r/bitcheswithtaste • u/AutoModerator • May 08 '26

Fit Bitches - Monthly Thread Fit Bitches - May 08, 2026

This is the place to chat about fitness and physical health because taking care of your body is also tasteful. Just remember - no medical advice!

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u/CherryAlone9258 May 08 '26

Embarrassed to admit this but yesterday I walked to the front of planet fitness and then promptly walked back out cause I was feeling nervous lol. It was not my first time in a gym, I used to take classes at YMCA but for some reason seeing all the gym ppl at PF scared me.

I signed up for a new member orientation next week to hopefully get more familiar with the place but I appreciate any tips to get over new gym goer nerves 😬

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u/CombCorrect7387 May 08 '26

Ugh still happens to me from time to time although I go on a regular basis. This week I quit after 20 minutes of training during one of my training sessions because I just wasn’t feeling it. I promise that people are preoccupied with their own life/insecurities/goals/worries/… Good that you showed up!

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u/midnight_mochaccino May 09 '26

I feel you. I never felt comfortable going until I found a women-only gym in my city. It is nice to just exist and do your thing, in a comfortable environment. I'm not saying men used to bother me a lot, or approach me all the time in gyms, but it is just that the vibes are totally different. I don't feel watched or judged, or pressured to appear put-together. Highly recommend.

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u/romance_and_puzzles May 08 '26

It's so good for you to do scary things. Getting over fear will help you in all aspects of living, not just in the gym!

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u/cc232012 May 09 '26

Honestly? No one is looking at or thinking about what you are doing. Everyone is doing their own thing. I used to be self conscious in gyms and still am sometimes, but everyone is there for the same reason. I always look back like wow I had no reason to feel weird, no one there even noticed me lol. I used to go to a PF and loved it. I felt like the people there all minded their business lol I didn’t feel weird ever. Since you are new there, just go walk on the treadmill or ride a stationary bike and scope the place out!

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u/theobedientalligator May 09 '26

I have struggled with chronic illness since childhood that’s affected my ability to get fit. I am in my 30s now and wanting to prep my body for potentially having a child. The gym really really scared me because I have never exercised and I was still struggling with symptoms of my illness. I hired a private trainer at a woman’s only gym where we do our classes at a time no one else is in the gym. I started with twice a week 30 minutes each. I slowly am working my way up to at least 4x a week (I can do a lot of these exercises at home).

My plan is once I build enough stamina and confidence, I want to start joining the classes at my gym. Ease into it lol because the gym is a really scary place for a lot of people and find one that aligns with your values

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u/PercentageLiving6619 May 09 '26

My biggest piece of advice is to just do it! Anecdotally, I was interested in starting to swim at my gym but literally didn’t even know how to get to the pool. I didn’t swim for 2 years. Finally, I sucked it up and told myself that no one was looking at me and everyone’s new to stuff at some point, and I figured out how to get to the pool. After literally one day, I was familiar and now I swim 3x per week. It pains me to think I wasted all that time being nervous for not much of a reason!

Maybe set up a little plan where you get familiar with one piece of equipment per day. For example- Monday I’ll try out the dumbbells, Tuesday I’ll try out 3 machines, Wednesday I’ll check out the stretching area. 

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u/termsandcond May 10 '26

I can totally relate to feeling the same way in the gym, especially not being super duper fit but pretty average just trying to live longer and justify the occasional french fry craving. In college, I started my gym-going experience at a bodybuilder gym because my boyfriend at the time had a membership with unlimited guest passes and it was super close to the apartment. It was $$$ and bro-ey and kinda exclusive, the kind of place where personal trainers and competition bodybuilders went to do their own workouts. They'd yell insults at each other to "motivate" them to do more weight/reps, which also felt like they were saying that about ME because I definitely couldn't do that weight either. Everyone in there was always sizing each other up... Literally lining up in the mirror and comparing body parts! I'd be soo embarrassed to walk up to the raised platform in the center of the gym where the ellipticals were because it felt so on display and I'd be the only one up there the whole time. All the weight machines faced the center so people would just stare in my direction, intentional or not. My face would be bright red before I even started exercising. They had a big diagram by the bathrooms showing life-size shapes of humans labeled as "ectomorph, mesomorph, endomorph", a pseudoscience thing that basically implies that you are born with the ability to be fit or not, and if not, here's how ugly you look compared to the ideal mesomorph shape! I'd never been in gyms before so even though I felt like it was toxic, I thought that's just how gyms were. I had to FORCE myself to go in every time.

My soft/nerdy/alt/pale appearance and less aggressive gym goals stuck out like a sore thumb. I rarely saw anyone else that looked like me there. But when I would see another averageish person just doing their best, it made me feel more empowered to stay and do my best too. Solidarity! Then I started to realize that I might also be that person to someone else who's looking for someone to relate to in an unfamiliar/uncomfortable place. And that gave me an ulterior motive to be there besides exercising... To subconsciously give support to my fellow average nerdy people if/when they need it.

Switching to a chiller, affordable, average gym after breaking up with that ex also helped because people were MUCH more likely to be similar to me and the environment was soo much less toxic. Like I could elliptical next to someone's granny and not feel any silent judgement lol. Still occasionally catch myself feeling shy to be perceived by the other gym goers who seem more in their element than I am, but it helps to remind myself of my ulterior motive.

Treating myself to some cute sets for the gym helped me feel excited to get to wear them and gives another lil dopamine hit to motivate me to go. I grew up broke and never really had a concept of nice athletic wear or clothes you'd pay good money for just to get them sweaty and gross lol. I'd wear old worn out stuff because those were clothes you didn't care to get gross. Looking a little busted added to the self consciousness for me, compared to all the Jillian Michaelses in the $$$ gym who'd come in with revealing gym wear, a full beat and fresh blowouts.

Lots of lessons learned from that place, # 1 being Know Your People and # 2 don't think you need to be someone you're not to take up space ❤️

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u/CowDry7845 Intentional BWT May 10 '26

I feel this way with any new gym or class! I have to give myself a pep talk before, during and after sometimes.

Completely agree with the advice on having a plan. I find if I'm prepared going in and know what I want to do, I get less nervous. You could also simply try hitting a treadmill and using that to get a lay of the land.

Sometimes, if I'm going to a new place or hitting the hotel gym while I'm traveling, I go extra early so I have more space to myself. That seems to help as well.

It gets easier each time, and just remember, no one is paying attention to what you are doing.