Are you what others refer to as a “nerd”? Or, in more politically correct terms, do you have a passion for less socially desirable activities such as maths, science or computers? And, have you always wanted to get in good shape, but felt intimidated by other, more socially adept people in the gym?
If the answer is yes, I can certainly relate to your situation. Whilst I am quite the health and fitness enthusiast, I have been (and still am) quite a bit of a “nerd”. Here are some of my high school qualifiers:
- I hated physical education with a passion and didn’t particularly look forward to sport
- I was never part of the “cool group”
- I played handball right up until year 12 during lunch breaks
- I was quite intimidated by girls
- In year 12, I would spend many of my free periods studying in the library away from friends in preparations for my HSC
- My year 12 subjects included Maths Extension 2 (ie. 4 unit maths), Physics, Chemistry and English Advanced (although I would have picked Biology or Computer Science if English wasn’t mandatory)
- I passed on many social outings to study for my HSC
Yes, I was a nerd. And the reason why I say that I still am is because I still have a strong passion for business, science and maths, I have a strong thirst for knowledge, I love documentaries and I’ve practically coded this entire website in PHP. In fact, a major reason why I began this personal training business is because this industry really lacks in the number of nerds available to service it. Science is just so important in health and fitness!
Why am I telling you this? Well, I have been a fitness enthusiast ever since I stepped foot in a gym. But the fact is that the gym is a really intimidating place – especially for many people who fall into this politically incorrect category of being a “nerd”.
In high school, the stereotype dictates that only the “cool” people go into the gym – their great looking bodies compliment their near imperfect faces. Meanwhile, nerds are stereotypically supposed to have glasses, have a bad case of acne, be overweight, have very low self-esteem and never even think about being active…let alone join a gym!
Think about the humiliation a nerd would have to endure if they stepped foot into a gym where the seemingly “cool” people go to train. This is a thought that ran through my mind numerous times in high school when I did initially contemplate going into the gym and getting in shape. I thought I’d be laughed at and utterly humiliated because I was so grossly out of shape. Just imagine how tiny I would feel with these larger than life, buff and good looking guys staring at me thinking “what on Earth is he doing in a gym?!”.
Does that sound familiar at all? Well if it does, you’re not alone – there are many people who refuse to step foot into a gym because of this fear. But the truth of the matter is that if this were true, the whole industry would go bust, as the majority of gym patrons are actually out of shape and seeking to lose weight. A typically gym is not full of buff guys that are going to laugh at you (that’s just a stereotype and something that you see in the movies).
If you do fall into this category and really yearn to do something about your physique once and for all, then you owe it to yourself to take control of your body. You will only even have one body, and the social stigma of a gym being a “cool peoples retreat” is a load of hogwash. The sooner you can wake up to that reality, the better.
I do understand that taking the plunge and actually stepping foot in a gym can be a huge step if you do feel a strong sense of intimidation. If this is too much for you to handle, take one step at a time so you can minimise the heightening of your anxiety levels.
The first thing that I would suggest is for you to do some reading of your own. If you actually have a feel for what you’re doing, it won’t seem that big a deal. I would strongly recommend reading through a number of articles freely available on this website (covering an array of topics including muscle gain, weight loss, nutrition, mindset, confidence levels etc).
I would also strongly recommend reading my weight loss book, “How to Transform the Average Joe in 12 Weeks”. If you can relate to this particular article, I’m very confident that you would get a lot of value from my personal experiences when I undertook a 12 week challenge. There is also a comprehensive “how-to” guide included in the book to get you started toward accomplishing your goals.
After you have a sense of what needs to be done, try speaking to a professional. There is nothing more discouraging than trying to accomplish your goals based on your general reading and failing. If you have a professional to sit down with you and discuss a viable approach in detail, then you’ll have every chance at being successful. We of course offer highly professional personal training services.
Once you’ve got an idea of what you’re doing, you have a plan and you are also armed with professional advice, that’s when joining a gym will just become “another step” in you accomplishing your goals. You’ll find that you will be a lot more confident knowing that you’ve done your homework and are aligned for success.
I do hope that you have obtained some value from this article, especially if you do classify yourself as a “nerd”. A gym can be a great tool to utilise in achieving your health and fitness goals that is there for all people, including yourself.
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