You pull into the parking lot wearing your new workout clothes and *hopefully* your Work Your Butt Off book in hand ready to get PNP on the treadmill. One problem: you are ashamed and worried everyone will be staring at you. Next thing you know you have found a treadmill in the corner of the gym and only walk slowly so that you don’t draw attention to yourself.
Does that sound familiar? Do you avoid the free weights because you don’t want to bother the real exercisers? Girl, I went through the same fears during my fat loss journey. Many days I WASTED my time doing a sub-standard workout because I was too concerned with what other people thought versus what I thought.
Finally it all clicked for me; I was stuck in Fat Girl Thinking Mode and that was getting me nothing I wanted out of life. What was more important: a new life or being unnoticed in life? Why couldn’t I be the girl in the gym that people looked at thinking, “Wow, that chic can lift and bust it like no other”? The only way to get there was to get busy and get over myself. I just had to be willing to put myself out there in the gym…and in life.
If you are suffering from Fat Girl Thinking Mode, here’s my tips for getting CRAZY AND CUT in the gym:
1. One word: IPod. Load that thang up with some music that makes you feel sexy, proud, buckwild, etc. For me it’s booty-shaking, hip-hop, nasty grind type music. Yes, Loggies Mom, for you Weight Watchers girls, is all about music that I can take from the gym to the club. Having inspiring music that brings you to a place that makes you feel hot, pumped up, and stoked not only makes for a great workout, but it also keeps people from talking to you and messing with your workout flow.
2. No talking! When you workout you need to get that game face on. Have a look of superiority, like everything you do is purposeful, and that your workout is only for someone willing to WORK. Don’t be one of those girls who casually moves from machine to machine “pumping iron,” not breaking a sweat, and then riding the elliptical for 30 minutes reading a the latest Shape magazine. Whatever! Write out your workouts, have your music pumping, move from exercise to exercise with purpose, and make people think if they dare get in your way that they might get hurt.
3. Have a plan. It’s amazing when you have a little piece of paper with your workout sketched out how people respect you. They think one of two things: you have a personal trainer and know what you are doing, or you know enough to design your own workouts. The plan will give you confidence and it will also keep you on target. Always plan those workouts when you feel fresh and confident. Then, stick to the plan when you are at the gym tired and scared that someone is watching you.
4. Don’t care what you look like. Realize the only way you can change how you look now is by getting past how you look now. It’s so true; NO ONE CARES WHAT YOU ARE DOING IF YOU ARE WORKING HARD. True gym people respect someone working hard. Get in there and get busy. You’ll probably find people willing to help you out, too. A true gym rat wants to share the love of the gym to a future rat.
This is one of the blogs that makes me wish I could workout with every one of you who faithfully read my stuff. One session together from my Work Your Butt Off and you would be hooked on the feeling of owning the gym. You can’t do those workouts without looking like someone who is dedicated to changing their life.
I guess that’s it in a nutshell…you are there to change your life for the better. Be proud of your dedication. It’s not the workouts I do now that got me here. It’s all the days I rolled into the gym 40+ pounds overweight, overtired, and overdressed where I set aside my Fat Girl Thinking and just worked hard. That’s all you can do and you do it until you achieve Phit-N-Phat status.
I love you guys! Now, go get your sweat on!