You shouldn’t feel scared to workout at Eppley

If you’re like me, you’ve had that moment where you have so much anxiety about stepping into the gym that it almost feels like your first day of high school in a new area.

Recently I read an article written by a Maryland student which made Eppley, the campus gym, sound like the first day of high school in a Disney Channel Movie.

As someone who spends more time at Eppley than anywhere else on campus, the article made me a little angry and I thought “STOP JUDGING US WE’RE NORMAL PEOPLE!”

The article says, “It’s like high school all over again when I walk in…can I handle the weight room?” and goes on to speak about the people who use the gym as some Greek gods in expensive Nike gear glaring at her as if she does not belong.

A lot of “gym rats” like me have dealt with enough negative stereotyping; particularly being seen as cocky and judgmental. In reality, we are just average people doing what we love to do. It’s the same as anyone else who plays a sport or likes to read or write, our hobby just happens to build muscles and give us sweaty mean gym faces. (Yes, there is a resting gym face which can sometimes be worse than a resting bitch face.)

After a few minutes of feeling judged, my anger turned to empathy. I was this girl six months ago. I was terrified of walking into the gym. I saw people who went there as self-centered and judgmental. My mind would be like, “I can only curl five pounds people will laugh at me” and “I can’t squat properly at all and those girls have perfect butts it’s too intimidating”. “What do I wear? Should I wear make up? HOW WILL I GO WITHOUT MAKE UP!?”

But once I got over all that, I realized that the gym is my best friend and now it’s become my lifestyle. The key is making the gym work for YOU. Here are some basic tips for getting over gym anxiety:

Don’t be intimidated

You see all those people with “intimidating muscles?” They once had their first days too. They weren’t born with perfect glistening bodies. Trust me, I walked in as an 84 pound scared little thing who had a hard time curling the five pound dumbbells and now I’m squatting 205 lbs. all because I passed that first day anxiety.

Everyone at the gym is there to better themselves

If they were “cocky,” they probably wouldn’t go. We’re all trying to improve ourselves. I never once look at myself in the gym mirror and go, “WOW I LOOK SO MUCH BETTER THAN EVERYONE HERE!” Even the super hot and shredded frat guy I work out with constantly looks in the mirror and picks at his own flaws. Everyone has room for improvement and it’s not a race.

Take a buddy

Try going with a friend or a boyfriend, everything is usually less anxious when you have other people with you. Even if something awkward or embarrassing does happen you guys can all laugh about it. If I could only tell you about the number of times I’ve had my protein shake explode on me or dropped my weights too loud. And you know what? No one at the gym really cared! Going with friends also makes the gym selfies more fun.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

If you are scared of doing a workout the wrong way, ask someone. We all learned from other people, and we’re always happy to help. I LOVE when people ask me if their form is right or to help them out with a work out. It’s a great way to make friends too. I’ve made so many friends at the gym by asking people to help me out. (Just don’t ask in the middle of their set!)

Everyone is way too focused on themselves to look at or judge people around them

I was at the gym for four hours today and the only person I judged was the old man wearing a shirt that said “LADIES FREE PROTEIN SHAKES!” with an arrow pointing down. Unless you walk in like asking for attention, no one is going to be judging or staring at you. Even people who have been going to the gym for years try new workouts sometimes and look a little funny. That’s what the gyms for, trying new things. We get it, don’t worry!

Turn your music up

No better stress reliever than music. There are literally some songs that will make you feel like a badass at the gym, and you can turn the volume up as loud as you want and mute out everything else.

Remember, it’s only an hour

If you can sit through a two hour midterm trust me, one hour at the gym will be nothing. It’s an hour dedicated to bettering yourself after all, and only 4 percent of your day.

Nobody cares what you wear

The last thing people care about is if you have the latest Nike’s and Lululemon leggings. I wear like a repetition of the same few shirts and yoga pants to the gym because I have a washing machine and I’m on a college budget. This is literally my favorite shirt and I wear it every leg day.

The first day is the hardest

Once you’re done with that hour at the gym you’ll realize it wasn’t that bad and you actually felt pretty good. The only workout you regret is the one you didn’t do! (The shirt again, see)

Think of the end results

Imagine your goal body. The only thing stopping you from getting there is getting in the gym. THE GYM IS THERE FOR YOU. And we are lucky enough to have such a huge campus gym which offers so many different ways to get fit from treadmills to swimming to Zumba to weight lifting! I used to go to school in Florida, and trust me, Eppley is literally a fit person’s heaven compared to the gym I used to use there. The opportunity is RIGHT THERE!