly strongly strongly advise getting a gym induction most gyms do them um it feels a little bit like oh i don't want to know but you know what i think it's just a good a good thing to do it gets you kind of some contact time with one of the members of staff in there i is this with a pt do you mean yeah so like a gym induction is where like a pt usually one of the members of staff on shift will you can just like sign up for the class i guarantee every gym does one and then they'll just like walk you through it doesn't even have to be like a really formal formal thing sometimes they literally just say like even when you sign up they're just like oh like let me just show you around the gym they'll familiarize you with like where everything is toilets water machine where the studios are where the gyms are but then not only that they'll break down like okay legs is over here this is

where the cardio machines are and it's really helpful because they'll they'll kind of just show you like how to change the pins in the barbell machines and that sort of thing I remember walking into the gym and being like well there's no there's no chance I'm going over to the free weight section because I don't even know how to set the rack don't even know how to do that and I didn't I didn't do a gym induction and I really think it would have actually helped me um yeah because had I done that from a beginner I'm like oh my god I'm even scared to talk to that induction person yeah which is so fair I think there's this idea that newbies have or people that aren't familiar with the gym that like the PTs or I can only speak for myself, but I really felt like the PTs were out there to like catch me out.

I thought they were going to like laugh at me for doing things wrong. Could not be further from the truth. These are people that like are super passionate about what they do they're usually i mean honestly i think like 95 of pts i've encountered have been so kind and lovely i think that goes for you know people that are in involved with health and fitness anyway just like people that are passionate about gym just always seem to be so lovely and warm and kind but when you don't know and when you're new you just sort of almost project your own anxieties onto the whole environment and the whole situation you know oh they're gonna be like that they're gonna look at me yeah and I think it's like when when you're in this place where you're feeling more vulnerable and a little bit more nervous just go off of fact don't just assume things or kind of look for proof in everything if you see

a class or like an induction that you can sign up for that says it's for beginners to help you like ease you into gym assume that's the case until you're proven otherwise so assume that you know everyone's going to be there to help you but I can definitely say that like people are so friendly so warm and so kind and you know no one wants anything more than to help you out and if you have had a bad experience in a gym that probably isn't the normal that's probably like a one-off that's happened yeah because like I feel like there's probably a few people that have like their first interactions been like horrible and they're like I'm absolutely traumatized yeah oh it's just such a lovely

wonderful space and so yeah I would definitely go get an induction um ask a friend I had a friend i'm trying to think who it was well i had a boyfriend at the time sorry guys i was just like fighting off um some more ladybirds but like legit nearly fell on ellie i'm hallucinating i can't do this no i can't do this i don't want that much good fortune please can you see Saver after this I don't want to see any more god damn lady birds so yeah I can't remember who was the first person that really truly showed me around

but I can tell you that I know for a god damn fact Hayden? I know for a fact Hayden? I know for a fact. No, God. Hayden, who... People might not know. Believe it or not, I actually have a brother. Behind you. He's behind you.

I thought you meant as a ladybird. Yeah, he's behind me. But yeah, no, definitely not him. We've always been rivals. Oh God, I feel like there's one in my ear. Oh. Oh. No, this is just spinning me.

Right. But. nice it's spinning me right um but i just don't know if i can do this anymore i quit i actually quit i'm hallucinating i'm seeing ladybirds everywhere but um yeah so I think whoever it was oh yeah so I had like I think a boyfriend at the time maybe showed me or maybe I went with a friend but I would literally be like okay because I think I'm like a um what do they call it there's like visual learners I'm the doing one like I need to do I need to like let me do it and just tell me what to do you know and so I'm fairly certain I remember kind of being like we're gonna train together I want you to show me exactly how to set up the barbell so I can do it

when I'm here alone because i don't want to have to rely on anyone i don't want anyone thinking i'm doing it wrong which is like now i reflect on it i'm like oh god why why do i care so much you know but it's fine it's so scary though and you don't know like after the last gym girls locker room event we me and sam were putting away a weights and i was like am i doing this right i was literally just picking up weights and i was i was only doing the five because i was like i hope i'm doing it right or just picking it up just literally i know and then putting it on that thing and i was thinking is this the right place to do it i don't know you overthink everything yeah you want to and I get it to begin with you just want to blend in yeah because turning up is

the hardest part and like so to begin with you just want to blend in seamlessly and just get the goddamn workout done and that's completely fine so yeah i definitely think going with a friend would be helpful in that in respect of learning to use the equipment um also just easing anxiety and easing anxiety i mean i will add i know anyone who's beginning listening will be like no i'm not gonna do this but i will add that so many people in the gym are so friendly and so kind and willing to help you can if you don't know anything and if I don't know anything I just ask so if I can take sort of me being an more experienced person now in an environment where I am a newbie to this new training style I have so much more knowledge behind me that I just ask because I know nobody's going to judge

me I think there's a lot of fear of judgment when you are completely new or completely wrapped up in gym anxiety but I'll just ask and I find that i find that doing so alleviates kind of the nerves and it kind of makes contact with someone else you know and then you just feel like okay cool thank you would you say that sorry would you say that for all gyms though because i feel like a lot of people will probably think oh that's probably there's probably just nice people at your gym I know everyone says that you've been to a lot of gyms would you say that for all like that everyone is have like really nice and happy to help yeah so I would say definitely for the like the most part I think if anyone is familiar with like my content over the past few years like I did train in London and

at a really friendly gym and that was actually I'm glad you brought this up because that's actually something I've really had to kind of work through because I could have easily have not moved and not moved gyms um because I was so happy and settled there and I knew that gym is such a big part of my life. And I preach so much about like, quote unquote, like this gym community. And so I was really tested this past year with like... Moving. Moving and going to a completely different, you know you know well a different end of the country

um where I don't know anyone and I don't have like it's going to be a real it's going to be a challenge and um I think in my head I was like yeah but I'm not gonna find anyone like my gym that I started in I'm not gonna find anyone like that because that was that that was my gym it's like I kind of checked myself in that moment I'm like but I I preach that you know gym people and the gym and the gym community is like that so I need to like practice what I preach and I need to like go to some gyms

and so I since moving have been going to all of these gyms and I've been trying loads and yeah I will say that there are some where majority are just assholes and that's okay yeah and i really think like you you can get a good if you're in tune with yourself and how you're feeling and like how an environment makes you feel you'll be able to tell and I know going to new gyms feels really overwhelming so the prospect of when I'm telling you you know go to go and try loads

that feels really overwhelming but there are just some that are chef's kiss um you just feel this warmth from the people the person on the front desk the pts you see the kind of people that are training there and some just don't and that's going to change depending on who you are what you're looking for like for example near me is a gym where it's a very much it's got amazing equipment it's a commercial gym it's nice decent whatever the space it's not too busy at rush hour you know all those things are ticking the boxes for me however all the people that train there are very much headphones on locking in and that's it for gym there for gym which is like amazing for whoever you know that caters for but

you personally for me personally that doesn't suit so another thing that i think um people find really intimidating is the people there um and i mentioned it, like this feeling that everybody's staring at you. Everyone's better than you. And now I now I am more experienced and it's something that I've really worked through with like my own gym anxiety. It's so funny, like, you know, looking back and when I hear other people's of gym anxiety I'm not saying funny haha but it's just interesting to kind of observe what it is that people find nerve-wracking and one of them things being you know more experienced people because all too often the most like jacked like oldest like guy you know the most sort of intimidating looking is like the friendliest chillest guy um and something i really learned is that someone who is so dedicated to training is so passionate they're

so passionate and this goes for like the pts as well and like the gym bros you know these people that are always at the gym they really care they're really passionate and so many of them are so unbelievably helpful when you ask them a question or if you just say hi to them or whatever they're really not somebody to fear at all um and if they're not really a chatty person they're more likely just kind of someone that like gets on with it gets their head down um but really yeah it's bad experiences with those kind of guys it's very far and few between i used to find when i was training and i'm sure i'm not alone in feeling so that i would feel this kind of pressure when someone would be like waiting to use the machine i was using if someone said like how many sets you got left

i'd be like no i'm done i was literally finished right now literally finished right now um no like that was fully me and i and i'm sure so many people feel that way too all right i want to talk about tips on how to overcome your gym anxiety because there are things we can do to alleviate it okay no one's asking you to be like walk into the gym and be like all right i ain't got gym anxiety i don't know why i was going with that but like genuine genuinely there are things that you can do that will massively change your experience and then i can come back at you and be like yeah well what about this all right so tip number one is recognize that it's normal no no that is the tip okay so where i'm getting at with this is that i feel like you think

everybody like nobody you're in it alone and that nobody feels the same way as you um i feel like everyone's just winging it um and so i feel like kind of owning it is like the first step i want you to just take okay you have always said that like if you're nervous just own it like verbally say oh i don't know what i'm doing or i'm scared or yeah that's a good one yeah definitely um and kind of like piggybacking off of that like take up space um so i remember someone saying to me like when you're nervous you tend to shrink yourself you make yourself physically small like you don't take up space literally right so just if you do feel yourself sort of getting nervous and you feel yourself making yourself small and kind of staying out the way or whatever and just just take note know that you're okay know that you're fine and just like you know try to just move through that space a little bit more definitely when I started I I think I definitely

made myself a lot smaller than I needed to and so um you have permission give yourself permission to move around the gym at a pace that suits you but know that everyone pays the same membership um I feel like a lot of gym anxiety really is like a mental game and although there's these tips I'm about to give um that sort of help make it easier to sort of approach a lot of it is just speaking with yourself knowing that you're worth it knowing that like everyone's been there before you're not alone knowing that you have just as much right to be there as the next person you see that guy over there like moaning and groaning and looking like super super muscular like he literally entered the gym the moment he and left his mother's womb like he pays he pays the same

as you just the same that 19.99 or whatever oh honey it isn't that cheap anymore that 26 nope it's a little bit more than that it's like 40 quid for like oh that's enough for the commercial ones no don't don't think like that you just gotta think right even if i was going two times a week i can't do the maths but six pounds exactly right that's Worthwhile. That's one of the reasons I didn't sign up to CrossFit, actually. Because I was like, no, it's so expensive. It's like I pay £110 a month, I think. And it's literally a bot.

Well, it's like a gym without even any, you know, machines in it or whatever. But it's so worth it when you actually break it up and use it as a motivator to go i'm spending this money i may as well go um but yeah be patient with yourself that's my next tip be patient you're patient with yourself it's a journey not a race um these things come with time give yourself the grace that you're a beginner oh maybe you're not a beginner maybe you're going through it and you're still struggling but you know what you're there you're showing up you're chipping away um and that's like all in the right direction that's all momentum you know to building confidence and tackling to your anxiety um next one is go in with a plan this is like the first sort of actionable tip for you you're there you've made it and you're thinking where the hell do i begin

when you go in without a plan that's when things become really overwhelming because you're you're like right where it period period you can use your phone have the notes section up don't feel embarrassed about using your phone that was another really common thing i always used to and i know loads of people feel the same way always would feel so much embarrassment about getting up a tutorial or something like that we're all learning that's so true like um the thought of someone peering over and seeing yeah absolutely fine but there's so much out there now by way of like TikTok, Instagram, you know, so much free information that you're able to access to help you on your journey. So if you don't know how to use a certain thing, just search it or, um, you know, there's loads of workout plans out there or you can actually find free plans online or you can

pay for a plan it's up to you but go in with the plan I think it really really helps you know what you're doing you know like it was really helpful for me to to also like anticipate what's about to come anticipate you know I because I had a plan I knew okay when i go to the gym i'm going to be doing this and i remember thinking when i started like yes i like how many exercises honestly how do i know what to do on what day and all that sort of thing what's leg day what is leg day i was i was doing something uh the other day and i was gonna i had to text you what are the what are the days yeah so um so well i can answer your question for you so it's just that when people say like leg day or like whatever day there's a really common split this is a bit of a side note but it's fine i'm sure it will help someone um there's a

really common split split means like how you divide up your training throughout the week, what you're targeting on what days, right? So there's a really common split that's push, pull, legs. Push meaning like your chest, your shoulders, your triceps. Yes, got that right. And pull means bicep and back, okay? They, like, work together, and then you do those days. And then there's leg days, right?

So then you'll just cover the leg muscles. I do think it also, this is a side note, I think it's really, really helpful to kind of clue up when you are starting something. Try to, like, absorb as much information you can. The less you're in the dark about things, the easier things become, right? To kind of be in.

Knowledge is power. Knowledge is power, exactly. Scream it for the people in the back. But, you know, knowing what the hell is a tricep? What's a trap? You know, that really helps you understand. And it allows you to kind of navigate the gym space a bit better because there's like machines like

lat pull down oh well I know what a lat is I know that that's going to work my back and loads of machines just have like diagrams on them so you can use that you know so I think like just try to that's a little side note but like all of that I guess wraps up into the idea of a plan and just being prepared going in with with sort of more preparation um failing that if you feel too overwhelmed with that absolutely fine and if that is a point that's like you know you're feeling nervous about there's classes out there there's pts pts are there for you know a reason i i've seen quite a few people on like gym girls locker room posts and that sort of thing mention how a pt really helped them get into gym and gave them sort of the confidence to walk around the gym space if you do feel like you're lacking this leads me on to my next point go with a friend

go with someone who knows what they're doing go with someone who has experience you can just relinquish control and then you can kind of have them walk you through what you're doing and in fact that's what I did when I started when I spoke in the first episode about like those guys that I met those first friends that I had those guys they just guided me around the gym the gym space and you know that free weight section that dreaded free weight section that I think feels so intimidating probably for men and women alike um they going with someone just means that you just feel like oh all that pressure is relieved from you you don't have to think they can guide you and hold your hand it's literally like you're a

little toddler and you've got someone you know holding your hand through the process so i would absolutely recommend getting a pt going to the gym with someone more experienced than you um that's so so helpful attending at off-peak times so obviously the gyms will differ like in place to place um can't you check um apps to see how many people are in the gym you can that would be some you can yeah some you can i know like the more commercial ones you can but gosh it makes such a difference i never really have to luckily i'm really fortunate and i don't have to train at like peak hours and when i do i just feel so overwhelmed with anxiety it's just so many people and like bodies and distractions and especially if like you have gone in with a plan

and then your machine's busy or like the squat rack's taken what do you do what do you do oh my god so um obviously there are other things you can do but i totally appreciate that that can feel like a lot so um yeah go in at sort of off-peak times for me i would say the most optimum time to like go um fully appreciate this is like within working hours so um i'll say it but i'll give obviously alternatives as well but the quietest quietest times generally speaking will be like from about 8 a.m through till about 2 p.m that's when like typically everyone's at work so it gets really quiet um and then it is usually quieter in the evenings i would just say the busiest times unfortunately with gym there's two rush hours um there's a rush hour sort of peaked peak time at like five six in the evening five six seven but there's also one late at five six seven

in the morning did i just say that no yeah no you said evening yeah there's one in the morning five a.m in the morning god forbid yeah it's like an early rush hour and it's so weird like going there because you it you know for you like i'd never get up at that time so when i go there i'm always so surprised by the energy because also you think i'm gonna get up early to miss everyone and then you get there and it's full yeah it's um i remember hearing before there's two kinds of people, right? There's the people that train before the day and the kind of people that train like after the day. The people that train before are going to like set themselves up for a good day.

They're getting it out of the way. I hear that quite a lot. Getting it out of the way, getting it done. They've already achieved, you know, something. And it's only like 8 a.m in the morning and then there's the people that like go in the evening and it's like to just like de-stress decompress they're going to just kind of like chill out unwind and just get a session in um i would probably say i'm the latter but yeah so yeah and i and jim does quiet and quieten down a lot after that rush hour um so yeah anyway definitely the time you train doesn't make it take like make a good impact also gyms are quiet at the weekend they really are some no but others yeah like for the most part like the commercial gyms at the weekends yeah like a sunday evening usually is like super super quiet friday evening super super quiet um so you know make the most of those times

when you do have them because you'll really be able to kind of just like go into that step into those zones that you feel a little bit nervous in or you know doing anything like that but um yeah and just keep going keep going with it like the more you go the more you're the more you're kind of stepping outside of your comfort zone and the more you're kind of pushing yourself um in the right direction and it only feels you only feel the anxiety and you only feel like overwhelmed just because you're not so familiar with it and it will come in time you know um i just want to finish with some alternatives for when the anxiety hits and it feels too overwhelming because i do think it's you know worth noting and i think that that there's absolutely nothing wrong you know like at the end of the day I feel like it's about enjoying yourself above everything else

and so I've just got some little ones I just want to list off which are to you can work out outside there's parks there's like your garden if you want to or there's like loads of clubs or classes you can go to um at home look you can get loads of like really there's actually loads of really cool like little either gimmicky things or at home weights that you can get jump on facebook marketplace get some weights or get creative i know anyone who uh gave exercise a go during lockdown i'm sure has some very inventive ways um you know picking up water bottles or that sort of thing um or yeah just as we mentioned at the start of the episode go try a more inclusive gym or try a gym that you know you know i mean i just there are certain gyms that are more cater more towards people

that are a little bit nervous or are at the beginning of their fitness journey um but yeah i think that is everything i've learned a lot have you yeah well what's it made you think okay we're working on it still working on it and this is yet to um yeah i'm just thinking of some other things like if i was fully panicking in a gym what would i do i think i'd like go and fill my water up or like you know i feel like spending more time there would ease my anxiety so just like even if it was just to go there to suss out first and then go home yeah and then go back and actually have a plan well i there's no pressure as well for you to go and for it to be like a okay i need to go and have a two-hour workout if for you like going to the gym walking into the changing

rooms you know walking sometimes you have to walk across the gym to get into the changing rooms doing that if that's enough then that's a win like in itself you know just take the pressure off yourself I think we feel that anxiety because we're just like you know and just like if you can take the pressure off yourself you can actually just focus on like trying to alleviate it you know like one thing at a time rather than trying to deal with everything in one go and like getting in your head too much, like, it's hard to do, but, like, overthinking it more and more will make you more... Think about... Wait. Like, I don't know how to say it.

Like, thinking about it more will make you more... And spiral. Yeah, exactly. The more attention you bring to kind of, like, oh, my God, I'm feeling anxious, it's going to just spin you out, you know? And always, like, just, I don't know on the on route you know get into like a nice ritual like wear something that you feel comfortable in whilst you're training go and like whilst you're driving just have some sick tunes on yeah i also just find that having your headphones

on blocking out the world is really helpful yeah you know if you are feeling a little bit self-conscious or or worried just block it out have a good gym playlist yeah i feel like there's so much i could say yeah we should i hope i've like scratched the surface i mean i'd be happy to do like a q a or something one time yeah um i think also a separate episode on like beginner's guide would be great for people yeah they're kind of actionable tasks they're like training with someone they're going in with a plan it's all very helpful but like a lot of it's just really sitting with yourself and just being like i have got this and then doing it you know a lot of people don't really live a life where they push themselves out of their comfort

zone so suddenly being at the gym feels very overwhelming um but it will come with time okay brilliant well thank you so much for listening um if you enjoyed please do give us a follow or a subscribe if you're if you're listening and watching on youtube um yeah also for audio listeners did you know we have video format um if you don't then go check us out on youtube and you can watch us um and have a look at our beautiful set that we built with our very own hands. Do you have anything else you want to add, Alice? No, I just hope this helped at least one person. Absolutely.

And I have learned a lot. Yep. And maybe one day I will step foot in a gym. Exactly. I'll hold you to that. Do give us a follow on Gym Girls' Ocarina on all platforms. If you do want to stay in touch in between episodes uh we have lots of things going on over there so if you do want to connect with like-minded women um gym girlies worldwide gym girlies then um please do over there all of the

links will be added to the show notes um and i think that's everything for now so have a lovely week and we'll see you in the next one bye i'm ashamed of myself so sorry okay oh should i just catch some quickly right women's only gym just pick up from there yeah women's only women's only gym must not forget topic or we'll have to re-watch you killed my c-star and i'm next um for the audio listeners sid is currently standing on the sofa of our set oh my god she's behind me standing on the sofa catching ladybirds or emma our producer said i don't call them ladybirds i call them ladybugs comment down below or send us a dm do you call them ladybirds or ladybugs are we leaving this all in oh my god what the

fuck is that oh okay so we've got a different kind of bugs now I nearly fell on you I nearly fell on you Like where were we Even where were we I blinked and you were behind me And then I nearly fell on you What What did you do No because like

I wobbled You're not here I am here but did I go Across side again I'm so sorry you're not here i am here but did i go cross-eyed again i'm so sorry i'm sorry i couldn't hold it in i really was trying i was fighting it i'm sorry i'm so sorry let's start again should we put shades on you next time i think that's ladybirds in my ears. It's not okay.