There are multiple kinds of fitness enthusiasts that you meet when you set out on your personal fitness goals. Somehow, we tend to find them as obstacles to our fitness journey mostly because of how we react to what we see when we look at them.
Because more often than not, we tend to look at them in the fitness ‘freaks’ lens. So we got down to this list of all the kinds of fitness enthusiasts out there and here’s how to deal with fitness freaks in a way that they don’t become an impediment to your fitness journey.
The de-motivating motivator
They are truly passionate about working out. And they don’t necessarily flaunt it. At least not through their words.
You decide to finally be motivated and step out for a run. Just like they do. You see them wave by when you start your fresh first round (ignoring the thoughts which lead to wonder how many rounds they have already accomplished before you came out).
By the time you are struggling with the quarter of your circle, they seem to wave by again (What? They already finished a round?). And by the time you’re panting and stopping to catch your breath at your round halfway, they wave by again maintaining the same pace without breaking a sweat!
They give you a complex, so you cut short your workout for the day and decide to come an hour earlier or later from the next day. Now the next day you would have just started your fresh round, and you see them wave by again! That’s when you realise, no matter the time you step out, they’ll keep on running without breaking a sweat!
Following day, you choose yoga or gym. So here’s the solution on how to deal with this fitness freak.
Solution
Definitely choose yoga or gym if that works better for you, but this is a vicious cycle to fall in. You will always come across such people no matter which workout regime you try! So, stop comparing yourself to them.
Instead of de-motivating yourself with the feeling of how poorly you are doing compared to them, see how much better you are doing than yourself a week earlier! Sooner or later, you will be doing as much as them, they just had a head start!
The Instagram posers
A rather interesting lot. Their photos speak louder than their words. They know their best angles -the camera position at which they look the most appealing, or the extent to which they have to hold their breaths in. (Only their nearest or dearest know the reality)!
They spend more time taking pictures and videos during their workout sessions, rather than actually enjoying and being completely absorbed by the energy one enjoys during the those sessions!
Solution
It might be good to understand that they do what they do so the world would appreciate them through those pictures, and they feel more reassured in their path to fitness. While such a reassurance is great at times, don’t make it your goal.
The goal is to cut off from the world, switch off the phone for a while, so the stress-free benefits of the workout can be felt completely by being absorbed in it for a change, rather than being distracted by the phone and appreciations at all times!
The ‘hypergymnist’
These have a staunch belief. Their life revolves around fitness in a maniacal way. No matter when you call them or meet them, they are at the gym or heading to/getting out of one. No matter what the ongoing conversation might be, it somehow finds its way into a workout regime or health drink they tried recently.
If you workout with them, you feel like they impose their regimes on you and at times make you feel low when you are unable to meet their expectations! And this is how to deal with fitness freaks of this kind.
Solution
Best way to handle it is to not ignore them at all, rather ignore their opinions. Hear them out, but don’t argue with anything they suggest if it doesn’t ring with you. The lesser interest you show in their opinions, the lesser excitement they will have to continue having the one-way disinterested conversation!
Soon enough, they will find a new guinea pig (or do one good to yourself and direct them to another soul who you might prefer to again avoid talking to yourself)!
The pretend ‘antigymnist’
These remind you of your school days where there was one student who claimed to never touch a book, but secretly spent nights studying to be at the top. Their claim to fame – I don’t need to work towards it, I am naturally good at it!
These love to suggest they do nothing to stay fit, healthy or muscular. They make you believe that they are naturally lucky when they indulge in all the cakes and ice creams like you but it doesn’t impact them ever, when secretly they either throw up post the unhealthy meals, lie about how much they indulge at all times or work out crazy hard to burn the extra calories they indulged in!
Solution
This is possible at a younger age when our metabolism is great with the multiple physical activities keeping us busy. However, mostly everyone after a certain age, needs to work extra hard towards fitness, even if they pretend otherwise or have other methods to achieve it.
So, stop believing everything you hear and stop letting it effect your fitness goals. Feel proud in your hard work involved in staying fit! There is no real sense of satisfaction if you always take the easy way, true achievement and sustainability is in the hard work!
