Marquis de Condorcet
I like this quote and it really relates to time at the gym. Last week, I was stuck in a small town in south Texas with no internet, phone or gym. I managed about 3 workouts that week, but am truly happy to be back to civilization and back in the gym. Eating while traveling has also not been my strength this last week and I really wanted to hit it hard.
I gathered the kids in the jogging stroller, walked the mile or so to the gym and headed for the faily room. Already warmed up from the walk over I jumped on the treadmill and did a tabata of a 7.0 mph sprint at a 5 incline for a little more warmup than jumped into it. Another woman was on the treadmill, so my workout consisted of 21-15-9, burpees with a press, 250m row and med ball cleans. Workout with the kids need to be fast and intense, because someone is gonna want something! I could feel the woman on the treadmill watching, perhaps wondering what I was doing, perhaps gasping at the fact I was in my socks (I have a blister :) but I got the feeling I made her uncomfortable, maybe because for the whole 25 minutes of my workout she jogged on the treadmill at about 3.5 mph with short bursts of probably, 5.5 mph sprint.
Now, I might just have had this going on in my head. But I really wanted to tell this woman, "at least you are here". Too many people feel intimidated at the gym and try to 'keep up' with someone anonymous competitor. Though its good to push, we need not compare ourselves, especially at the gym! My 25 minute workout was short and intense, but half what I normally do because of poor self control the last week. I started doing almost the same thing, years ago, 20 minutes on the elliptical! Everyone has to start somewhere and we should not bother ourselves with where others might be. Sticking to it matters most and eventually you will be at your destination. One the same side, we must not judge others for where they are not yet at. I once had a woman come into the gym I was a manager at and asked to have the "large" woman on the treadmill in front of the window move because she was headed to the Chinese place next door and it was "gross." I kicked her out of the gym and told here there was not way I would ask her to move. The nerve!
My point is, we all have to start somewhere and we all have to train ourselves not to compare ourselves to others while we get there!
