Survey Finds Nearly 65 Percent of Women Avoid the Gym for This Reason
Indeed, there are many reasons to skip the gym. How will we have enough time to get dinner on the table after we go? How will we have enough time to finish our book club pick for next week? How will we have enough time?
But according to a recent survey of 1,000 Americans from FitRated, a fitness gear and equipment review site, there's one very popular reason we skip heading to a public gym: Anxiety or fear of judgment. In fact, their survey found that 64.9 percent of women avoided hitting the ellipitical thanks to a case of gym anxiety or the fear of being judged. By contrast, only 36 percent of men were gym averters for these reasons.
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These concerns, while they may feel valid in your head, can be largely irrational. In fact, there's a widely known psychological phenomena known as the "spotlight effect" in which people believe more people notice something about them (like weight, improper form on a machine, excess sweating, etc.) than others actually do.
So next time you're leaning against foregoing a workout or yoga class over self-consciousness or anxiety, remind yourself: Everybody else is probably fretting over their own tummy bulge or lack of flexibility, too.
