Embarassed to run in my neighbourhood

For a long time I've really wanted to start jogging every morning, but I feel embarassed to because I don't want to bump in to someone I know (which I probably won't anyway.) I'm afraid that if someone sees me they will think, "Yeah she definitely needs to be exercising, look how fat she is."

Any tips on how to get over this fear? I'd rather jog outside than pay for a gym membership and have to drive 30 min to get there.

Don't worry about it. Whenever I see someone (other than me LOL) that "looks" like they need exercise running or walking I just think, "Good for them! I should get off of my butt more often". :D

What will they think? They'll think you are taking care of yourself. Go for it!

Eh, what's the old saying....'People that mind, don't matter and people that matter, don't mind.

Just have fun!

Thanks guys. I was thinking of jogging in the woods behind my house but I'm a little scared for my safety, so I think I'd be better off staying on the main roads. And if I go out at 6am I can cross my fingers and hope no one will be up at that time! No one I care about anyway. And I can bring my dog too.

Now it's just a matter of being motivated enough, and giving away an hour of more sleep!

I'm thinking of joining Weight Watchers just to have a place to go weigh in and another motivator to exercise and stuff, knowing someone else will track my weight.

I just got back from jogging around my neighborhood. When I see people sitting on their porch, I figure they are probably thinking "dang, I should probably get my butt up and do what she's doing" lol

Bring your dog and everyone will think that you're just a good dog owner.  Run anyway since that's what you want to do, everyone else is too self focused to really pay any attention to you doing a normal thing like jogging, especially at 6am.

That's true. To be honest, sometimes I feel a little selfish I guess... thinking everyone would actually care about what I'm doing!! lol

Original Post by megnaay:

I'm afraid that if someone sees me they will think, "Yeah she definitely needs to be exercising, look how fat she is."

i figure a fat person looks better running than not

most people spend very little time thinking about what others are doing, and a great deal of time thinking about themselves.  so while you might think that your neighbours think you need to be exercising, what they're really thinking is that you think they should be mowing their lawn or treating their kids better.

I felt self conscious as well as I first started walking , and especially again recently as I started to add bursts of running to prep myself to start running instead.  (And I started out over 200!) Well, after 3 months, I can't believe the amount of random support I've received - -from neighbors working in the yards, to the seniors coming and going in the senior center, to the crossing guards at the school. I usually get at least one uplifting comment a day..."You;re doing great...How far do you go...I'm so impressed you're sticking with it/ I need to get motivated myself....You're now running - thats amazing!", etc etc. I feel like I have my own cheerleaders!

Once people start to see you regularly, committed to improving your health, you will be surprised how much positive energy there is out there...if anything, people are focusing less on what you look like and reflecting more on their own health/recognizing that exercise is important.

Good luck and just go for it!

People probably won't think nasty things.  It's more likely they'll admire you for "getting out there" - that's what I do when I see people running. 

AND...you can't control what other people do or say - you can only control your reaction to them. When you're out running, you're not there for them, you're there for YOU. What others think - good or bad - doesn't matter. You can't let that stop you from reaching your goals - stay focused on that and nothing else will matter.  I say - go for it !

There was a big (and I do mean BIG) fella that used to live on the same street as me.  He'd get up every morning (right about the time I was leaving for work) and do these run-walk intervals.

Over a period of about 6 months I watched him get out there every morning and jog.  Before long he wasn't taking walk breaks anymore and by then the weight had just melted off of him.  I have to admit, I smiled everytime I saw him out there because it's really inspiring - no matter what size you are - to watch somebody set a goal and attack it like that!

If it's any consolation, when I see folks jogging on the side of the road it just makes me feel lazy by comparison. :)

When I see people running, no matter what size, I think of them as fellow runners, not people looking to lose weight. A LOT of people run for the joy of running itself, not to lose weight. No need to assume that people will assume you're trying to do anything but run. Nobody on my old cross-country team joined the team to lose weight.

I have to admit to once being in the same place you are coming from. I let the "fear of embarrassment" stop me from jogging for years.

I started out walking in my neighborhood at 400 pounds, then I began learning to run this year. I did the walk/jog thing for a couple of months, now I jog for 40+ minutes at a time. I was always shy or embarrassed about people looking at me because I was so fat. Well, people are going to look - that's what we do.

Here's my tip: I drove along my regular route and timed just how long people would be able to stare at me as they drove by and it was only a very few seconds. They only saw me a little bit longer if they were home and I just jogged by.

You know what I found out? I don't care if they look. They aren't stuck in this body - I am.  And I want to make it better. If anyone faults me for that I don't want to know them and I don't care what they think.

Since I started walking/jogging I have had coworkers come up to me and tell me they have seen me out exercising and not a single one of them had anything negative to say. They are mostly jealous that I make the time to take care of myself. Some have told me how I have inspired them. You may be surprised to find out that you unintentionally inspire people around you, too.

If you want to jog in your neighborhood don't let fear or embarrassment steal your life.

I'm the opposite.  Thinking my neighbors/friends might see me is what keeps me running.  I am a beginner and have been walk/jogging for a couple months now.  Everytime I see a neighbor they tell me what a good job I'm doing, so now I want to make sure that when or if they do see me, they see me jogging NOT walking. 

Now some people get yelled at from cars, and of course that can be upsetting.  In the whole time, I've only had one car load of boys yell at me, it was the last day of school so I think they were in a good mood.  But I had my ipod on and I have no idea if they said something negative or positive.  I like to think it was something nice.  But if not, I'll never know.  I've lost 30 pounds and learning to run has been hard, but I can run 2 miles now without stopping and I am so excited about that....so let 'em see me!  I rock!

I felt the same way as you, I just didn't want ppl looking at me.; Then I started thinking I don't care what ppl think or if I look stupid because the results in the long run are gonna have me looking good!

i have a problem feeling self-conscious too. i asked my mom how she can run outside on the street and she said, "i don't care what people think. i figure if anything they are jealous that they're sitting in their car and i'm outside." whenever i am driving and see someone running, i think, "good for them!" you don't notice people walking/jogging outside much anyway, you just have to briefly acknowledge them so you don't hit them with your car (lmfao) and that's the extent of most people's attention. they have their mind on other things. and with summer here, i bet my mom is right; they're gonna be so jealous they're in a car and you're out enjoying the sunshine. people you pass on the street are working out too, or just out and about and impressed by your physical strength. it's a win/win.

Whenever I see someone running up the street, I think "I really should go out there and do that, too".  I don't even notice how thin/overweight they are, I just assume that they run regularly and it makes me feel a little guilty about my own routine.

When I'm out there, I always want people to think I'm a super professional runner. When someone drives by I pick up the pace and straighten out my posture a bit.  Yes, I'm vain.. but it gets me through the run ;)

If you really want to run, you should definitely do it.. it's rewarding and helps more than just your fitness.  It can also improve your mood and self-confidence.  You should check out the book "Run For It".  It's written specifically for women runners.. it kept me motivated and improved my attitude about running.

Original Post by poofyball:

When I see people running, no matter what size, I think of them as fellow runners, not people looking to lose weight. A LOT of people run for the joy of running itself, not to lose weight. No need to assume that people will assume you're trying to do anything but run. Nobody on my old cross-country team joined the team to lose weight.

I agree completely. I smile at every runner or walker I see, and it makes me happy to see others enjoying running as I do. Don't be embarrassed- it's inspirational for others to see, no matter what weight you are. And if you have weight to lose, all the better since it shows that you're doing something about it. Good luck!

phoenix, I also smile at people working their butts off.

And meg, you just have to keep reminding yourself that people who would make negative comments are either trying to make up for their own insecurities, or are just plain jerks who love to bring everyone down - either way, there`s no chance you`d end up having any kind of meaningful relationship with someone like that, so you should pay no attention to them.

What you can do is just get a music player and wear headphones while running. That way if someone you bump into has anything to say, you can probably tell by their facial expression if they`re being nice or mean, and decide whether they`re worth taking off your headphones. I do that and it`s been working just fine. Sometimes when I`m having a rough day and need to vent, I can`t wait for someone to be rude so I can make a snarky retort - makes for a great stress relief. xD Yes, I`m immature like that.

It always makes me feel good to see any person our there jogging.  I think, hmmmm, they are out there GETTING IT DONE....  and I want to go home and grab my running shoes :-)

Thanks so much for the very supportive comments. I know all of you are right, it's just a matter of motivating myself. To be honest, I feel like the hardest part for me will be getting up in the morning - I don't sleep very well and it's deadly trying to get up in the morning sometimes. A while back I used to get up and walk my dog every morning, came back, power napped for 20 min and then showered and got ready, and I felt good, so I just have to get over myself.