We all have what we’re good at in the gym. Some of us come from bodybuilding backgrounds and excel at picking up heavy things and putting them down. Others are great runners, while some can spend hours doing cardio. This is your comfort zone, and I challenge you to step out of it!
Someone like me, who could never dance at the club without feeling totally out of place, didn’t mesh well with a dancing class like Zumba. In fact, I walked away from it many times in the past. Then one day, I decided to give it a try just for fun. I felt pretty out of my element trying to follow along with the movements. Gyrating my hips made me uncomfortable and pushed me beyond my standard way of training in ways I didn’t expect.
Of course, in the locker room, some of the guys laughed at me, saying things like I looked silly dancing around with so many women. For a lot of people, personal identity plays a big role in the choices they make, so stepping into unfamiliar territory like that really made me reflect on what I was willing to let hold me back.
This isn’t about them. This is about you. I have nothing against anyone’s identity, but these guys were trying to put me down for being in a room full of women, moving, laughing, and having fun. That says more about their insecurities than anything else. There are a lot of cultural ideas tied to masculinity that can hold people back from trying new things, and I think it’s worth questioning those assumptions. Personally, I had a great time and I’m not stopping anytime soon.
I love going to Zumba classes now. It’s a fun way to add cardiovascular training without beating my body up too much.
Yoga is another thing I avoided for a long time. Why? Because I wasn’t good at it. Stretching was something I neglected over the years. But now that I’m getting older, I’m making it a part of my routine. I’m still not great at it, and some poses are a real struggle, but I’m showing up. That’s what matters. I’m not good today, but I’m working on it, and my body is getting better every day. Yoga is restorative, builds strength, and helps with flexibility.
I highly recommend everyone, no matter your sport, to add yoga a few times a week. This class is the only one that makes me sore in new ways and targets muscles I didn’t even know I had. Combined with my strength training, I’m confident my body will get better than it ever was at 20!
Being good at things often comes down to ego and pride, not just practicality. Some people go to the gym to lift heavy and show off, or wear fancy outfits while barely breaking a sweat. They’re not always there for real results. It’s more about appearance or socializing. Occasionally, fitness comes from genetics more than effort. But without real drive and determination, it’s easy to lose progress when life gets in the way.
Don’t be like that. Come in, work hard, challenge yourself, and take my advice: step out of your comfort zone! If you’re all about cardio, try lifting some weights. If you’re a weightlifting enthusiast, give a cardio class a shot. Explore what you’re not great at. In the long run, your body will thank you!
Just a life long New Yorker sharing the journey through my lens.
I can relate on so many levels but unfortunately my own personal experience has had a negative impact on me that keeps me from the gym. I’m a plus sized woman, its no secret. I am healthy (cholesterol, sugar, BP, etc) but I am technically labeled obese so losing weight is something that has always been on my list. And I have always struggled.
I have a gym membership. I was actively going but I had to bring my own towel as the gym towels don’t fully cover me and incidents like the one with the Playboy model who body-shamed an older woman via social media recently, make me really subconscious about what people are thinking when they see me.
That, and the last time I was at the gym, I was showering and the women who worked there were cleaning up and waiting for me to get out of the shower. They kept referring to me as the “gordita”. The locker room is the most vulnerable place. We are there to change and if that is the place I am most vulnerable and I have to face judgement from strangers, i would rather keep my money than be subjected to that. I voiced the complaint to friends and they dismissed it – which felt so defeating – and I never lodged a complaint with the gym.
All of this is to say that I really admire your ability to shake people’s opinions off. Its not easy for me and it has hindered my progress.
Thanks for sharing this.
I’d offer up a few suggestions here.
First and foremost, think about what you are saying. These people, who you don’t know, don’t provide anything for you, and are probably losers, are keeping you, from becoming a better version of you. That is unacceptable, it angers me, and it should anger you. Anger is not the best path to take, but if all else fails, then use that anger as your tool.
The other suggestions revolve around doing what you need to do, while avoiding the discomforts. I never shower at the gym. I’m not sure at what times you go, but if you go home after, then I’d advise that you just shower at home to avoid this discomfort that you’ve been subjected to.
If you know me, you know I’m really hard core, and I am my own worst critic and abuser. No one can abuse me worst than I have abused myself. So when someone tries, I get angry and thrive on it as a form of proving them wrong. No one has the right to rag on me, I do it enough to myself.
Then of course you have options like training at home, and trust me, especially in those early stages, you don’t need much to make progress.
I’d even argue that by simply changing your eating habits, you could start to affect weight loss without even setting foot in a gym. I don’t advise that, but my point is that there are many other things you can do.
If this is who I think it is, you have access to me, and you can reach out at anytime. I know it’s not easy, I’ve been there. I had the same problem with the towels myself, no way those damn mini towels were wrapping up around me.
In terms of the cleaning ladies, my guess is that they meant no harm. You know in our culture there are terms of endearment that people use innocently. We all had that one friend called, “Blacky,” which today would be deemed highly offensive. But that’s how he introduced himself back then. In fact, I simply thought that was his nickname as a kid, never even connected it to a racist oppressive thing. I think you get my point on that, though I still get how it would upset you. Maybe next time address it with them. Speaking up does wonders in resolving things.
I’m an intense person, and I’m a bit of a hard ass about these things, but I am also understanding, and I get the difficulties. Don’t let people keep you from improving your quality of life. If you want it, go get it. And if necessary, make the arrangements to make it comfortable for yourself.