The Biggest Obstacle to Exercise

[SomebodyYouDon'tKnow]

I used to think it was because of the pain of exercising. Well, I hate that too xD but no, that's not my real problem.

My real problem is my own self esteem. I look at the field down the road and I practically daydream about running it. Then maybe I'd be fit. Then maybe I'd stop hating my body. But what keeps me from running on that track? Embarrassment.

For some reason I can't fathom it. I can't bear the thought of running down that track in front of all the people who decide to pass by on that day. What if I see someone I know? What if I fail so bad at running and everyone sees? Will I be known as "that girl who runs around the track and sucks at it"?

Do I have issues? Yes. I'm still wondering who the hell thinks like that. Who the hell actually cares.

I thought, maybe biking, but hell in my neighborhood I'm not sure I'd even be able to handle it. There's so many hills. And then I'd be known as the failing biker chick.

Will people even take note of me and recognize me? No, or at least very unlikely. Does that fix my issue? No.

God damn my retarded mind.

The only thing I can think of is run at nighttime. I might just do that. It's the only thing I can think of, and the only solution to my ridiculous self.

[Frosty]

Well you seem well aware that your fears are irrational, so there's not much I can say in regards to that. However unless you live in a dodgy area, working out at night isn't an awful constraint to have.

[Ancora Imparo]

It's perfectly normal to have this fear of people seeing you while you're exercising because come on, lets get real for a minute, nobody likes to see somebody they know when they're sweating like crazy and are pushing themself to the limit. However, the reason that people do put themselves through all that is to reach their goals, their ideal body and get to the point when they are no longer self concious about their body.

I think the most important thing with exercise is to set yourself small and achievable goals that you can work towards and that will build your confidence up over time. The most important thing to realise is that these people who are running rings around the track and making it look effortless didn't start off that way. They probably struggled, puffed and turned blue in the face at their first attempt too but they managed to stick at it and stay motivated.

If you live in a place that you believe to be safe then perhaps exercising at night wouldn't be such a bad way to start and build up your confidence. I know it's difficult but you just need to try and kick this defeated mentality because the chances are that if you go into a situation defeated then you're most likely to come out defeated too. Try to get motivated, set goals and think positively. Rome wasn't build in a day and these things take hard work and time!

I hope that I've managed to help in one way or another and if you would like to talk further then feel free to either PM or VM me at any time as I'm always more than happy to talk and discuss things.

Good luck and take care!

[Fairy Poppins]

As you are female, I would advise against running in the dark, however tempting it might be. You're not as safe when you can't see what's around you. Also, whether you like them being there or not, having other people around makes you safer too.

I totally get the embarrassment issue and I think this is the reason why a lot of people can never bring themselves to exercise. But running isn't something you can really fail at. If you start to feel exhausted, slow down or stop for a bit. Most runners do this anyway.

You won't look any more stupid than anyone else would running. And the more you do it, the better you will get and the less daunting it will seem.

Why should anyone think anything of you anyway? They probably won't even take any notice, but if they do, they will most likely be thinking that they wish they had the motivation to go running. I know I would.