We all know what it feels like
to walk into a crowded gym filled
with anxiety and feeling like an outsider.
It takes us back to those days at school
when we wanted a sick note for PE.
Today we're talking all about Gymtimidation and how you
can turn your workout anxiety into genuine confidence so
that you can claim your space in the gym.
Welcome to episode 12 of The Outlifting Lounge.
I'm Derec.
And I'm Alan.
This is the show all about
pride, fitness and everything in between.
We'll be talking all about gym anxiety in the
second half of the show, including how to
get your hands on our free Gymtimidation ebook.
If you can't wait for that, feel free
to skip ahead to that chapter now though.
But first, we're going to have a right good
chat about what we've been up to this year
so far, including the telly we've been watching that's
been keeping us glued to this couch every night.
Right Derec, get the show started.
Yeah, I think what's been taking up most of our
time is our Make It Stick in 2026 resolution workshop.
We've had loads of guys taking
part in that and it's been
super, super popular, super busy, eh?
Yeah, it's been good.
It's been really, really good.
A lot of our current clients are doing
it, obviously, and a lot of people
that we've met for the first time.
So it's been great getting to know everybody
and what their goals are for 2026.
Yeah, it's a good wee mix, actually.
There's quite a lot of different people doing it.
Lots of different resolutions ranging from wanting to go
out running more, wanting to do more yoga to
somebody wanting to write their first book as well.
Yeah, no, it's been good that
it hasn't been purely fitness focused.
We're running this course, but
we're also doing the course.
So we're doing it along with the guys
with our resolutions, which we've spoken about previously.
So do you want to give an
update on how the resolutions are going?
Yeah, so one of my resolutions was to read
more and I'm actually doing pretty well with that.
I'm about 90% through my first book.
So I reckon a couple more nights
and I'll be done with that one.
And I've already got my next few lined up.
Yeah, you've turned into an actual proper bookworm.
Do you know what?
I've actually logged out of my personal Instagram
and it's really, really helped because normally when
I'd be doom scrolling I'm actually reading and
it's been so much better for my mental
health and just focus with everything else.
It feels good as well so I'm enjoying it.
I think that's always one way to make changes
and resolutions stick is by replacing an unhealthy habit
with something that is healthier or better for you.
So it seems to be working for you so far.
And I'm not missing Instagram at all.
I'm on it enough for work for Outlifting.
So actually having one less thing to
look at has actually been quite nice.
So what about you?
Your resolution was to do more yoga?
I have to say I'm not quite there with the
full daily practice yet, but there has been intention.
I have started, I'm on a process, but that's
what our Make It Stick workshop is.
It's a 28 day workshop.
It's not all about starting off, all
guns blazing and then fizzling out.
And we'd both said as well, Spanish was
something that we wanted to do more of.
And you've already started
looking into structured lessons.
There's a course that runs here,
but it doesn't start until September.
So we obviously need to do some work
before that, but we've set the stone rolling.
Is that the phrase? No.
Set the ball rolling?
Set the ball rolling.
Yes, that's what I was trying to say.
So that's been pretty much it.
We've been doing the Make It Stick workshop.
We've been running the business as usual.
We're doing the podcast and we are also
managing to squeeze in a little bit of
New Year's telly as well, because there's some
really good New Year's telly at the minute.
Traitors is back.
How excited are we for that?
And I think a lot of people that
I'm seeing on social media are saying
that they're excited for it as well.
It's a good season again, and they've got
the twist with the secret traitor this
year, which makes it even more interesting.
It's quite a good spin on it because
you feel like you're playing along at home as well.
Yeah. Like you're trying to figure out
who this extra traitor is?
Spoiler alert.
So we're recording this on a Thursday
that we're having our Graham Norton moment.
When like when he's talking to people
and they forget what day it is.
So we record this on Thursday
and it goes out on Sunday.
So obviously last night's episode. Was episode four.
Secret traitor was revealed and it's who
we thought it was going to be.
Gay Icon.
It's who I thought it was gonna be.
You were just all over
the show with your predictions.
I know. But she was one of them.
We'll do spoiler alert in three, two, one.
Fiona. Love Fiona, she is... She's gonna be the
next gay icon along with Linda and...
It was Amanda.
Amanda.
Diane.
Linda.
Fiona.
And now Fiona.
I think Fiona might pip the post she
might be the queen of all queens.
So we're looking forward to
tonight's episode and then Friday.
Who knows by the time this goes out she could
have been banished and then we'll end up with egg
on our faces but in the turret we have got
Irish, Welsh, Scottish, we've got three Celtic traitors killing off
all the English people the way it should be.
I am joking when I say that.
I did not think you were
going to go there with that.
Jesus Christ, Derec.
Do you want us to have no clients?
F***ing hell.
That was a total joke, by the way.
No, but I'm loving the fact that there's this
Celtic traiter trio in there, this little triad.
Yes.
Who are together.
Yes. Moving on.
F***ing hell.
So Traitors UK is, as always, really, really good.
We're also excited for... Traitors US
with our pal Alan Cumming.
He's not your pal, he's an acquaintance.
And wee Lala.
Wee Lala! Wee Lala's so cute.
And Alan's outfits.
The real star of the show.
We saw some snippets of what he's wearing and it's
just like even better than last season.
I think out of all of the seasons of
Traitors that we've watched, he is the best host.
By far. Absolutely. Of all of them. Absolutely.
Murder.
I love how he's kind of like
partly himself but also partly Moira Rose.
It's when he does the bits to camera
like ad hoc that's him whereas when he's
presenting it's obviously a character he's playing.
We're excited for that.
Is there anybody in particular from US
Traitors that you're excited to watch?
Lisa Rinna, oh my God.
She is i-con-ic-a. Iconic!
I love her.
She's absolutely brilliant.
You don't really know her because you don't watch Real
Housewives, but she's like a gay icon as well.
She's brilliant.
Okay, I'm excited for that.
I've seen a photo of her and I like her lips, so.
Wow. She does have very, has she
had some work done, maybe?
Eh, don't think so.
Touched by an angel, no.
I think when you watch her,
you'll really warm to her.
Okay, the person that I am excited for is
Monét X Change, obviously, because she's just iconic.
She's just amazing.
Do you think she'll bring the sponge dress?
I think she might bring the sponge dress to
mop up the sweat that she'll be sweating
from all of the intensity in the castle.
Yes. It won't be all the sweat from the hot
Scottish summer, so it's got to be from something.
Well, I don't know, because the weather in
the UK Traitors, looks amazing just now, apart
from last night's when it was pishing down.
When it was raining.
No, but there's been a few previous episodes that
were outside after breakfast and it was beautiful.
I'm pretty sure when we were watching yesterday's
that when they were all in the cages,
Sam was literally shaking, you could hear the
cage rattling because it was so cold.
Okay, spoiler, it does rain in Scotland.
Don't forget they're up the north of Scotland,
they're in the Highlands, do you know what I mean, so it's obviously
going to get a bit of rain.
What else are we watching at the minute?
I don't know, Derec, you tell me what
else are we watching at the minute.
My favourite! Drag Race. Another one.
So yeah, Drag Race US season 18 has started.
And to be fair, right, hang on, so the
two seasons of Drag Race that are airing at
the minute, Drag Race Canada season 6 has been?
Very good.
Very good, right, you'll admit that one.
Yeah, it's probably been the best season, or
right up there, of Drag Race Canada.
PM, love them, absolutely brilliant, off the wall, bonkers
and that's what I love about Drag Race to
be fair because you think drag queens like pageant
queens you know absolutely poised everything is on point
and you've got PM coming along wearing jester hats
for doing like lip syncs. It's been, I
think there's been a really good broad spectrum of
queen on that season there's been a really high
standard of talent. It's been a very good season.
And the drama as well has been really good.
And then in contrast, so we've got Drag Race
season 18, the US version has just started.
And that again, like, well, by the
time this airs, there'll be episode two
out, but we've only seen episode one.
But judging from that, it's going
to be a really good season.
Can I just say though, they all consider themselves
older queens and they're all like, who's over 30?
I'm like, oh sweet mother of god.
I know, as if it's some sort of
like geriatric nursing home for old drag queens.
I'm going to be 45 in a couple of months.
I'm granddaddy.
To be fair though, I kind of see the
point because at our age would you really want
to be doing death drops and jumping into splits?
Like, I don't think I would survive that.
It would be a literal death drop.
I make a noise when I get up off the couch now.
I know you do.
Maybe once I've got back into the yoga properly,
I will try some stunts and shenanigans and
tomfoolery, but yeah, I think I'm too old.
Life insurance is up to date, yeah?
Yeah, I can't really deal with
a broken hip at the minute.
No, definitely not.
My favourite episode for Drag Race is always their
walk-in episode because I think you get a really
good feel for who they are and the outfits
and stuff so yeah the calibre is very good.
A lot of experience there, a lot of seasoned drag
queens, it was a really good episode, I liked that.
So we've got that and then we've got season
three of UK vs The World coming soon.
Canada will have finished by
the time UK... Thank goodness!
I know, you can't really cope with too
many at the one time can you?
It just gets confusing who's in what season.
Do you feel the same way about Real Housewives?
Yeah, I actually do.
I do.
I forget who's in what one.
And to be fair, they all end up going to
the same surgeon and then they're just looking the same.
Exactly.
Right, that's enough telly chat.
I think we've done Drag Race
to death, just like RuPaul has.
So let's move on to the fitness section.
Welcome to the fitness section of the show
and we are talking about gym anxiety today.
Alan, why are we talking about this
at the start of January in particular?
It's the perfect time to talk about it.
So many people are making resolutions
for 2026, including getting healthier, getting
fitter, changing their nutrition habits.
So it's a really good time for us to talk about it.
I just want to say something as well.
See for regular gym goers,
stop complaining about newbies being in the gym.
I'm going to put it out there.
Everybody has been a newbie in the
gym at some point, including yourself.
Go over and offer to help if you can, if
you think that somebody needs a bit of help or
needs a bit of encouragement or just needs like something.
Feel free to go and ask them, make them feel included
because everybody has to start somewhere. I used to do it
in Glasgow if I saw someone struggling with a piece
of equipment I would walk up to them and say,
would you mind if I helped you figure this out?
And the relief on their face. So if
you see someone struggling, please offer them some
help. It could mean the world of difference.
When we were teaching fitness classes in Glasgow, especially Bodypump
I used to love that new year intake because
there were a lot of new faces, there were people
there and I saw it as my goal to get
those people to come back again, to make them feel
like it was a safe space, that they didn't have
to have that anxiety and you could see the
relief in their faces when you just made the
effort to go and talk to them at the
start of class and give them permission to just
take it easy for the first few classes to
let themselves build up their confidence and their knowledge.
And do you know, there were people that came to
my classes for years after that, stuck with it.
I think fitness classes are a great way
to start off your fitness journey if you're
not confident about going into a gym.
You know, you've got the support of
the instructor, you've got the support
of the other participants as well.
It's such a really good social aspect of it as well.
I've seen people come for the first time and they're
up the back corner, not sure what they're doing.
And then within a couple of
months, they're up the front row.
And I love that because they're so confident and
to see the progress in someone from the start
of their Bodycombat journey to the end is
just, it's the best feeling in the world.
It's very special.
We can doubt ourselves sometimes.
That's how you know that you're a good instructor.
You're good at what you do when you
see that happening, when you see this change,
when you're genuinely inspiring people to come
back and make them enjoy the gym.
You're forcing them to enjoy being at the gym
at first and then they grow to love it.
Yeah. It becomes a bit addictive.
What I would say is,
as good as classes are for bringing people in
and giving them that introduction, making them feel safe
in a gym environment, they can also become a
bit of a crutch for people as well.
So that transition from the class environment into
the actual gym floor can be very difficult
for some people and instead of making the
transition they just cling to their class because
it's like a comfort blanket for them.
It's very similar and I'm sure people can
relate to this when they go into
the gym they've got their comfort machinery.
Treadmill, elliptical and they don't really
venture from that you know.
Yeah totally I think as well as that
there is an added dimension to this because
obviously this show is primarily aimed at the
LGBT community and for our community I think
the gym has that extra facet of being,
like you said at the start of the show,
almost like bringing you back to those school days
when you felt like an outsider, you felt like
you weren't good enough, you felt like you were
always going to get picked last, people didn't want
you in their team, that kind of thing.
I think for a lot of people
stepping into that gym environment for the
first time, it can be very daunting.
I'm sure we've all got stories from PE at school.
Like I used to play hockey with the girls because
I didn't want to play football with the boys
and I had to play football one day and
I remember the ball was just flying towards me.
I didn't have a clue what to do.
Do you know, I still have trauma.
I'm just going to say some words here to you and
I'm going to see if I get a kind of reaction.
Ball hitting you in the face.
You know, like, I think everybody's got that,
like, that trauma of getting smacked in the
face with a football at some point.
And it just, it does bring me back.
I hated it.
Yeah.
So we understand truly gym anxiety because of
past trauma is, yeah, we totally get it.
Going into a gym environment and making it yours and
getting out of your comfort zone, after a while, when
you grow into that space and you make it yours,
that is your way of overcoming it and dealing with
that trauma and claiming that space as your own.
Before we actually begin to give out lots of tips
here, we should probably point out that what we're talking
about today in the content is just a little
snippet of what is in our free ebook, Gymtimidation.
So that is available for free.
There's a link in the description of the
show notes that people can download it from.
And yeah, we hope that they do.
It's available in an illustrated
PDF format, a beautifully illustrated.
Who illustrated it?
Well, that would be me.
Yes, so it's available in an illustrated PDF format,
or if you prefer, like you do, to
do your reading on a Kindle, then there's
also an EPUB that people can get too.
So yeah, and it's totally free.
It's our gift to people because we just
want to get as many people, particularly from
the LGBT community, involved in fitness as possible.
Yeah, we always want to see people doing well.
Like when I speak to people on Instagram
and I say to them, well, we've got
this free ebook, do you want it?
They're just like, really?
Yeah, like have it, like we made it to make
your life easier and we always want to see people
doing well and if you can use this and then
impart that knowledge to other people as well, even better.
Yeah, so a lot of what we're going to talk
about now is covered in the book but there is
so much more in the e-book as well so
please do download it after you watch the show.
The thing I like about the e-book is
in the first section it talks about our
fears and our anxiety and I think
they're valid, you know, like going into that new
environment can be such a scary thing and one
of the quotes that we have in there is
"Worry gives a small thing, a big shadow."
As with so many other things in life,
it all comes back to fear and that
is what keeps us from realising our ambitions,
our dreams, our goals, whatever it is.
Some people stay fearful for most of their lives
and then realise when they get older, you know,
I've held myself back from my full potential.
For so many years I thought about becoming a Bodypump
instructor but for so many years I held back
and held back and thought oh I can't do that
I can't do that I won't be good enough
and when I eventually went and did it it
was the best thing. I loved teaching those classes.
I loved becoming a fitness instructor and that was
my first step into becoming a fitness professional but
I wish, if I could go back and do
things, I wish I had done that sooner.
Yeah, fear definitely holds us back for
me and not fitness related, it's Spanish.
I'm really fearful of speaking Spanish in case I
make a mistake and I'm never going to
get better at it unless I do it.
So the fear of making an arse of myself
basically is the thing that's holding me back.
It is in the process that we learn, so
it's by making mistakes that we learn and that
applies across lots of things whether it's in a
gym environment or whether it's learning a language or
whatever and the fear of making mistakes is
very common but that absolutely holds us back
from then learning and growing and becoming better.
Should we touch upon some of the
common fears that people have entering a
gym environment for the first time?
I think one of the big fears that hold
people back is the fear of judgement in gym
environments and especially this time of year when it's
going to be a bit busier and we've touched
on this previously that when you're in the gym
have a look around people are too busy doing
one of three things. They're either working out,
they're on their phone, or they're
checking themselves out in the mirror.
Everybody just kind of cares about
themselves and what they're doing.
They're getting on with their own workout and
a lot of the time as well even
though you think everybody knows what they're doing,
they might not. People are at different stages in
their journey or perhaps people are trying new things
out and everybody's feeling a bit self-conscious, even the
people who have been in the gym for years.
Yeah, I do as well.
Sometimes when I'm in the gym, especially
the gym we go to, some of
the guys in there are absolutely massive.
And as people know, I'm a short arse.
I'm five foot five, you know, so
being in that gym environment sometimes for
me can be really, really overwhelming.
People have
different goals in fitness so for instance I am not
the kind of person that wants to be like really
massive and jacked I don't want that that's okay for
some people if that's the way you want your body
to look great go for it work for it but
that's not the goal of most ordinary people anyway.
For me, fitness is more about feeling good within my body,
liking what I see in the mirror and making sure that
I am living as long as I can and for
those years I am as healthy as I can be.
Yeah, absolutely.
I think one of the other big
fears is the fear of failure.
So, the fear of failure could be that you don't know
what the equipment is, how to use it or
the jargon that is used within the fitness industry.
And that's totally understandable as well
because there's so much misinformation.
At the minute, if people are looking for more health
content, the algorithm is going to serve that up.
And what you will invariably get are these
big jacked gym bros who are saying,
this is what you need to do.
Don't do this.
Don't do that.
And a lot of the advice that's out
there is, particularly around lifting weights, is maybe
not even starter level, not even intermediate level.
A lot of it is for a more advanced level.
And that's not where people need to be
if they're starting out on their gym journey.
What you actually need to focus on is the basics.
and the basic form, the basic
technique, those kind of things.
We like to think that we cut through a lot
of the BS that's out there that gets fed to
people and I think we do that really well via
Instagram, via the podcast, but especially in the ebook.
There's so many great tips for you just to get going
which is going to really help you in your journey.
And do you know what?
I've been going to the gym for...
I couldn't even count the years. I know my stuff but
there's even times when I'll go in and I think
oh I'll try a new exercise or I'll try something
different and I feel like a newbie. Every time you
do something for the first time you do because it
does feel quite overwhelming. I think the difference for somebody
who's starting the gym is that there is so much.
There is so much to learn, there's so
much to know, and it feels really daunting.
But you don't need to know it all at once.
If you just want to go to the gym for
a half an hour on your first session, and there's
maybe like two exercises really that you're doing, do that.
If that helps you feel confident, then do it.
You don't need to do like a
full hour, hour and a half workout.
It actually happened to me in the gym yesterday.
I was using the hyper extension machine.
and it was in the wrong position for me and I
could not, for the love of God, figure out how to
change this and I was getting so in my head about
it and the gym was super busy and so I was
coming off of it and I was like casually looking at
it to try to figure out how to do it
I had to do two other sets and then I came
off and I was like of course that's how you move
it but I was getting so worked up in my
head thinking everybody was looking at me and they weren't.
They were on the treadmills, they were stretching, they
were doing whatever but I was just getting myself
wound up which made me feel worse because I
couldn't figure it out and then I was talking
to myself like you're an absolute idiot, you're a
PT, you should know how to do this.
But it was a piece of equipment that I haven't used.
That negative self-talk is so
damaging, it really is.
I think another general fear that people would have,
and I think this is again specific to LGBT
community definitely, but it's this fear of rejection.
You think that you're going to go in and feel
out of place and people are going to look at
you and think that they don't belong here and
it can feel like that sometimes and especially if you
go into a gym environment where it feels like there
is a community, an existing community in that gym.
People know each other, they're talking to each
other and you're not part of that.
It can feel again quite exclusionary.
So how did we go over that?
It's like any new environment really.
If you were to walk into a club or
somewhere that you're not currently a member of, you've
just joined, you have to meet people for
the first time, you have to know people.
Sometimes it takes a while to get to know
people and find your feet and feel comfortable.
And do you know a really good way
of doing that actually is speaking to either
a PT that's in there or a gym
instructor, someone that works on the gym floor.
Ask them to show you how a piece of equipment
works and I bet every time you walk in there
they'll say hi to you, you know, and you can
say hi to them and it just gives you that
one person, there's like an anchor if you like.
And also as well if you are going to the gym at
a set time.
You've got a regular schedule.
You will start to see the same people over
and over who are also on a similar schedule.
And do you know what?
Like if you kind of make eye contact with
them by chance, say hello, just smile, say hello.
And it's, you know, there will be that
acknowledgement and you'll find that that'll just start
something where they will say hello to you
every time they see you as well.
Yeah. We're not talking about cruising.
We're actually just saying, say hello.
Yeah.
Definitely not right outside the shower cubicle.
Depends what gyms you go to, I've
heard of some central London gyms
that are exactly like that, but yeah.
Yeah, maybe save it for the
gym floor, just pleasantries, pleasantries.
But that can have a big impact as
well and it takes time to build up
connections, it takes time to feel comfortable.
And in the meantime, you just need to
keep reassuring yourself, try to limit the negative
talk, try to replace it with positive.
If you just need to have like a
bit of a mantra before you go into
the gym, tell yourself repeatedly a few times
that, you know, nobody cares what you're doing.
They only care about themselves,
that you belong here.
Those kinds of things, just do
it until you start believing it.
Good advice.
Those are a few of the common fears.
Shall we actually talk about
some of the practical stuff?
So I think there's just too much in
the e-book to go through on the show.
Shall we talk about just some of the strategies that we
talk about and some of the tips in the book?
Yeah, absolutely.
I think the first visit is going
to be your defining visit, really.
What we recommend is you don't even
have to go and do a workout.
You could even just go in, walk
through, get familiar where everything is, figure
out what equipment you need to use.
If your cardio machines are set up in an
area where you can see the gym, that's great.
You could go in, go for a walk on the treadmill,
go on the elliptical and just suss it out basically.
And normally gyms generally are spread like that
so that there is a good view from
the treadmills or the other cardio machines.
Another thing as well is like every gym will have
a gym induction process and you'll get a member
of the gym floor staff who will show you
about, show you where everything is in the gym,
give you an opportunity to ask questions as well.
So if you are feeling a bit anxious about
the gym layout, the new environment, anything like that,
take up the offer of the gym induction, definitely.
And there's your anchor point as well.
That person hopefully would then be saying hi
to you every time that you're in there.
And then when you do go in yourself, remember though
that you don't need to get stressed and panicked.
There will be a stretch area
somewhere on that gym floor.
If you just need to go and have a little
bit of quiet time and stretch out, sit on a
mat, stretch some muscles, do that because that will give
you an opportunity to sit back, again, survey your surroundings,
have a look about and just get yourself into a
place of calm before you decide where you're going next.
Another way to deal with that anxiety
is to create your own little bubble.
And I'm not talking about like
a Glinda from Wicked bubble.
Although if you want to have
one of those, then you can.
Yeah, but if you're going to do that, you
need to have the full pink gown as well.
And that could get caught in something.
It's probably a health and
safety problem on the treadmill.
Yeah, forget that. But it would be quite a way to
enter the gym and announce, the gay's here!
But a real world way to create your
own little bubble is noise cancelling headphones.
They're great.
Get your favourite music on, create a playlist that's
really going to get you going in the gym.
and it's going to just drown
out all that outside noise.
We really notice it in our gym
if we go and work out together.
The amount of noise is unbelievable.
Whereas when we put our noise cancelling headphones in,
get a bit of Hed Kandi on, showing
my age there, and away we go.
It's just a great way of getting you focused.
If you have got big overhead ones, even better
because they really help with that effect of
drowning everything out and creating your little bubble.
So that's a really good way of overcoming
some of the initial anxiety, just shutting
off one of those senses, getting your
favourite music on, high tempo, getting your
energy levels up and keeping you motivated.
Yeah. And a good way to avoid a busy gym
as well is going at times that aren't peak.
Now we know that not everybody can do that.
Like before work is going to be
a peak time, lunchtime, after work.
So if you could go at times outwith that,
that's really going to help with the number
of people that are in the gym.
And it's not going to be easy to do
that in January because the gym will get really
busy with all of the New Year's resolutions.
So the best way to do that is probably
to ask the staff when the quieter times
are, when is best for you to go.
If you need to strategise to make that happen,
so for instance, if mid-morning, mid-morning is usually a
quiet time, classes are busy but the gyms are
generally not as busy, if mid-morning is a
quiet time, can you rearrange your work schedule?
Will your work allow you, if you work a
9 to 5, to take an earlier lunch?
Would they maybe allow you to come in
to work a little bit earlier so
that you can take an earlier lunch?
Try to figure out solutions to these things
that would then allow you to prioritise going
to the gym at a certain time.
Sunday afternoons are normally quite good or like a couple
of hours before the gym is due to close.
It's quite good as well.
Obviously, depending on how your schedule
dictates when you can go.
But yeah, good points there as well.
Yes. So those are three survival strategies for
the gym that we have discussed.
We have got
having a walkthrough / induction
on your first visit.
We have got creating your own
little bubble with your headphones on.
And the third one is to embrace off peak
to go when the gym's a bit quieter.
The book has so many more.
So again, I'm just pushing the Gymtimidation ebook has
more than this, but this is just a
few that we're touching on in the show.
So what's next in this section, Alan?
So it's shifting from perfection to progress,
which is super important if you're just
starting out, especially in January when you know
you want to hit the ground running
and you want to do everything 100%.
If you don't manage to do that, it's not a failure.
What you want to be doing is just progressing.
So don't worry about being perfect the whole time.
Because the thing is, if you go too hard,
too fast, when your body's not used to it,
you'll end up injured and then you'll just fall
out of it and you won't go back.
Just like a house is built brick by brick, your fitness
is going to be built on small steps as well.
So, everybody's back at work this week after Christmas.
You're planning on doing X amount of workouts. If you
end up snowed under in work, which you might do,
don't feel that if you miss
a gym workout then that's it.
The big red f***-it button is
hit and that's your week ruined.
A 15 minute walk is still counted as a workout.
It doesn't have to be perfection.
Yes, consistency over intensity always.
I think something else that we wanted to
talk about is how people approach their goals.
So for instance, people might say, oh, I want to
be able to do like a 90 minute workout.
That's not going to be achievable
for all people straight away.
I think it's good to set out
smaller goals as you move along.
And then once you hit that target, celebrate that
win and then see where you're going next.
And in terms of goal setting,
making sure that everything is SMART.
People who are tuning in will
probably know what that is.
It's quite a common phrase used, especially in
the corporate world, but that stands for
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.
So SMART goals are the way to go
at every stage of your fitness journey.
Sitting down, taking the time to map those out.
If you're not familiar with SMART or you need
a refresher, it's all there in the ebook.
Plug. Plug.
I think one point definitely on this is about
self-compassion and you know your fitness journey is a
marathon it's not a sprint you don't need to
be perfect and I know we're kind of laboring
that point but I think people can quite easily
beat themselves up if they don't do the things
they plan to do. All you have to do
is reassess and restart. Just be kind to yourself.
For newbies that would have come to my fitness
classes I think a really common one was people
who were maybe in their 30s or 40s and
who had neglected their fitness for a little while
and were getting back into it. Quite frequently
when you check back in with them after
their first class or their first few classes,
you could see it that they were a bit
down about how they were feeling about their performance,
about their strength and it's only when they go
through and they do an intense class for a
half an hour, 45 minutes, an hour that they
realise that their fitness levels are worse than they
thought they were or they don't really have
the core strength is always a big one.
People realise they don't have a strong core.
Or just in general the fitness and I very much
saw my role really to encourage them to say look,
meet yourself where you are at. You can't expect to
be super fit but just know that if you keep
coming back and doing this consistently in three months time
you will feel totally different. So it does not serve
you to beat yourself up, to have a pity party.
What it does serve you is to just see
every class, every single gym session, whatever it is,
as tick, I've done it, tick, I've done it.
Because you know that eventually a few weeks, maybe
a couple of months down the line, you're
going to look back and be like, wow,
I've actually come a long way since then.
I'm feeling stronger. My core is stronger.
I'm able to last longer in the class.
I'm not getting out of breath.
Those are the small wins that we're going to
focus on, not the fact that you're not where
you want to be when you start back.
So self-compassion is what it's all about.
So a little refresher on this section
was being kinder to ourselves, shifting our
goals to SMART goals and also changing
your mindset from perfection to progression.
And here's the thing, the ebook genuinely goes
into so much more detail on this.
There are so many more tips.
This is just a little taster of it.
What we also do in the book, so you
talked earlier about kind of like this fear of
not knowing what you're doing in the gym.
So we do break some of that down.
So for instance, we've got a glossary of some
of the most common phrases used in the gym.
So you know exactly what they are.
It's got the definitions.
We've got an overview of all of the major
muscle groups so that you know what they are.
And what they do most importantly, and there's
also a frequently asked questions section at the
back of the book which will answer quite
a lot of the questions that you might
have if you're a first time gym goer.
See if I started the gym for the first time
which was, don't even want to count how many
years it was like you said, see if I
had something like this when I first started it
just would have made the journey so much easier.
Yeah, like we said, Gymtimidation, it's
our ebook and it's free.
Totally free resource, no obligation.
You can get your copy today.
Link in the show notes.
As ever, thank you very much
for tuning in to the show.
Hopefully you found that information useful
in getting over your Gymtimidation.
However, if you feel that you need a
little extra help getting over the gym jitters,
remember that Outlifting is here to help you.
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We run Outlifting, which is a online
fitness coaching service for gay, bi and
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their bodies while building unstoppable confidence.
And we are here to hold your
hand every step of the way.
So if you want to learn
more, you can visit our website.
It's outlift.ing
On the website as well, there are multiple
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We'll have a video chat with you to discuss
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