I am afraid of this too. Thankfully I don't have roommates but I've been in situations like this before. I am really shy too and self-conscious about myself. I always think that people are thinking the worst about me. Which is why I never exercise outside. Ever. I don't even go for walks by myself. I'm not ashamed to ride my stationary in front of my fiance, but I refuse to lift weights, do situps, pushups, crunches, stretches...etc etc in front of him.

I mean he's already NOT attracted to how fat I am, why do I want to let him sit there and see me jiggle and shake? Even when I'm alone and jogging in place or something if my fat slaps together I get so embarrassed. I combat this by wearing headphones so I can't hear it. >.< I feel so stupid even saying it honestly...

=.= I'm not much help because I am the same way...but I just wanted to let you know..you're not alone out there. And I don't think you need to see a counselor because as soon as YOU feel good about your body, you wont have these feelings anymore.

I know I wont either. I'll probably stop hating people so much too. lol.

I know exactly what you're talking about, especially with the biking part. I recently got a road bike and I definitely don't look good in spandex and don't look like a cyclist at all. I only bike with a women's group because I'm worried about being judged solely by my appearance (that is, weight), even though I'm faster than most of the ladies that bike with the group. It's actually kind of nice to blow them away with my speed since they're not expecting my fat butt to beat them on the uphills.

And even regular commuting used to be super embarrassing for me, so much so that I would rather drive to work and pay a whole bunch for parking when it took me just as long to bike there!

There's this huge hill that I have no desire to bike up right before my office and it's super hard to get up it on my really crappy commuter bike. I'm too embarrassed to walk my bike up the hill (it's maybe 2 blocks long) because I always imagine what people are thinking: "Look at that fat girl. She can't even get up that hill."

But in order to bike to work and be somewhat happy about it, I have to walk up that hill otherwise I won't bike into work at all. So now I bike up half of the hill and walk up the rest. And no one ever says anything to me. They may be thinking it, but I don't have to hear it so I keep telling myself it doesn't matter. And I'm pretty sure they're all struggling up the stupid thing and more concerned with making it up the hill themselves.

I figure the only way to stop being embarrassed is to exercise, which may be embarrassing in and of itself. But I have to do it to get thinner and more confident. There's no way around that!

In short, I'm constantly worrying about what people are thinking, especially the way you put it, as if they're judging me for pretending to exercise. BUT, the only comments I have every gotten when waddling (that is, running) down the street are positive shout-outs from people I don't even know. And even those are super rare. Usually I run by people in silence, both of us focusing on our own particular workout.

For the most part, people don't care what you do, and if they think some mean thoughts, they very very very rarely voice them (I've never heard them). Also, if you work out in a group or take a class, people are more concerned with their own suffering/form than they are with how you

I mean, do you really notice details about anyone else around you when you're working out? I don't. I'm just trying not to die!

Sorry this is long-winded. I hope it helps a bit.

P.S. I avoid the treadmill at all costs, for many reasons, but the main one being that whenever I try to run on it, it sounds like a T. Rex has entered the building.

This may sound really silly but what about in the bathroom, before or during your shower? I used to hate working out at all in front of my then boyfriend ( hes my husband now ) so I would do squats and lunges in the shower, and push-ups against the wall. If you do it all fast enough its a cardio workout too.

And what can they judge you for? Taking a long shower?

I know its silly but it worked for me.

^If you work out in the shower, make sure you have a really good non-slip mat on the shower floor.

Thank you everyone.

augerment I know what you mean about those dumb hills! I'm a slow biker for the first while ( I pick up speed after a lot of training) there was this HUGE hill near my last job that was 3 blocks long. I struggled the first month and gave up and walked the bike after half a block. Every day I would try to push a little further than the day before... before I knew it I could bike up the whole hill. At the end of the season going up the hill was no issue. It was so embarrassing though, pushing up thinking everyone judged me.

Thanks everyone else though. I finally just threw in the shred a few days ago with both room mates in the next room and just started working out. One came out to "watch me" and I just kept going. When I finished all she said was that it looked hard to do and maybe she should start as well. I'm proud that I just went for it and tonight I'm doing the same. Screw them, I need to lose weight and if they don't want to give me privacy they get to watch my fat giggle.

Maybe once I lose 20 lbs and have more endurance I'll be brave enough to have that attitude at a gym... I'm working on that still...

One thing to try is exercise doing non-exercise stuff. Instead of a video on TV that your roommate will see, dance in your room using earphones so nobody will have any idea what you are doing. At work, find a back staircase nobody uses much and go up and down a few times.

I'm self conscious if I walk out in my neighborhood for exercise. But if I walk the dog, everybody pays attention to him and not to me.

This sounds like a NSV to me! WTG!

way to go!!!! super proud of you sister

kurisitaru - Awesome! I'm glad you were able to workout with BOTH your roommates around. Yay for not caring about that, or talking yourself into not caring. Both are equally hard. Whichever works.

How upsetting... One room mate is using the TV to watch TV tonight... I really want to do the Shred, but they have a point in the "they were there first" bit...

; ;

I feel like a failure skipping my work out... and yet pleading is turning up nothing...

Room Mates Suck

Well, that's a bummer. Stuff like that happens, though. Could you go for a short walk (just to get some movement in) or get a set of weights or a list of some calisthenics you can do in your room when you can't use the TV?

Just wanted to chime in: You're not alone!! Its hard to work out at home (in the living room) because my husband is always home when I want to exercise. Its frustrating because I've bought dvds, a Kinect, even a dance pole to workout at home.. but I can't have an audience. Like you, no matter where I am in the workout, if someone enters the room, I'll stop and not continue until the room's empty.

I'm sorry one of your roommates won't work with you on scheduling privacy. I'd have your workout planned and ready, so any time the roommate leaves, you can immediately get started (at least get in 10-15 min while they're gone). Outdoor exercise is another good one. I wouldn't worry about strangers outside, if you're walking or bike-riding, anyone watching can tell you're making an effort and if they pass you by a few weeks/months later, they'll see a difference. I see people walking in my neighborhood all the time: old, fat, skinny, sweaty, dog on leash, baby in stroller. If anyone passes you outside, more than likely they'll just smile, wave or say 'hi', if anything at all. Here's a quickie you can do in 10-15 min: brisk walk for 5 min, then jog/sprint for 30 sec, then walk for 30-90 sec, keep alternating this and end with brisk walk for 3-5 min. The jog/sprint really raises your heart rate and then you get a short breather in-between spurts. If there's no quiet areas to walk around your apt, you can try different parks' walking tracks. Try out different ones at different times. Some headphones and an upbeat playlist would get you through it quick (make playlists that are 10-15 min long to help you keep track of time).

Like others have said though, it would be most productive to "suck it up and get it done". I used to worry about people seeing me jump rope outside.. but now I think my health is more important than passbyer's opinions. Although I still haven't used the ab lounge (the only place for it is outside), but maybe some day

I love this!! ^^ Congrats on getting your workout!! Hope you keep it up. Happy with your roommate's response too. Sorry they made you miss a workout though. My husband intruded on my kinect zumba workout today So I only got 5-10 min in. I have the 10 Minute Solution Kickbox Bootcamp dvd.. so this week I started doing 10 min abs when I wake up at 8am when everyone else is asleep We need to try to be flexible in the times and places we workout.. Hope you can get in some more workouts

Maybe check out the 10 Minute Solution dvds. They have a bunch of different kinds: kickboxing, dance, pilates, bootcamp, etc.. Each dvd has five 10 min workouts, so whenever you get 10-15 min alone, you can do a section. Try to do 3-5 sections a day. It'll add up and you'll getting a full workout, just divided throughout the day.