Kicking My Phobia to the Curb

[ 22 ] 03/31/2010 | Lissa

pho·bi·a

: a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it.

I have a phobia of classes at the gym. It’s not that I don’t like taking classes, because I do. My college bestie, Hannah, and I took step aerobics our freshman year and I loved it. I have always had good intentions of taking a class or two whenever I have joined a gym, but then years would go by, and I would get more and more afraid of taking the initial plunge.

I don’t know what I am so afraid of. That people will laugh at me? That I will be the fattest one in the class? That I will be a complete failure? A combination of all of the above? I feel so ridiculous even typing this out!

This quote posted on Facebook this morning by Tony a.k.a. The Anti-Jared gave me the extra boost I needed,

“Do not be intimidated by the gym. It is just your friends striving for the same goal as you.”

As soon as I received the Traveling Shirt from BornFit, I concluded that this would be the time to get over this irrational fear. My good friend, Megan, attends muscle work (or as she lovingly calls it, “Death by Barb”) on Wednesday mornings and promised that she would hold my hand and show me the way, so I agreed to meet her there.

Guess what? There were people of all shapes and sizes attending the class. I did not fall off the ball while doing the weight reps requiring the use of it. Okay, I kind of did slip off a little and it felt really awkward. But it was not the big CLUNK like I was dreading. While my form was not the greatest, I was able to do all of the exercises. I may have not done EVERY REP of every exercise because the instructor is crazy, insane, demanding. I would say that I successfully completed about 85% of them.

It was an awesome workout, very difficult at times, and I was shaking by the end. I will be so sore tomorrow, but that’s a good thing, right? I plan to send an email to Coach Joe this afternoon to see how I can incorporate this class into my weekly training.

Thank you, Megan, for walking me through this, and thank you BornFit for giving me the motivation to do so.

I will leave you with this horrible, blurry photo (obviously Megan was shaky, too) and a funny story. The first photo Megan took, she told me flex. I showed-off my guns and got a charlie-horse in my FOREARM that went into my pointer finger. I couldn’t move it at all. So, the second shot, we went with the faux-flex.

Do you have fears that you would like to overcome? Share them in the comments, or write a blog post and link up down below!

Tags: BornFit, gym class, inspiration, Melissa, MIND IT, Motherhood of the Traveling Shirt, muscle work, phobia

Category: Melissa, MIND IT

About Lissa: Melissa is the Co-Founder of Shrinking Kitchen and the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans She has been married for a dozen years and is mother to four children (15,12, 8 and 8), with more soon coming her way through the foster care system. Melissa has a love/hate relationship with food (okay, mostly candy) and cooking. This isn't improved by the fact that her husband, the true family chef, works in another city half the year, leaving Melissa to figure out how to feed her growing family something other than Pop-Tarts. Melissa loves her camera, enjoys traveling, kickboxing, creating beautiful things she finds on Pinterest, and planning her dream home that will be built… someday. melissa@shrinkingjeans.net :: @lissajoy :: whereverimaywander.com :: pinning here View author profile.

http://superhotchicaintraining.blogspot.com/ Super Hot Chica in Training

Congrats! I actually just wrote a post about this very thing. It can take some time to get used to the idea of being at a gym if you're not a twig person. But really, what better place to be among people than at a gym when you're trying to lose weight? At least you're working on it, instead of them finding you downing a whole pizza yourself or something (sigh, pizza. I so wish I could do that)

Anyways, way to go!

I suppose one of my fears is of loose skin. I have about 131 pounds total to lose (down 27) and I keep wincing at the thought of how loose it could end up. Of course, I'd rather have that than the chub, but still…I worry about it so much and I do fear I'll end up with my belly down to my feet or something :P
BrookeF

hurrah for you!!! :) although it is kinda funny about your charlie horse. after my first total body toning class – the next morning i squatted down to get into the bottom drawer of the fridge – and couldn't get back up!

my biggest fear right now is the swim portion of my tri. i've heard from others who've done them in pools that its just a big cluster %$&* and that people get freaked out and try to pull you under and that kinda crap. hopefully that will not be the case.
http://superhotchicaintraining.blogspot.com/ Super Hot Chica in Training

Oooh that's another one I worry about. I am good enough at swimming that I don't drown, and that's about it. I want to be a tri, but I already get scared when someone jumps in the same lane as me at the gym pool (hate that! Sigh, I know it can be busy, but I'm always afraid I'll smack them since I am not the world's greatest swimmer).
http://2chicklets4me.blogspot.com/ Suz

Congrats on the kick!
nadinea

It is a liberating feeling isn't it? I can remember standing outside of the kickboxing class that I now frequent saying I could NEVER do that…and one day I jumped on in with a friend…and there was no looking back. Congrats to you!
seemamarun

Lissa – I AM SO STINKIN PROUD OF YOU!!!!! Way to overcome those fears!!!! xoxo
http://www.melgetsfit.com TheDailyMel

Good for you! WTG on conquering your fear. :)
http://www.melgetsfit.com TheDailyMel

I read your blog post last night and immediately emailed the link to a friend of mine. She is on business travel this week and has been trying to decide if she was going to hit the gym with a mutual friend of ours. She has a phobia about gyms and worrying about what people might think. I'll be linking her to this post now as well. I just love it when the blogging world collides on a single idea at just the perfect time. :)
http://www.thekrumwiedesix.blogspot.com/ Kristin__OneCrazyMamaof4

I was so planning on being there today, but Shelby got sick on the bus… next week I PROMISE!!!
shrinkingjeans

I think I will go wednesdays from now on. I don't think mondays will fit in my training schedule! See ya there!
http://oppositelife.blogspot.com/ Pubsgal

Huh. I've read that they are seeded by time, fastest first, but I've never actually done a triathlon pool swim. Open water swims are supposed to get intense like that, but that hasn't been my experience; I've stayed at the back of the group to avoid getting pummeled. By the time the next wave catches up, they're pretty spread out and have room to go around slower swimmers from the previous wave.
http://oppositelife.blogspot.com/ Pubsgal

Way to go! My fear of joining the gym was that the locker room would be full of mean girls from jr. high, laying in wait to snap my bra. Definitely not the case. Oh, and getting snubbed or laughed at in class, but that didn't happen either. I think most people are too caught up in their own gym anxiety to worry about what other people are doing. Reading the blog “The Great Fitness Experiment” was kind of helpful for me that way, realizing that the girls who look like they're highly confident gym-goers have their own things to deal with at the gym, and that the best tactic is to shrug and laugh off one's own gaffes and keep rolling.

My fear would be open water swimming in the ocean. I haven't swum in the open ocean since I was pregnant with my firstborn, and I remember feeling big and awkward and having to have my husband tow me back to the snorkel boat. I think I'd take a clinic before entering any races with an ocean swim.
Lisa_ShrinkingJeans

I am so proud of you, hooker! Way to go on kicking that phobia to the curb. Now when are you going back for Round 2?!
shrinkingjeans

Next Wednesday. ;p

Let me tell you how sore I am. I have muscles that I didn't know existed.
Even my elbows are sore. OMG.
Lisa_ShrinkingJeans

That is awesome- good for you!
TheaDramaMama

Yay!!! Good for you!!! I need to get my ass to a class.
anng

I'm sooooo stinkin' proud of you, girl!! You are gonna be rockin' those gym classes in no time!! Keep up the great work and you will be the HAWT momma you dream of being!!
anng

http://ann-shesgonnablow.blogspot.com/2010/04/b…

Finally sat down and wrote out my fears in this post. Thanks Lissa for bringing to the table. I really needed it this week.
Pingback: Melissa » Blog Archive » True Confessions of Melissa
http://www.babytealeaves.blogspot.com Christie O.

dude, i can't believe i'm just now commenting but that's huge!!! i have felt that exact fear! congratulations for facing it head on, girlie, congratulations!! i'm so proud of you! and you know what? even if it WERE a clunk, no one would have cared! so good for you!
http://www.babytealeaves.blogspot.com Christie O.

dude, i can't believe i'm just now commenting but that's huge!!! i have felt that exact fear! congratulations for facing it head on, girlie, congratulations!! i'm so proud of you! and you know what? even if it WERE a clunk, no one would have cared! so good for you!
Pingback: Melissa » Blog Archive » Melissa’s Weekly Weigh-in