When we talk about being always on offense, we often think about the physical aspect of it. Work harder at the gym, actively manage your meals, take the stairs at work, etc etc. But there’s a mental component to it, and a number of trainers that we admire would advocate that being sustainably healthy is actually a lot more about being in the right mental place than anything physical you can do for your self.
So for this post, I wanted to focus on the non-physical benefits of working out.
As a gym fanatic, I noticed something fairly early in my gym career which changed my perspective on how I see the world.
You see, when I go to the gym, as much as I try to fight it, I’m very aware of everyone else in the gym. They are looking at me, I’m looking at them. In a way, at the gym, you are at your most vulnerable. You are sweating, you are tired, you’re pushing yourself beyond your usual limits. It’s naturally an uncomfortable position to be in, made worse by the fact that a bunch of strangers are watching you.
So when I have a great workout, I’m really proud of myself. I feel like I *deserve* to be there. Just for a short minute, I feel like I belong.
When I say a great workout, I’m talking about running maybe an extra mile than I usually do. Or maybe doing a few more reps for each set of weight lifting. Anything that’s more than I usually do. And anything that will make me sore the next day.
The day after my great workout, I’ll come to the gym, and try to replicate and maybe even exceed my great workout. Of course, this inevitably fails. My body needs a day to rest and recover, not be pushed even harder. As a result, I end up taking a step down in intensity from even my typical workouts.
At this stage, I become very, very aware that others are watching me engage in what I would consider a lighter workout than I usually do. And I want to scream to them…
“Guys! I can do so much more! I’m stronger than this! You should have seen me yesterday! Guys! You have to trust me!”
Then I started thinking about it: If I don’t want others to judge me at the gym at one particular moment, I have to promise not to judge them. No matter what type of workout I see them doing.
Because the fact is, when I see someone at the gym at one particular moment, I really know nothing about them. Maybe they finished a marathon the day before, and are exhausted. Maybe they just came back from a serious injury. Maybe they had a death in the family, and they’re in the gym just for a distraction. So I have forced myself to not judge, but rather admire everyone in the gym. I don’t admire them for how hard they’re working out, but rather, I admire them just for showing up.
I realized over time that this idea of not judging others, because you don’t know their whole story, translates to life outside the gym also. When I see someone on the street, or on the subway, or at a restaurant, if my natural inclination used to be to judge them for an aspect of their behavior in that moment, I now try to stop myself. Because when you don’t know the person’s background, their story, how they got to where they are, it’s not fair for us to judge them in one moment.
Stay always on offense - physically and mentally.