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What Is Gym Anxiety: And Our Tips For Curbing It 

Walking into the gym is a different experience for everyone. 

Some feel at ease when they cross the threshold—these are the people who tend to see fitness as a form of self-care and the gym a temple in which to grow (both physically and mentally). 

Others feel pumped up as they enter, fueled by adrenaline (and maybe a little bit of pre-workout) and ready to accept the challenge of crushing a new personal record. 

While these positive connotations with the gym are great, they aren’t universal. Some enter the gym and feel nervous, self-conscious, embarrassed, and judged. We refer to this as gym anxiety, today we’re discussing what causes it and what you can do to help it before your next workout. 

What Causes Gym Anxiety? 

At the core of gym anxiety is a feeling akin to social anxiety—we feel nervous when we don’t completely fit into or feel comfortable in a given social setting. Hollywood has embedded a culture of intimidatingly masculine and adrenaline-pumped buff guys into the fitness zeitgeist. This is why anyone outside of this traditional image (which is to say, most of us) may feel out of place in the gym. 

We believe that anyone can be healthy in any size, any gender, any identity, and in any body. But getting that into our heads is easier said than done. Finding the confidence to be yourself and find comfort in your own skin at the gym might take a bit of work for you, but it can be done. 

Here are some gym anxiety tips that can help you push through so you can access a big part of your physical health.

Gym Anxiety Tips

Have a Plan

Walking into a gym without a plan can leave us with a lot of uncertainty; wandering around and asking yourself what you can and should be doing is certainly a stressful experience. 

Knowledge is power, and with power comes confidence. Having a gym plan ready to go ahead of time removes gym uncertainty and empowers us to move swiftly throughout your workout. An agenda might also help you stay on track to accomplish your fitness goals faster. Having a plan ahead of time allows us to map out before we arrive exactly where we need to be in the gym and what equipment we will need. Sometimes the difference between gym anxiety and ease is feeling a sense of purpose. Having a plan might be your magic key. 

If you’re unsure of what you’re going to do in the gym, we’ve got a solution—iChuze fitness is a virtual gym experience that allows you to work with our trainers. We recommend taking a look at some of the videos you’ll find there and using them to map out your plan. Bringing your trainer with you in your pocket is a great way to ease the anxiety of not knowing what to do.

Claim Your Space

Before you leave your car to walk into the gym, do a quick deep breathing exercise, look at yourself in the mirror and, out loud, say, “you belong here.” Does this feel silly at first? Yes. Does it really help? Also, yes. 

A huge component of the gym is the idea of space. As we move through a limited amount of equipment and square footage, we’re hyper-aware of how much space we occupy, who dominates that space, and who is vying for the space we are occupying at any given time. When we’re waiting for our turn on a machine when someone takes a bench you had stepped away from, when we’re in line to get a drink of water, all of our thoughts are occupied by this idea of space. 

Here’s the thing—the gym belongs to everyone. 

Being stronger or fitter or thinner than someone else does not make your space needs more important than someone else’s. Being a so-called “gym rat” who spends hours a day at the gym does not make your space needs more valuable than someone who is entering the gym for the very first time. It’s important to be courteous at the gym and share the space, and nobody has the right to hog equipment and make others feel excluded.

Do Your Thing

We’ve got a fitness world secret to share with you. Are you ready?

For the most part, nobody is paying attention to you in the gym. Like you, most people are only hyper-aware of themself. 

We’ll repeat that: 99% of the time, nobody cares about what you’re doing at the gym. 

Going to the gym is ultimately a very personal experience; lifting weights or walking up a stair machine is exhausting and takes up all of our energy and attention as we do them. So when you’re nervous about trying something new, try to remind yourself that nobody is paying attention to you. It’s also important to stop comparing yourself to others and getting into your zone and your groove is a great way to do that. Blast your favorite music, tune out the rest of the world, and do what you came to the gym to do.

We will say that this rule goes for almost everyone. The only people who don’t belong in the gym are those who go there just to stare at and judge others. If someone ever makes you feel uncomfortable or harassed in the gym, seek out a team member for some assistance. It is our job to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.

Work Your Way Up

Another common cause of gym anxiety is a lack of confidence in how we’re working out. 

If you’re completely new to the gym and don’t have a strong grip on where to begin, no need to fear, group fitness is here! 

Rather than printing an online workout to do alone in the gym, group fitness is a great starting point to learn proper form and lay a strong fitness foundation for yourself. We actually encourage this as a first step because doing things on your own with no instruction for the very first time runs a high risk of injury, which you definitely want to prevent.

We have teams of trained professionals to guide you through a wide variety of workouts. If you’re hoping to move from a group class to an individual approach, we recommend classes like Body Pump, Tone and Sculpt, and Boot Camp so you can familiarize yourself with the names and correct forms for movements you’ll see in lots of workouts.  And with thirty-two locations across the southwest United States, your local Chuze is only a short drive away! When you feel ready, we are here for you.

The post What Is Gym Anxiety: And Our Tips For Curbing It appeared first on Chuze Fitness.

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A Celebration Of Hispanic Heritage Month With Carlos Morales

We are incredibly grateful for the rich culture of our Hispanic employees, members, and communities that we serve. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we honor and celebrate the beautiful humans and businesses who contribute so much to our lives, communities, and country. Today, we want to introduce one of those amazing humans with you. Read more about our Chula Vista Assistant General Manager, Carlos Morales. 

Give us a brief history of your work here at Chuze Fitness:

My journey with Chuze started three years ago when I joined as a Team Member and now currently an Assistant General Manager.  I have been able to not only grow as a worker but have been able to grow as a person as well. Working here has given me a chance to connect more with my community and culture being located in a heavily populated Hispanic location.

Why is Hispanic Heritage Month significant and important to you?

It’s important to me because it’s a time for people to reflect upon the vibrant historical, cultural, social, and societal influence of Hispanic and Latinx people within the U.S. and throughout the world.

Tell us a little about what makes you unique?

What makes me unique is having two cultures and being able to bring them together and celebrate the richness of both.

Can you tell us a little more about how you celebrate your heritage and diversity through performing arts?

I’ve been able to celebrate and demonstrate my beautiful culture through the art form of dance, in specific Mexican ballet Folklorico and Drag. I have been able to show the richness and diversity of my culture through Folklorico for 15 years which is our traditional dance that represents Mexico. I have been able to educate and demonstrate what our beautiful culture is all over Mexico including Colombia, Canada, and China.

Being a proud Latinx has influenced me to incorporate my heritage into my drag. I find it important with having this other platform of art to be able to continue demonstrating my culture through it. I demonstrate my culture through drag by performing Latin songs and having beautiful outfits that are heavily inspired by my culture.

 

Please tell us anything more about your walk as a Latinx human in this country and what you’d love for others to know:

I love being a Latinx human in this country because of all the diversity within our own people, every country is so different and beautiful all at once. Being able to teach my culture and traditions to the world through my art form makes me the proudest. To be Hispanic means to be brought together through a language and celebrating what makes you and your community unique.

We are so lucky to have wonderful team members like Carlos in the Chuze Family. If you are interested in joining a diverse and inclusive team, check out our open positions here.

The post A Celebration Of Hispanic Heritage Month With Carlos Morales appeared first on Chuze Fitness.

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5 iChuze Fitness Exercises To Try At The Gym

Some days, it can be a mental task to come up with your workout. All of us have walked into the gym at one point or another without a plan of action and left with a subpar workout. It is perfectly normal. But what if we told you, even on your most blah days, you could have a workout library in your pocket? Well, you can! And what’s better is we are going to lay out some iChuze Fitness exercises that will fit seamlessly into your workout routine.

Strength Day Workout

Keeping strength training as an integral part of your workout is essential for the health of your mind and body. 

But, it can be easy to get stuck in a strength training rut—always doing the same few exercises—or even becoming so overwhelmed with all of the options that you never take your routine to the floor! This strength training video by Coach Jess is perfect for all levels of fitness and can fit into a quick workout by completing the 30-minute video or added to a strength/cardio day. This fitness video will work through your arms, core, legs, and more—all while getting your heart rate up. 

A Guided Treadmill Run

There are three types of people when it comes to treadmills (okay, maybe more but who’s counting?): those who have their workout in mind and go, those who look at the buttons and then beg the sky for inspiration to hit start, and those who walk past it and scoff on the way to the weights. 

The truth is, the treadmill is an incredible piece of equipment. And, to fall in love with it, you might just need a Coach to guide you through your workout—just ask any of our Team Training members. So, via our virtual fitness platform, iChuze Fitness, we have rallied some of our favorite Coaches to bring their high-energy treadmill classes right to you. Just hop into the gym, log into iChuze from your device, and go! 

This class by Coach Devon will take you through a 30-min treadmill HIIT (high-energy interval training) workout. Coach Devon will challenge and guide you through the workout to help you get the most bang for your buck (or, in this case, the most burn for your time). 

Not a runner? No worries. Follow his instructions for power walkers to get a great treadmill workout at your own pace.

An Epic Ab Workout To Take To The Mat

There’s nothing quite like a good ab workout to give you that feeling of strength in your core that hurts so good. The great thing about ab workouts is that a short workout can do a ton for your fitness. 

But, with the vulnerability of laying out a mat and crunching in the middle of the gym, they can also be one of the most intimidating workouts to try for new gym-goers and regulars alike. Let Coach Johnny take some of that stress away for you in his 10-minute Ab Lab. With a series of crunch and plank variations, Johnny will guide you through your new go-to core workout. 

Yoga For All

If you’ve been around here long enough, you’ll see that we love yoga. That’s because this low-impact, good-for-mind-body-and-heart workout is scientifically proven to make you feel g-o-o-d. We offer yoga for cardio, restoration, flexibility, and more on our platform so that you can benefit from it wherever you go. 

This quick 15-min yoga class by Steph is perfect after a particularly difficult workout or day. If you are feeling mental or physical tension, this might be the perfect way to tap into your body and release some of that stress. Steph will guide you through some relaxing poses that are laced together to improve your energy and mental clarity and help you feel wonderful.

A Meditation To Help You Balance

At the end of your workout you may be feeling a lot of things—energized, tired, sweaty, or maybe even “over it.” Taking your workout to the mat to re-group and find balance is the perfect way to end your gym session. 

This guided meditation by Ashley is designed to provide you with steadiness and soften your stress. As she guides you to a more balanced state, you will begin to tap into your inner self, your thoughts, and your feelings, and will be brought to a place of ease. All in just three minutes.

If you are looking for ways to gain confidence in the gym, workout videos are a fantastic tool. You can pop in your headphones, turn on the volume and go—all with the clarity of knowing what to do from Coaches and Instructors trained in the field. You can download a free 7-day pass to give iChuze Fitness a try here. And if you are looking for a gym to call home, you can find us near you at one of our over 30 locations. We cannot wait to be a part of your wellness journey.

The post 5 iChuze Fitness Exercises To Try At The Gym appeared first on Chuze Fitness.

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