A lot of people are afraid of fitness, afraid of their capabilities and afraid of what can come from extreme physical exertion. This post applies to everyone. You could be out of shape and not have worked out in years or be in great shape and work out daily, but behind either circumstance there is some fear lingering. You could be afraid to get started or afraid to take it to the next level.
How do you conquer fear? To answer, or solve, this mystery it is best to take it to the simplest form and move forward. What is an extremely simple fear? Fear of public speaking? Fear of freakin’ scary clowns? How about fear of the dark?
Let me show you that by applying the same principles of how to make a two-year old unafraid of the dark will also work for you, as an adult, in fitness. I stumbled across a great article, WebMD: Children’s Health on How to Overcome Children’s Fear of the Dark. What did it have to say? Let’s check it out…
Fitness Fear
WebMD: Lots of kids are afraid of the dark. Whether it’s the boogeyman in the closet or a monster under the bed that’s haunting them, here’s how parents can help their kids conquer their fears.
End of Three Fitness – Lots of adults are afraid of fitness. Whether it’s sprinting at full speed or lifting heavy weights overhead, here’s how you can help yourself conquer your fears.
Dos and Don’ts
WebMD – Do stay calm. “Be as calm as possible when you’re talking to your child about her fear of the dark.â€
End of Three Fitness – Remain calm. When your heart starts pounding, you feel like you can’t breathe or it just feels too heavy…reamin calm. Don’t freak out or quit. Go there!
WebMD – Don’t get frustrated. “Don’t get frustrated just because you know what he’s afraid of doesn’t really exist. Don’t say this is stupid or belittle or tease. While the monsters may not be real, the fear is.â€
End of Three Fitness – Don’t get frustrated. Fitness is not something you can “accomplish”. Fitness is a journey that few will master. It is challenging and takes dedication. It is the journey that is the fun.
WebMD – Do empower your child. Give your child the power to tackle a fear of the dark.
End of Three Fitness – Do empower yourself. Give yourself all you need to succeed in fitness. Enable yourself to be fit by any means necessary. Rearrange your schedule, make fitness a priority and maybe build a Garage Gym.
WebMD – Don’t ignore a larger problem. Stress in general, like divorce, the death of a pet, or the birth of a baby, can throw anyone off kilter and increase the risk for anxiety, even kids. As a result, that anxiety can appear at night as a fear of the dark.
End of Three Fitness – Don’t ignore a larger problem. Don’t ignore what comes from lack of physical exercise; Heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, gallbladder disease and gallstones, osteoarthritis, gout, breathing problems, such as sleep apnea and asthma.
Scaredy Cat
Being afraid of fitness is just being afraid of yourself. Confront yourself. Confront your fears. Unleash the beast!
For you beginners out there – Old or young, the time is now! Get started! The only real way to find out what you are capable of is to do. Don’t be afraid of what others think, or rely on false notions of what “you should” be able to do.
Not a beginner? What’s your excuse? You know what you are capable of and you know what you can do…but why does that satisfy you? You need to kick it up a notch. Your body is well conditioned, but take it to that next level. It is you who is actually more scared than the beginner. You are scared of how hard you will have to push it to get to the next level.
Conquer your fear!