Women would like to hit the gym more often, but they don’t out of fear of being judged, this according to research by Sport England. The research dates back to 2014 when the organization held a number of focus groups for women aged between 14 and 40 to determine the main reasons they felt held them back from going to the gym. The results indicated that the biggest reason was fear of judgment, which ranged from being embarrassed over their sporting ability, to their concerns about their physical appearance, The Telegraph reports.

And those findings are still applicable, in 2017, FitRated asked 1,000 Americans what was holding them back from going to the gym and the results indicated that 64.9 percent of women had missed a workout due to fear of judgment, Daily Mail reports.

For some, the gym has become a place of competition and women feel they cannot workout without the cutest workout clothes or a full face of makeup. And then there is the fear that they are doing things wrong, or that their body is not acceptable. But how do you get over this fear of judgment?

1. Remember that the majority of the people who are attending your gym are there for one thing and one thing only; to work out and achieve their fitness goals. While there may be a number of individuals who are there to parade and show off their physiques, most people are not there to eye out others.

2. Keeping the above point in mind, if you still feel as though you are being judged then it could be that you need a change of environment and would be better suited to a new gym. Some women feel more comfortable attending a ladies only gym or moving to a smaller studio.

3. Get a personal trainer. Your trainer will keep you accountable and inspire you to workout more often, but they will also teach you how to use the workout equipment, and it will feel good to have a person cheering you on.

4. Take a group class, as Daily Burn notes, this can promote a feeling that there is safety in numbers, and taking a class will help you realize that you are all struggling with the same tasks.

5. Daily Burn also points out that it may be helpful to attend gym during office hours if you want to avoid the crowds.

6. Start working out with your friends. Again, there is safety in numbers and although it may be a lot harder to schedule workouts with another person, much like a personal trainer they will keep you accountable and motivate you.

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