Gym Phobia

If it's been a while since you've been to the gym, you might find that you've become a little more hesitant to walk in the door. You're not alone. 

Before I go further, let me say that I use the term "gym" loosely. Your "gym" could be outdoors, a climbing gym, a yoga studio, a martial arts dojo, a circus school, a fitness center or anywhere else where you exercise on a regular basis.

It starts with a missed training session, a skipped class or a cancelled workout with a friend. Something came up. You were under the weather, work got too busy, you had a social obligation that couldn't be changed. And then the next day...well...what's one more day of skipping the gym? The third day, "Hey, this is getting pretty comfortable. I like sleeping in (or coming home early)." More difficult yet is when travel interrupts your workout schedule - especially if you don't keep up some sort of exercise routine while you're on the road.

I'm not talking about when we miss our workouts because something major has happened in our lives. Those things can't be avoided. We adjust and adapt as best we can. What I'm referring to are those episodes when we simply experience a slow attrition. Our willingness to get in that gym door and start our workout simply fades. And before we know it, we've stopped going to the gym and can't imagine how we will ever get back to it. 

The idea of going back to our regular workouts, training sessions, classes becomes a bit daunting. Further avoidance builds distance, anxiety and worry that we won't be able to keep up, will embarrass ourselves in front of others, or have to "start all over again." Staying home and not working out becomes its own self-fulfilling prophecy and helps reinforce the reasons we develop for not getting back into our workouts.

The good news is that avoidance of this nature - where our rational mind knows that there is really no actual danger - evaporate quickly in the face of decisive positive action. I.e. if I go to the gym, walk in the door, put on my workout clothes and start to move, my physical actions will help to change my thoughts, and the fear I was feeling will lessen and eventually evaporate.

The other great thing is that many of us have experienced at one point or another a desire to avoid something that is actually good for us. This usually happens when the thing that is good for us also makes us emotionally or physically uncomfortable. We know how to help each other through these challenges. Tell your friends what's happening and ask for their support!

No easy solutions here, but a desire on my part to see more people who start off with great dedication to their workouts stick with the plan and continue moving forward. Bumps in the road are inevitable. The trick is to recognize them as such and not let them stop you. Just look at them as little opportunities to reinforce your commitment to your own wellbeing.