By Staff
As a female, going to the gym can seem intimidating. Statistics show that 58.2% of males and 41.8% of females participate in gym/health club activities in the U.S. These percentages reveal gender disparity when it comes to the lack of women in the gym world. There are many factors to explain these statistics, but the largest contributing factors include self-consciousness and insecurity from being in these male-dominated spaces. According to a 2016 survey, 60% of women aged 18-24 experience gym anxiety due to judgements related to gender roles in a fitness environment. This explains the recent trend of “women-only gyms.” However, this idea doesn’t seem to help the alleviation of discomfort women experience in male-dominated spaces. If you are a female struggling with finding the courage to go to co-ed gyms, here are some tips and tricks for you!
- Plan Your Workout Beforehand
There’s nothing more discouraging than walking into the weight room and feeling lost. The amount of people, amplified by the noise, and what seems like, vastness of the area all makes the gym seem overwhelming. But this doesn’t have to be the case. This scenario can be turned around with a very simple solution, plan your workout ahead of time. If you walk into the gym with a set workout for the day, everything will go by more mindlessly, and much smoother. Using fitness apps with personalized workouts is one way to accomplish this. The app Ladder is a great one!
- Make a Workout Playlist
One great way of making your gym experience 10x better is to blast your all-time favorite songs while working out. Music is proven to elevate your mood and is guaranteed to motivate you to keep going through physical discomfort. Music also distracts you, in a good way! Music competes with the sensations of working out, it often wins over your attention, distracting you from feeling worn-out or tired. This is especially true for upbeat music as opposed to more melancholy, sad music.
- Recruit Some Gym Besties
Sometimes, all you need is a little push to do something. In gym context, this could be a gym buddy! Having a friend alongside you while working out may settle some anxiety that comes along with not only just being at the gym, but being alone. When you are by yourself, and don’t have someone to talk to or spot you, you aren’t as likely to push yourself to your fullest. With a companion by your side, you can motivate each other to keep going!
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