One of the main reasons people don’t like working out is because they do not feel confident at the gym. 

 Most people do not want to look funny doing a workout and they don’t want people to watch. Who can blame them though? Most of the time our fitness center is filled with people. I found in my three years of being here that there are ways around feeling like this. 

1. There are times you can go where no one is really in the gym. Any time before 12 p.m. is a good time to go because most people are still in class. Yet I find I like to go right after I finish class, which is around 2 p.m. every day, as most machines and benches are empty. 4:30-7 p.m. is probably the busiest time to go and there will be a lot of people. Any time after that up until it closes at 11 p.m. is a good time and you have more space to get used to the gym if you’re a new goer. 

 2. If you still want to increase your confidence but these times don’t work for you, you can watch YouTube videos on workouts or follow fitness accounts on Instagram. Most of the time they show a step by step process of how to do their workouts and share motivational and inspirational tips. These can help anyone feel better at the gym while in their own skin. The mirrors in the gym are there to help you watch your workout to make sure it’s being done right. 

 3. Most of the time people in the gym are too busy watching themselves in the mirrors, so they are not worrying about what you are doing. But there are certain areas in the gym where you can work out with less people around. For example, there is an area by the free weights to the left and a small area in front of the cables that works for this purpose.