Judgments at the Gym

Other People’s Opinions Don’t Matter

If you’re afraid of being judged at the gym, imagine that you’re the only one there. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Have you ever gone to the gym and done something completely unrelated to fitness? Or have you compared yourself to the person working out next to you?

This has happened to me many times. This morning, I missed breakfast. So I bought a protein bar and sat down in the gym lobby. Without intending to, I spent an entire hour sitting on my ass, jotting down several writing prompts on my phone.

My first thought before I actually stepped on the elliptical was…I only have half an hour to work out now! That’s half the amount of time I just spent sitting on my ass. People are going to notice and think I’m lazy!

Luckily, I did eventually complete my workout goal. But still, it’s so weird how I sometimes wonder if the guests or gym staff are judging me.

One time, when I worked as a porter at the gym, I was physically and emotionally exhausted. So during my break, I bought food from the bar next door. (There would be a bar next door. Go figure…). Then I brought my food into the gym and started stuffing my face in the middle of the lobby! (Sue me! I only had five minutes to eat a huge order of chicken tenders!) I felt so bad because all these people at the gym were trying really hard to get fit! Here I was, aggressively working out my jaw muscles. Hey, it was something, right?

The same week I shamed myself for eating fried food at the gym, I found a beer can in the women’s shower. Of all the things you could find in a shower stall, a beer can? Really? I could just picture a woman having a really hard day, working out to de-stress, and then rewarding herself with a drink. That was when I realized I made unfair (and probably inaccurate) assumptions about a gym member who may have struggled just as much as I did. I could have at least invited her to one of my gym dinners!

You know what? Now that I just wrote this, I have no shame for what I do at the gym. That’s my business. And what other people do is their business.

Even when you think other people are judging you, remember that they’re probably not doing that at all. They’re probably judging themselves. Regardless, other people’s opinions of you do not matter. You do you, guys!