Exercise Anxiety

Fitness can be a great source of anxiety for some and definitely happened to me at the beginning of my journey.  I didn’t even know what my body could do with all those extra pounds packed on.  Would people laugh when they saw me trying to run? Would everyone look at me funny like “She’s too fat to exercise?” When I look back at it now it seems silly but felt very real at the beginning.

Set Goals! 

When you begin working out, even just walking, make sure you set goals for what you would like to be able to do.  They can be as simple as walking to get the mail everyday to start.  I set a goal for myself at the very beginning to be able to run a mile without stopping.  I have painful memories from my school days of running a mile and being one of the last ones to finish everytime.  Every adult should be able to run a mile right? Well tomorrow is the day!  My loving friend who has been on her own journey to health adopted running right away.  She promised to run with me and not allow me to stop.  I feel like I still can’t do it on my own, but I think it’s fine to rely on others.  She’s confident that I can do it.

Anxiety……..

I consider myself and anxious person and I often think I’m much more naturally anxious than most people.  I thought that when I would run in the neighborhood, people were probably watching.  I felt anxiety when I joined the gym that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with everyone else and they would wonder what the heck I was doing there.  I still get anxious some days before class because I’m just not sure I can do it.  BUT what I’ve proven to myself over and over is that I can at least try.

 

No One Cares!

What I quickly discovered is that no one cares! When I see overweight people exercising now, I want to shout words of encouragement to them.  I want them to keep going and know that they can do it too!  When I started at the gym, no one judged me (at least on the outside).  They were very welcoming and encouraging as I got stronger. I couldn’t do what they could do but that only makes sense.  I’m a NEW member for  a reason.  Truth is, everyone has things they are working on and most people are too busy doing their thing to notice you.  You won’t be able to do what you did in high school.  You won’t be able to do everything you wanted to do.  BUT THAT’S OK.  After dedicated work, you will be able to do those things again.  I discovered that there was an athlete inside.  That athlete can’t get enough and can do amazing things that I never knew I could do.  Now, when I look for workouts online, I think I could do that with some practice instead of just laughing and searching for memes.

So tomorrow I will run a mile.  What if I fail? What if I can’t do it? What if I die? Well, not matter what at least I can say  I tried.  If I don’t make it, I will try again, and I probably won’t die.  Maybe I’ll make it and it will be the best feeling ever.  That to me is worth the risk.