Exercise beyond self-consciousness!

While most women know that they ought to keep fit around two thirds feel too self-conscious to exercise in public, according to UK mental health charity Mind, with some women preferring to exercise at night even. And it is a feeling many women around the Western world can relate to. While in the US, with weight gain being a big issue, only 30% of those trying to lose weight are meeting the recommended exercise guidelines of around five hours of moderate activity a week. However, in the name of a healthy life do you need to exercise beyond self-consciousness?

It is a dreadful stereotype to take the idea that overweight people don't appreciate the value of exercise. In fact, a recent study shows quite the opposite. The George Washington University Medical Center research published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior surveyed 1,500 women and men and found that those who were overweight have a stronger belief in the importance of exercise than those deemed to be 'normal' weight. So could it be self-conscious feelings that are blocking the path from thoughts to action?

Realize your potential

Feeling shy, embarrassed and underconfident can certainly stand in the way of you living your life how you might want to; to the detriment of your health even. Feeling intimidated or out of place can knock your confidence too. However, women who are being held back from getting fit and from realizing their potential can find ways to go beyond this limiting self-consciousness and embrace their innate power and abilities:

• Realize you're not alone. You are not the first woman to walk into a training session and feel like running back out again. Whether it is lack of confidence about your body or your abilities, remember that other women have felt the same and conquered their fears. You can too.

• Find an environment where you feel at ease. On a work and social front you try and choose environments where you feel comfortable and why should this be any different when it comes to where you work out? You want to feel accepted and welcomed and at ease with instructors and other people training with you.

• Know that knowledge is power. Have you ever seen somebody using a piece of equipment in the wrong way? If you don't know and nobody has shown you how to do something then it's hardly surprising if you don't know. Rather than feel intimidated find out information and demystify exercise.

• Praise yourself for wanting to get fit. What's important is that you want to get fit. With us you can find a way too. Feel positive about the fact that you have this opportunity and can recognize it.

• Be an example to other women. Seeing women working out, achieving transformations and feeling happy can be a great motivation and has a domino effect on other women. You too could help other women overcome their own exercise inhibitions by leading the way.

• Embrace your womanliness. Women come in all shapes and sizes and while you might recognize that you want to get fitter and you want to perhaps lose weight, it's also important to accept that women have a naturally curvy shape. Learn to love your body, as this will allow you to make positive changes.

• Wear comfortable clothes. There are so many different clothes you can wear for a workout. You don't need to wear clothes that are tight and leave you feeling vulnerable. Comfort and practicality are the two most important factors, not fashion trends.

• Go at your own pace. Self-consciousness can sometimes spring from feeling that you are not as successful as the next woman. It is natural and intelligent to follow your own fitness journey and you are more likely to see results faster if you work with your body and where you are at physically.

We welcome women and provide a positive fitness environment where you will see results and where your confidence will grow.