Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

When I saw this postcard from PostSecret, I nodded my head and said, “I KNEW it!”

It reads:

I feel superior when my machine
is set at a faster pace.

There have been many times when I’ve been at the gym and I’ve noticed the person next to me looking at my treadmill display. Secretly, I’ve always worried that they were looking at how fast I was running and judging me. NOW, I know that there is at least one person out there who DOES.

I try to tell myself that they are just wondering why their machine is showing a heart rate. Since I wear a heart rate monitor that works with the treadmills at the gym, there is usually crosstalk and my heart rate displays not only on my machine, but also the two treadmills on either side of mine. I try to tell myself that even though they are running faster than I am, my heart rate is EXACTLY where it’s supposed to be and focus on that.

As much as we forget about it, exercising at the gym is a group event. You may not know the people next to you on the treadmill, but we are all there together, sweating it out. Next time you think that someone is looking at your treadmill display, don’t assume they are judging you. Maybe they just feel self-conscious because their heart rate monitor is announcing their heart rate on your machine.

PostSecret‘s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.