This Is Your Sign to Take That Group Fitness Class You re Nervous About
Get the Full StoryI'll be honest, taking a boutique fitness class has always filled me with anxiety. Even as a fitness writer and editor who's been offered her fair share of class trials over the years, I'm very choosy about the ones I attend, and in the days leading up to it, it's all I think about. Will I fit in? Will I look stupid? Will everyone judge me?I was a CrossFit devotee for years, and one of the things I loved was its rawness, its realness - none of it felt curated. We came to class wearing old, oversized T-shirts, we sweat profusely, we cheered each other on, we collapsed to the floor after an intense workout, then high-fived each other afterward for trying our best, no matter if we finished first or last.
When I think of the typical boutique fitness class you might see influencers doing on TikTok, it feels very sterile. Thin, young girls wearing variations of the same matching workout set, doing each move perfectly, not saying a word to each other the entire time, silently competing with the person next to them. I always felt like I didn't belong in a space like that - a space that didn't appear to me to be truly for everybody.
Unfairly or not, that's the image I had in my head every time my Barry's-obsessed friend would ask me to go to a class with her. FWIW: She's nothing like what I described above, which should have been my first clue I had it all wrong. After literal years of her asking - and then stopping because she was getting nowhere - I recently brought it up that the next time we hung out, I'd go to a class with her. She was, understandably, shocked, and didn't believe I was going to follow through with booking the class. In an effort to get out of my own way and try new things in 2025, I did.
As per usual, in the days leading up to the class, my mind was reeling with anxious thoughts about everyone judging me for not having the cutest sports bra and leggings combo and not being able to run as fast or lift as heavy as everyone else. I wouldn't realize the irony until after the Barry's class that while I was feeling afraid of being judged, I was the one judging the situation based on an idea I created in my own head.
In reality, the class was totally fine. There were people of all ages and fitness levels - which made me feel better about taking occasional walk breaks on the treadmill and using light weights - and no one ever even glanced in my direction. There wasn't really a community atmosphere that I noticed, but because this Barry's location is more than an hour away from where I live and is the closest location to me , I wasn't paying attention to every little detail as closely as I would've if I'd been seeking a membership.
So I'm here to tell you: That workout class you're so nervous about? Take it. Even if you don't love it, it won't be anywhere near how awful you built it up in your head to be. In fact, the class might even be better than you imagined, which is what happened to me. I was most self-conscious about the fact that I hadn't run in almost a year. I repeatedly asked my friend if it was okay if I walked, and while she assured me it was, when I hopped on the treadmill, something came over me that made me want to run. It wasn't the fear of being judged by others if I walked, but more of a curiosity from within - what would happen if I picked up my pace?
To my surprise, I fell in love with running again. So much so that I've now joined a studio similar to Barry's near me so I can work on improving my running. If I pay for classes, I have to show up versus talking myself out of going for a run on my own. I wouldn't have rekindled my relationship with this activity had I continued to let fear get in the way. And that's on growth.
Danielle Zickl is a freelance writer who has 10 years of experience covering fitness, health, and nutrition. You can find her work here on PS, and in many other publications including Self, Well Good, Runner's World, Outside Run, Peloton, Women's Health, and Men's Fitness.
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