This clever trick will instantly relieve overweight people from worrying others at the gym will stare at them.
Throngs of obese and overweight people frequently worry that other patrons at the gym will stare.
Many will quit going to the gym, or only go occasionally, or if they do make it there regularly, the anxiety that “everyone will stare because I’m so fat” never goes away.
I have a novel solution to the problem of overweight people thinking everyone in the gym is going to stare at them.
The solution is to change your expectations of people.
• The minute you think that NOBODY has the right to stare at you at the gym because you’re overweight—you set yourself up for stress, worry and anxiety.
• Instead, accept the fact that there’s always going to be that individual who will notice you and take to staring. This is just the way people are.
• You cannot change this. Nobody can. It will never change.
• We are hardwired to look a bit longer at people who do not fit into the mainstream, who have an atypical appearance, be it purple hair, tattoos from head to toe, being seven feet tall or being very overweight.
Though it’s extremely unlikely anyone will actually come smack up to you and blurt something offensive to your face, you absolutely must accept the fact that there’s going to be some staring if you’re significantly overweight.
Something to Realize About People Staring
If people are staring at or watching you at the gym…what makes you think they’re NOT staring or watching when you’re at the supermarket, mall, bank, post office, workplace, school to pick up your kids, etc.?
Fear of unwanted attention doesn’t stop you from these activities, so why should it stop you from going to the health club?
Sure, you absolutely HAVE to pick your kids up from school and go to the bank, but…in a way, you also absolutely HAVE to go to the gym to improve your fitness and health!
And people are going to look at you just as they would if you were walking your dog around the neighborhood.
Accept this. Once you accept this and realize that an onlooker’s eyes on your hips and belly certainly can’t harm you, guess what: It will no longer stress and worry you. It will no longer throw you off.
And you will no longer grind yourself with trying to figure out how to “deal” with it.
Stop labeling anyone who stares as a bully. Otherwise, you set yourself up for hurt feelings.
Once you accept the reality that it’s unrealistic to expect a building full of people not to take a longer look, or even outright stare, at an obese person, you WILL feel set free, and will be able to move on and concentrate on the reason you’re at the gym in the first place.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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