How many of you have every looked at someone’s workout post on Facebook or on another blog – with them all red faced and sweaty – and thought “Really? You call that a workout?” “That’s so easy and you’re sweating like that?” “Oh you just must be a beginner.” Oh don’t worry, I’m raising my hand high because I’ve definitely had that thought. And honestly, I’m ashamed of it.
When I did my morning post on Facebook this morning, sharing how Carl and I added 12-30 pound weights to our weight collection, I had this realization. A realization that someone out there would think that just because I was only lifting 12 pounds during my Hammer & Chisel workout this morning I wasn’t getting a good workout.
Maybe this comes from doing CrossFit for nearly 2.5 years. Don’t get me wrong, CrossFitters are some of the nicest, most genuinely caring and helpful people you will ever meet. Everyone in a box wants to help and give tips on how to do a specific movement. They will cheer on and encourage the other athletes and the person who finishes last typically gets the most high fives and cheers. Trust me, I’ve been that last person many times. But when you’re doing a nearly 200 pound dead lift on a regular basis I can see how doing a 20 pound dead lift with dumbbells for 1 minute wouldn’t seem like much. But trust me, try it. Until you’ve tried a workout that someone else has done, don’t judge it. For real.
Whether it’s a 10 minute walk around the block, a sub-five minute mile training run for a marathon, 100 burpees, 5 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, or 10,000 steps – it’s a big deal to the person who is sharing it. Congratulate them. Tell them they did a good job. Give them a virtual high five.
At the end of the day, anyone who does a workout or chooses a healthy meal is making a step toward changing their life in a positive way. And that, friends, is worth celebrating.
