Looking Past Your Inner Skeptic

I was sitting in a conference room the other day waiting for a routine staff meeting to start. The usual surface banter was taking place between some of my coworkers, which I tune out, but then something sparked my interest. Conversation ensued:

Guy:  “Man, it was really hot in the gym today.”

Lady: “It is still crowded down there? (implying the new year rush)”

Guy:  “Yea, it has kind of slimmed down, but there are still some people down there that shouldn’t be.”

Another Lady sitting by the Guy, shaking her head insistently yes.

Um, I’m sorry; did I just hear you correctly? People down there that SHOULDN’T be?? It is pretty crazy how this one sentence invoked an entire internal conversation in my head.

Many avid gym goers, let’s call us gymies, know exactly what that dreaded time of year looks like; Full parking lots, crowded cardio decks, and just the extreme busyness of the gym starting January 1. I don’t think I can even begin to count the amount of times that I have heard complaints about this particular month, but one thing is for sure, it happens every single year. And it is followed with, "Well we just have to deal with it, they won't be here after another month anyway."

So about the slimming down part, it probably won’t surprise anyone that the top resolution made almost every year is to lose weight.  Yes, people usually fall of their newly found post-holiday motivation around February or so. But the probability of all of those people keeping their resolutions the rest of the year is almost none. In fact, it’s 8%, again, not surprising.

And, internal conversation continues. Why is it that some of these people, even the most motivated gym newbies fall off after the first month or two? I know there are all kinds of articles out there that talk about New Year’s resolutions and how they don’t work, blah, blah.

As a gymie, what if your actions, either positive or negative, effect one person that has set a goal to become healthier this year? Have you enforced the statistic that people can’t keep their resolutions? Did the look you just gave them because they are on your favorite piece of cardio equipment, discourage them from coming back? Did your not so friendly attitude about them using your prized weight machine enforce the fact that this just may not be for them? Did your attitude of you shouldn’t be in here rub off on them? Maybe so, maybe not. Will we ever really be able to tell, probably not. 

But, why, as a person who has found the inner motivation to work out and stay disciplined enough to keep coming back, have that kind of attitude towards someone who is trying to make a positive change in their life? You know the benefits of going to the gym and the effects it has on your health, so why aren’t you encouraging others as well?

I’ll admit it, I have had that attitude before. I have dreaded the month of January in the gym. However, since becoming a group instructor, my attitude towards January has completely changed. I look forward to that month, because it challenges me to challenge others. I love seeing the look of someone complete something they never thought they could do. It is really awesome, actually.  So instead of letting that inner skeptic rear its head, try something different. Be encouraging, be friendly, be motivating, but above all else, be accepting. You never know, in the smallest way, you could have a positive effect on someone’s life. And that, gymies, is pretty dang cool.