I’m really afraid to go gym! That the common mental block that we had. This is a series of tips for you to overcome that block.

Tip #5: Lose Control

Seek to be controlled. You don’t have to be the one making all the decisions and, by relinquishing control, you can make your life a lot easier. Here’s how:

Train with a Friend

You might not have a friend who trains at the gym exactly how you want to train, but maybe you know someone who simply has a gym membership and doesn’t have your fears? Ask to workout with them. They might even have a guest pass to share with you if they have a membership.

Even if they’re a cardio freak and you want to lift weights, that’s fine. Run on a treadmill for an hour. The point, as always, is to get yourself into the gym. Don’t worry about executing on your long-term plans straight away.

Hire a Personal Trainer

Personal trainers are expensive and it’s hard to know for sure whether or not they know what they’re talking about, but:

*They probably won’t get you hurt.
*A couple of sessions will be all it takes to get used to the gym.
*They’ll take the reigns from the get-go.
*You won’t really have to do any thinking for yourself, which is perfect in this case. It’s an hour of the highly useful monkey see, monkey do.

Join a Group Class

This is my favourite option. Sign up for a low-stress group class like yoga,aerobic or zumba class, hide in the back, and follow along with what the teacher is doing. This involves:

*Minimal thinking.
*People at your ability level.
*A gentler push against the edges of your comfort zone.
And something like yoga is actually useful. It’s a skill worth learning and experiencing outside of your quest to conquer gym fear.

Ultimately, the goal with these methods is to remove conscious thought from the process. You want to become robot-like, almost, so you’re getting exposure in the gym without an overwhelming amount of anxiety.