Do you judge people exercising?

What do you think when you see a skinny person exercising?  How about an overweight person?

I fear people seeing me exercise because I am not overweight.  I always wonder if they think I have a problem or think I think I'm "better than" everyone because I'm exercising.  I suppose that comes from hearing people make comments to that effect about other people.

When I see overweight people exercising I don't think mean things.  I think things like "way to go!" but I can't help feeling like they are judging me.

Honestly, I could care less what anyone around me is doing.  I get so caught up in my own thoughts and keeping track that I don't pay attention!

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Dear Huggitbear,

Here is what I tell my 24 and 22 year old girls.  Who cares what other people think in your world do they have any power over you.  Do their opinions out way your own.  Besides both my girls exercise everyday and are of normal weight.  I am overweight and think nothing other then they want to keep in shape.  Nothing wrong with that! 

When I sit on the porch in the morning or afternoon sometimes there are two men, not together, one is middle aged, the other is older, probably way older.  I always look at them and watch how bad I look just sitting there half their age and these guys are pumping it out.  If anyone is judging its the person who is hating for whatever reason.  Rock on!

I only judge people when it seems like what they are doing is very unhealthy. For example, there is a man who runs around the lake every day where I live who is obviously extremely anorexic. I worry he will drop from heart failure! And I get irritated when I see people using machines incorrectly, because, for example, the rowing machine at my gym gets broken by this guy who uses it so badly it's no wonder he isn't hurting himself.

And I get irritated at the women who do like 500 reps of 5 pounds and consider it weight training.

But overweight people in the gym? I could care less. Skinny people? They need to work out, too, as long as it isn't done in an obsessive manner (which goes the same for everyone, really). Most of the time I'm too busy zoning out and focusing on my own workouts to pay attention unless something really bad is going on.

I'm 100% with redkitty.

However...if I'm driving...and I see someone running or walking, no matter what their weight, I do a little internal dance for them and silently tell them "go you!!!"   I don't know...ever since I started running I've always had a new found appreciation for those that run/walk.  I just know how hard it can be sometimes getting that initial foot out the door.

I don't think much of it, unless the person is doing something visibly dangerous.

Maybe some anxiety medication could help you relax more and take care of your social panic attacks.

Personally I don't give a rats ass what anyone thinks........ and its a beautiful place here.

Fight the good fight
~MFer Out//

Original Post by tatjanaturtle:

I'm 100% with redkitty.

However...if I'm driving...and I see someone running or walking, no matter what their weight, I do a little internal dance for them and silently tell them "go you!!!" I don't know...ever since I started running I've always had a new found appreciation for those that run/walk. I just know how hard it can be sometimes getting that initial foot out the door.

 I feel the same way. At the gym I never look at anyone else but when I see someone running outside or something like that I do feel like telling them "way to go!".

I'm so tickled to see visibly unfit or heavy people working on getting healthy that if I didn't think they'd be offended, I would cheer them on.

I know starting a fitness program can be daunting. Instead of thinking the rest of us are judging you, consider that maybe we are really glad to see you taking that step toward better health.

Not really, but I do get ticked off when people walk four abreast on the track, blocking the walking and running lane. 

i agree with ainedb. on so many levels. the only person i ever wanted to say something about/to was a very frail anorexic who would be on the cardio equipment for 2-3 hours at a time. it was a wonder no one else said anything.

our rowing machine is also broken right now - go figure.

the guy who uses the longest bar in the universe to do a hundred lateral twists effectively rendering other equipment totally inaccessable. grrr

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i used to be far more overweight and felt looked at until my mother said 'me and margy were at the gym and we all saw you and just wished we could look half as good' so, i guess there is no telling.

i see all kinds of the thin, young barista types at the gym all the time. how in heck did i think they stayed looking that way! people who judge a fit person for working out needs a reality check and a textbook or three. i keep in mind everyone in a gym has pretty much the same access to information i do and even if they judge me or the girl next to me, or the guy next to her, there may be something they can learn eventually.

I don't think I judge people. Honestly I get irritated when I see alot of people in my gym at the beginning of the year, who we all know half will not be there after March. Most are there because of New Year's resolutions and it crowds the machines. I would have a problem if those people would continue their regimen but statistics show that they will not! Also it makes it harder to find a place to park, which I hate! I also hate how crowded the spinning classes are because of this too. I hope I'm not a bad person for feeling this way! Does anyone else feel like me?

Honestly, I do judge people like that. If I see a skinny person exercising I'll assume they exercise too much and are just unhealthy, if I see an overweight person exercising I'll find it comical ... and if I see a perfectly-proportioned, fit and healthy-looking person exercising I'll "hate" them and think about how superior they must feel. You can't win!

Basically, I'm too insecure to exercise in public myself so I have to make myself feel better ;-). I realise how horrible and stupid it is. You people all sound so ... err ... nice!

I'm just talking about people jogging/running in the street, really, though ... I think that it would be a different story at the gym because ... well, everyone's there to exercise.

Besides, if you want to exercise ... good for you, don't worry what arseholes like me think of you. You're fit and want to remain fit: nothing wrong with that. If you don't think you're better than anyone then there's even less of a dilemma. I mean, worrying about what people think you think of them??? :-)

I only judge the guys who act like they own the free-weight area of the gym... and then proceed to do bicep curls by putting their backs into it.  Annoys me because it propagates bad form. 

And someone please tell me why they can't rerack their weights and cable attachments.  It's not like they don't have time - they are taking two minutes between sets!!!

Original Post by nenewa:

I don't think I judge people. Honestly I get irritated when I see alot of people in my gym at the beginning of the year, who we all know half will not be there after March. Most are there because of New Year's resolutions and it crowds the machines. I would have a problem if those people would continue their regimen but statistics show that they will not! Also it makes it harder to find a place to park, which I hate! I also hate how crowded the spinning classes are because of this too. I hope I'm not a bad person for feeling this way! Does anyone else feel like me?

Crowds are no fun. I have been working out at home a lot to avoid some of it.

Original Post by huggitbear:


I fear people seeing me exercise because I am not overweight. I always wonder if they think I have a problem or think I think I'm "better than" everyone because I'm exercising. I suppose that comes from hearing people make comments to that effect about other people.

 Huh?  I grew up in a family where people exercised as a part of life!  Exercising isn't something you do only because you need to lose weight, and then you stop.  It is something you do on a lifelong basis because it is fun and healthy.

nenewa - sometimes the crowds of people bother me, but I remember that the gym counts on them not being there after March.  It's why our fees aren't higher.

Original Post by danielle860:

I only judge the guys who act like they own the free-weight area of the gym... and then proceed to do bicep curls by putting their backs into it.  Annoys me because it propagates bad form. 

And someone please tell me why they can't rerack their weights and cable attachments.  It's not like they don't have time - they are taking two minutes between sets!!!

Don't forget the guys who do bicep curls in the squat rack.

When I see people out running, walking, biking... I think it's wonderful, regardless of what physical shape they are in!  It shows determination and dedication to getting fit and staying that way.

I had been struggling with worrying about people seeing me learning to jog, all red-faced and huffing and puffing, barely able to go even 1 full block, which is why I always just walked briskly and never really embarked on Couch Potato to 5 K.  I was immobilizing myself with the fear of what others may think about me.  And you know what?

That fear is completely useless and does nothing positive for anyone. 

Many people are always going to judge others, whether it is negatively or positively.  Either way, what does it matter?  Why let someone else's insignificant head noise stand in the way of what you want to do?  It can be hard to overcome at first; I am still working on it.

Get out there and exercise to your heart's content!  Screw what anyone else has to think or say about it!