Woman perfectly calls out gym-goers for exercise-shaming

Sometimes heading to the gym can feel a little like stepping under a microscope. From your workout gear, to the reason you’re working out, the fear of being judged by other gym-goers is very real. A recent survey by Sport England revealed that 75% of women would like to exercise more, but cite the fear of being judged as the main reason for skipping the gym.

So when one woman penned a recent Facebook post calling out others for exercise-shaming it really struck a nerve with other gym-users.

Stephanie Lynn Holdmeyer originally wrote the post as a response to some nasty comments she’d seen about her and her partner for being that ‘buff couple’ who ‘thought they’re hot sh*t because they wear their belts all the time.’ Little did the trolls realise she had been wearing a lifting belt because she was recovering from back surgery.

But what started as a personal come-back turned into a shout-out to anyone who’s ever felt judged while working out and a call to end the shaming.

“My point is, everyone gets judged,” she wrote alongside a photo of herself working out.

“People don’t bother to understand where you’re coming from or why you do the things you do.”

Stephanie went on to give various examples of the assumptions people make about others while they’re exercising and why we need to reconsider those face-value judgements. She spoke about people who are overweight, and how they are judged for this despite people possibly not realising that they may have already lost 100 pounds whilst trying to kick-start their fitness journey.

“That skinny girl you think ‘really needs to eat’? She’s actually super self conscious about her thin figure & has been trying to gain weight, but her metabolism is super high,” she continued.

“That kid who follows you around & watches everything you do? He looks up to you and wants to learn your workouts, he’s just scared to approach you,” Stephanie wrote.

“That woman taking too long on the equipment you want? She’s a single mom exhausted from working two jobs & raising three kids. She’s trying to push herself to finish her workout, but she needs a little extra rest between sets.”

Stephanie also noted that some people actually have to psych themselves up mentally to go to the gym simply because they are worried about people judging them.

The student concluded her post with a plea to stop the exercise shaming. “Instead of jumping to conclusions or making judgements, take a moment to consider someone else’s perspective. Don’t judge a book by its cover,” she wrote.

Stephanie’s post clearly struck a chord with lots of gym-users and since sharing has gone on to receive over 88K likes and over 42K shares from people who’ve been on the receiving end of gym judgement.

“There should be a sign on the door of gyms that say ‘leave your judgement at the door. Everyone is here for a reason and for some it took courage to walk through the doors. Encourage, help and support each other,’” one woman wrote on the post.

“Perfectly said. I have often said that we all need a balloon above us to explain ourselves so that we are not judged. Everyone has their story – stop judging,” added another.

Have you ever been on the receiving end of gym-shaming? Let us know @YahooStyleUK

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