Three young teenagers came up to me at the gym one day. They wanted to know where to find a hip thrust pad like the one I was using. I told them where to find it but said they could use mine if they wanted. I asked if they had ever done hip thrusts before, and they said no but wanted to try.
I spent the next 10 minutes of my workout time teaching them and helping them learn the proper and safe way to do the exercise. Sometimes going the extra mile for someone in the gym can make or break their likelihood of returning. Demonstrating an exercise or walking them over to where something is makes a lasting impact on both the person and the gym environment that you are part of.
Your gym environment matters. The people around you can (and will) observe you at any given moment. It is not only them who create an uplifting, positive gym environment, but also you. You get to be a model and a light to those around you no matter what stage of the fitness journey you are at.
There is something special about creating a positive gym environment. Seeing regulars and familiar faces around can be comforting (even if you have never introduced yourself to them before). There is a certain type of trust in the people around you that you develop in the gym. The kind where you know if you were struggling on a bench press, they would run over to assist and spot you.
Whether you realize it or not, the people around you at the gym can be a source of inspiration. Lifting with other like-minded people can be the motivation you need to push a little harder. On days where you might feel like giving up, if the girl next to you is going hard, you want to go harder. When you don’t want to be there, but someone you always see says hello and compliments you, it can give you the boost you need to get the job done.
Keep in mind, the opposite can also be true. If you run into a gym friend, and they sense that you are feeling off, they might encourage you to just take the rest day. Your gym community can be a space where you look out for each other on both good days and bad.
This has happened to me on a few occasions where my friend knew I didn’t look great. The truth is, I wasn’t feeling good at all. She gently urged me, and better yet, gave me the permission that I needed in order to just take the rest day that my body deserved.
At the end of the day, the people you see in the gym are all there to better themselves. They want to see you become the better version of yourself too. The gym is a place where you can encourage someone you don’t even know is watching you. It is a place where you can zone out and just focus on you.
You might not always notice the people around you, but the gym regulars certainly notice you. Work up the courage to introduce yourself to someone new. You never know what kind of motivation and inspiration will come from it.
There is always something to learn and improve on in the gym. The power of community in your gym goes a long way. The support from your gym community in your fitness journey matters. And if you don’t feel this way about your gym – perhaps it is not the right fit for you! It is SO worth finding one that is.