Impostor Syndrome: Everyone Deals With It

Written by Elizabeth Moline

Everyone has that voice inside their head, creating a narrative that makes them feel unqualified, untalented, or unworthy. This voice can talk you out of opportunities, convince you to shrink instead of show up, and keep you stuck in hesitation while life moves forward around you.

How many times have you talked yourself out of starting a new fitness routine, meal plan, or healthy lifestyle change because impostor syndrome crept in, telling you:

- “You don’t belong here.”

- “You’re not fit enough to be in this gym.”

- “Everyone can tell you don’t know what you’re doing.”

- “Who are you to take your health seriously?”

If any of that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Impostor syndrome in fitness is incredibly common and can hold you back from pursuing your goals. The reality is, everyone starts somewhere, and no one is on the same path. It’s easy to get sucked into the comparison game—especially with social media making things more challenging, as everyone posts their highlight reel. You see the day-one picture and the transformation after weeks or months of work, but rarely any of the awkward moments in between. This only adds fuel to the voice inside your head, holding you back from learning, growing, and evolving into the version of yourself you’ve dreamed of becoming.

So, how do we work through this?

1. Reframe the Narrative!

Growth and change never happen in our comfort zones. Feeling uncomfortable means you’re growing. Every person who lifts weights, meal preps, or trains for a competition had a first day. I look back at training videos and clips of posing practice from when I first started bodybuilding and absolutely cringe—but it was all part of the learning process!

2. Focus on Your “Why”:

Are you doing this for your health? Your energy? To feel confident in your skin? To feel strong? Anchor yourself in your reasons—not in how you stack up against others.

3. Fake It Till You Make It!

Confidence often comes after competence. The more you show up, the more natural it starts to feel. You don’t need to feel confident to begin—you just need to begin!

4. Remember This Little Gym Secret:

Others are feeling the exact same way you are, and odds are, most people in the gym are focused on their own goals and what they’re doing—not even noticing the thing you’re feeling self-conscious about.

You are not a fraud. You are not behind. You’re simply at the beginning of something that could change your life. The gym, the diet plan, the workouts—they don’t make you an impostor. They make you a beginner. And there’s nothing more real than someone brave enough to start.

ONE DAY STARTS WITH DAY ONE