Overcoming Fears Before Starting Your Fitness Journey
Starting a fitness journey can be an inspiring experience, but it often comes with specific fears and anxieties. Many women feel overwhelmed by these issues, but overcoming common fitness fears for women is an essential first step.
While this fear may cause some to wait on the sidelines, the truth is that only by taking action can women overcome the doubts and insecurities that hold them back. Therefore, fear must be accepted as part of the fitness journey.
Overcoming Common Fitness Fears for Women
In this article, we’ll look at how women can overcome common fitness fears, from fear of judgment to fear of failure. By adopting mindset shifts, practical strategies, and finding supportive communities, overcoming these common fitness fears can be the key to staying dedicated to your fitness journey.
Overcoming Fear of Judgment
Many women worry about their existence being judged by others, especially at the gym. This may be due to concerns about not knowing how to use equipment, not being “fit enough,” or being embarrassed about their appearance.
One way to overcome this fear is to start small. For example, you can practice at home or less busy places to gain confidence. We have a lot of women here at TWW who have decided to buy equipment and work out at home (some of them have just built some pretty awesome home gyms!). Once they get used to exercise, many start going to the gym and loving it.
It’s also important to remember that while we may think other people at the gym are judging us, this belief is usually just a projection of our self-judgment. Many women face this problem, but overcoming common fitness-related fears like this can give you confidence. The truth is that most people are too focused on themselves—and often on their insecurities—to pay attention at all fitness journey.
Overcoming Fear of Failure
You may be afraid of not achieving your fitness goals, worried that you won’t be able to stick to your daily routine, won’t be able to lose weight, or won’t get stronger. The irony of fear of failure is that it holds us back more than any actual “failure” (we don’t even like the word “failure” in TWW – there are no mistakes, only lessons). And while we can rationalize all we want, the fear seems very real. So how do we overcome it?
Set realistic goals first. Start with achievable goals that you can slowly increase over time. You also want to ensure that your goals are more process-oriented than outcome-oriented fitness journey. While setting a result-oriented goal like “lose 30 pounds” is excellent because it gives you direction, remember that your goals don’t give you results. Good processes produce results. Big process goals can look like hitting your macros for the day, doing cardio, or completing steps—basically, focus on everything you can control. And a funny thing happens when we move from goal focus to process focus: the goal usually takes care of itself.
Second, acknowledge your victories, no matter how “small” they may seem. We encourage our clients to celebrate weekly milestones and wins beyond the scale. You can’t hope to eliminate the fear of failure if you’re unwilling to admit your victories fitness journey.
Finally, embrace the learning process: understand that failure is part of the journey. Every step back is an opportunity to learn and grow fitness journey.
To overcome common fitness-related fears, such as failure, you must set realistic goals and focus on progress.
Overcome Fear of Injury
This is a common fear, especially with unfamiliar exercises or equipment, and can lead to hesitancy to push boundaries. The key here is to learn the proper technique. Send videos to your coach regularly to get feedback. Attend in-person workshops when available, and even sign up for a few classes with a great in-person trainer. With the help of a good trainer, you will quickly and safely increase your intensity over time fitness journey.
Overcoming the fear of gaining weight
Some women worry that exciting weights will make them “too muscular” or “bulky.” Considering how important strength training is to women’s health and how unrealistic this fear is, we encourage you to get over it as quickly as possible fitness journey.
It is extremely important to understand the science behind building muscle. Unless you are VERY intentional about creating a muscular body and have been working towards that goal for MANY years (and even then, unless you are very genetically gifted or on drugs, a super muscular body is complicated to achieve and will avoid most women), this fear, VERY unlikely, we might even say, impossible. Lifting weights will not automatically make you big. On the contrary, it assists in building lean muscle tissue and burning fat.
Overcoming Fear of Time Commitments
Balancing a fitness program with work, family, and other responsibilities can be overwhelming. The fear of not having enough time to exercise regularly can prevent women from starting or maintaining a fitness program.
The truth is that committing to a fitness program WILL take up some of your time. But we’re talking about your health and longevity here, so we encourage you to prioritize it at least somewhat. You should treat your workout time as a non-negotiable appointment, just like any other important commitment fitness journey.
And, of course, there are always options, workarounds and workarounds. You can’t train 5 days a week. Maybe 3 days is more realistic for you. You may not have an hour every time, but 40 minutes may be possible. You may not spend the necessary time learning more technical barbell lifts, but you can achieve great intensity using machines. A good coach will take the time to understand your needs and create a modified plan for you.
Overcoming the fear of social pressure
Feelings of pressure to conform to society’s expectations of beauty or fitness can be overwhelming, leading to anxiety you don’t measure up. We cannot overemphasize the importance of leaning into your values, setting personal goals, and defining your success when overcoming this fear fitness journey. Health and fitness is a personal journey, not an attempt to conform to unrealistic (and often photoshopped!) societal standards fitness journey.
Be sure to limit your exposure to negative influences. Health is not only what we eat our bodies but also what we feed our minds. Curate your social media feed and follow only platforms that inspire you. Be sure to find and connect with a supportive community of people who inspire and motivate you.
Conquering Fear for a Lifetime Fitness Journey
These fears are common, and acknowledging them is the first step to overcoming them. Taking proactive steps to find supportive communities, set realistic goals, and focus on individual progress rather than comparison can help build confidence, make it easier to overcome fear, and stay committed to a lifelong fitness journey.
It all starts with thought. Read our e-book, Mastering Your Mindset, today to begin your Mindset journey. And don’t forget to check out our Impact Coaching program to work with us directly fitness journey!