I’ve been constantly checking the gym app for half an hour now. I’m trying to work out if the coast is clear to make a most anticipated appearance. The event, as you're probably hanging onto your seats waiting to hear about, is me, walking into the gym, unarmed, and with no friend in tow.
Walking into a busy gym by myself, is one of my biggest hates in life. Everyone looks as though they know exactly what they're doing, working in harmony with the machines, rather than against them. Sweat rolls off them effortlessly. They look just the right amount of flushed, and still remain cool as a cucumber. They have all the expensive gym wear too, as though part of a cult they forgot to invite me into.
Head down, heart beating fast, I walk quickly and with purpose to the most familiar and easiest machine I can find. As I step on the treadmill, I already can feel everyone’s eyes burning into the back of my head. On a quick glance around, I know it’s not true, but when I turn my attention back to my machine I know they’re eyeballing me again.
After untangling my earphones, finding a playlist, and setting my machine, I start to do what I came here for. And once I start, I quickly realise no one is bothered about me being at the gym at all.
The worst thing about the gym is getting through the door and finding a machine to occupy for a tortuous amount of time.
No one is actually watching anyone in the gym, (I found this out by watching people watching themselves in mirrors rather than the newcomer on the rower), and the sooner you (I) realise that, the sooner you (I) can get on with whatever it is you came in here for, and most importantly, get out, unscathed, afterwards.
To remind myself that I'm not the centre of the universe when walking into the gym one person, one mission style, I've turned my way of thinking to enable me to go to the gym by myself.
1) How do I know everyone is as confident at they seem? The saying does go fake it till you make it after all.
2) No one is a mind reader. They won't be able to tell that you feel out of place and self conscious when you're on your own. Relax and breath.
3) Everyone is there for the same reason as yourself. Get on with it.