Vanity and Form: The Reason For Mirrors

So I am Senior Health Fitness Specialist and I work in a corporate fitness center. I teach fitness classes, run wellness programs, do personal training, do exercise prescription and so on. I am not just a personal trainer or fitness instructor. Yes…I take offense to that as I went to get a 4 year degree and a expensive certification to say otherwise. There is nothing wrong with being an instructor or personal trainer but I went above and beyond for a higher position and title. So yea I am VAIN about this, LOL.

Working in the health field I have seen many things both while interning at a satellite hospital site and while working in various aspects of health over the years. But nothing prepares you for the things you will see in a fitness center. The hilarity that happens pales in comparison. People believe that you are both blind, stupid, and the world centers around them. Moreover, when things happen to them you have to try and keep a straight face while watching them do these stupid things because I swear I cannot make them up people when dumb ditty over there tries to push start the treadmill. Um it has a BIG green button that says START…Why not try that? Or pulling a Cleveland Brown on the treadmill like my younger brother did many years ago while I was at my first job ever and tried racing me. I was minding my business running and him not knowing how a treadmill really ‘worked’ decided to just input the level at which I was running by putting the actual number and then increase the speed. A smart person would have known it will START at 8 miles an hour. it will take time to get to that level (a few about 15 seconds maybe). So this genius thought he was doing something and welp he was still increasing the speed thinking it was not going fast enough because it was not as fast as I was and when it hit my speed and he was already increasing it he FLEW off the back but since the room was small it was right against a wall and he looped for a bit before i jumped off my treadmill to give him space to get out and off his treadmill. I will not lie I laughed so hard i seriously was crying and people thought I was hurt (from the noises they heard– the crash).

Every time I see this above episode I think back to this and the image is so fresh I just start laughing all over again. The starwberry on his shoulders and back he called ‘carpet burns’ were there for some time. I will never forget it and when people fall in the gym on the treadmill and have similar moments I swear I wonder how in God’s name they FIGHT it…I just fall and let it happen, why do you fight and keep trying to get back up while the belt is still moving. Let it go! Well unless it’s at a wall and then hold on for dear life!

Or the person who sits backwards on the chest fly and tries to do back fly and the arms only come part of the way around but they stick with it. It is my job to go over to these people and help them before they hurt themselves not laugh at them.

Or the people who instead of using the big mirrors in the weight lifting section for watching your form and correcting it, they are flexing and watching themselves. Yes, I see you watching yourself and just enjoying YOU. That’s great self-confidence but um get the heck out the mirror and let someone who needs it use it. I mean really it’s great that you have immeasurable hotness and you are psyching yourself up what not but the music has you pumped and you are awesome but MOVE! The world does not revolve around you though the mirror seems like it does.

  

Then there is the gross creeper that is watching everyone in the mirror/ fitness center and makes your skin crawl. That’s the person that almost makes you want to be on a machine where you back is to the wall so that you can see everyone around you at all times like someone may be pick pocketing your soul. Instead they are doing something far creepier they are almost walking around smelling your scent and stealing glances at you doing squats and staring at your most intimate places and you feel the eyes on you but you have no idea from where.

 

And they are always happy when it’s squat day

But the fitness center isn’t all that bad when you have confidence and people are not that gross and creepy. Usually they are not but you always get a few that young idiots that have to be put in their place. And kudos to fitness centers that have a ‘women’s’ section that is separate from the rest of the fitness center with additional weights and cardio for a circuit. Though men do struggle with body image, women and young women especially struggle with this more often and need this additional benefit at least until they are comfortable to be on the main floor. with their weight training. Meat Head intimidation and crowding is no fun (no matter what level fitness you are in, lol).