Getting over your gym fear. For good!

Getting over your gym fear

Hi, I’m Claire, and Raul asked me to write a piece for him from a client side of things to tell you my journey to fitness and looking after my health better.

So after an illness that had me out of work and out of action for a few weeks, I knew I had to get fit again.

I had a gym membership which I was paying through the nose for, yet I wasn’t using it? And any excuse I could think of would be right up there.

I didn’t have time.

I hadn’t eaten that evening.

I ‘had’ to meet a friend for dinner.

My dog hadn’t been walked yet.

But in reality, I knew I had what I classed as ‘gym fear’.

I knew that as soon as I walked in there, and despite having been an active member for a few years beforehand, I would just freeze.

Too many people, too many people looking to judge, and too much pressure on me to fit in. I wasn’t happy with my fitness, wasn’t happy with my body, and didn’t have anyone to go with that would motivate me enough to continue.

And how sorry did I feel about it. What a state!

But out of chance I was walking my dog in the park one day and I saw two people running past me, and I recognised Raul.

He had been a personal trainer who I had spotted about a year before and I had kinda thought about doing it, but again chickened out. Why would I need a personal trainer? Could I afford it? What if I showed myself up? Would I have time?

All ridiculous, but very real at the time and I had stopped myself again and again from taking the plunge.

But seeing him running and realising that I hadn’t gone for a run myself in months, made me wish I could get back into it.

So my illness had been a bad case of pneumonia. A few times. Over a few months. So my excuses for not going to the gym were justified - to a point.

In reality I was scared of being judged for my fitness going down (understandable) and my body not being where it had been (again, understandable but not beyond repair). And I think I was also scared of pushing my body too hard after such a long period of being unwell.

But the time issue? The money? The dog. The friends for dinners and a thousand other distractions I had for not wanting to go? Ridiculous. Just ridiculous. And I had to have a strong word with myself.

So I contacted Raul. And before I knew it, he had not only helped push away these fears, but he guided me with some personal training sessions to believe in myself and my abilities again.

For the time? I only needed an hour a week to find to start with to train with him at my own pace and level. And that soon became more as my confidence grew.

The money? I was paying more for a gym membership that I wasn’t using then for a supportive and guiding PT session where I felt comfortable and more confident by the day.

The food and eating time? Easy - eat earlier and prep my food a little more…. And plus starting to train and get tips from him on healthier eating motivated me to want to do more to get the most out of what I was doing.

My dog? She is fitter than ever! Because getting my fitness and confidence back with Raul - has meant that I’m now running with her in between my TRX and personal training with him. And she just loves it!

And as for friends - I’ll let you into a secret. I now have more friends than ever before that I’ve made in class, and I even get to train with some of the ones that I used to just go for a coffee with.

After getting my confidence back a little, Raul persuaded me to do TRX on a Saturday. And while again I was a little nervous about training in front of other people (what if they laugh at me, what if they are fitter than me, what if I can’t do it).... Within 15 minutes of starting we were all sweating and laughing and having a great time. And now I have also met my very own gym twin (who has herself gone through the mill with her own health) and we motivate each other daily and train together regularly.

So. Have you got gym fear? Do you worry you aren’t good enough to train?

Please think again! I’d be happy to meet you for a quick coffee to tell you my story and introduce you to Raul and some of the great classes you can take part in. From circuits to TRX to bootcamp.

My life has been turned around and while I’m still not quite at the fitness level I want to be just yet, it’s closer now than it ever has been.

So, thank you Raul!