This article is to the men and women that regularly work their butt off at the gym, whether they are frequent goers or first timers. Your motivation inspires me.
I love working out; no 'if's, 'and's or 'but's about it. I love going to the gym midday and giving it my all whether it’s sprinting at an incline, working on a core stabilizer or a focusing on my upper body, I take pride in working out solely for myself. The gym is my place to relax, unwind and to continually keep my heart rate up. I find the perfect Pandora station to set the tone for my workout and then I immediately start. From personal observation, one may walk into the gym and see a variety of people working out; fit people, the regulars, non-fit people and etc.
The real question is: who really cares? The underlying point I am trying to get across within the premise of this article is that each person who loves to workout was born with a different build. Some people are small, while others are naturally strong and have amazing endurance. I strongly believe that every person that likes to workout wants to better themselves physically or mentally. No one should ever focus on the idea of competition and comparison because one will never be completely satisfied.
In all my years of playing competitive soccer, as well as regularly going to the gym on my own time, I can now recognize that there are people that are going to be stronger and faster than me and that’s just life. Though, accepting this fact and taking it as a negative are two completely different things. All dependent on how I approach the situation, my body being different can be an amazing thing that is unique to only me. Who’s to say that I don’t have better endurance or a better mental drive than that other person?
Working out is an amazing thing and for all of those that workout frequently, I can bet that all of you are working towards the same goal which is to physically better yourself. No one needs to compare themselves to someone else in order to gage their fitness level. You know your own body and you initiated another step towards getting into the shape of your liking so be proud.
Next time you walk into the gym and step on a treadmill, be yourself and be happy that you made the effort to workout that day because there are people that don’t have the slightest motivation to do what you’re doing. Be confident in your body and its abilities. Remember to focus on your strengths such as a wide stride or having strong hips. Don’t ever look over to the person next to you and start to compare your body to theirs; it is not worth it. One must acknowledge that every person is different and simply be okay with it. Like they say, be proud to stand out, not to fit in.
