Everyone’s A Doctor When You’re In A Fitness Era

The things that come out of your mouth give you away

Have you ever noticed when a celebrity dies, the loudest haters are suddenly fans? Well, there’s a fitness version of that, and I’m talking about it.

What I’m talking about isn’t exclusive to fat people, though we get this treatment more than any other group. It doesn’t matter what you look like, when someone finds out you’re exercising, they have to make comments.

These comments don’t help. They tell us you’ve got a bad case of the Dunning-Krueger effect, and you’ll end up punched shortly. (Not by me, but by someone.)

Don’t believe me? Let’s see how many quotes you’ve said/heard.

“Aerobics Are Better For Losing Weight!”

Let’s get the easy one out of the way. A person can go to the gym with no intention of losing weight.

Some people go to gain muscle, which looks like gaining weight. Some people are there to preserve their mobility. Some people like a challenge. People have different reasons for hitting the gym.

In my case, I started going to the gym to deal with the stress of working and going to Grad School. It’s turning into one of the best choices I ever made, especially when it comes to fighting PCOS symptoms. I feel better, sleep better, and I don’t feel so wound up after consistently going to the gym.

Now, I’m not knocking on aerobics. They are a great cardio workout. More experts are saying combining strength training and cardio will give you fantastic results. However, as I said earlier, everyone has a different reason for going to the gym. If you don’t like why someone’s going, you keep it to yourself. You’re not a doctor, nor are you a nutritionist. And if you are one of those things, chances are you’re not my doctor or nutritionist, so you don’t know my health.

“It’s About Time You Started Taking Care Of Your Health!”

I went on Facebook for this one and asked people what things they heard. I’d asked the question in terms of going to the gym and exercising, but I ended up with responses that had to do with diets. It’s a whole angle of the fitness journey I didn’t consider.

And with that, comes a few nasty lines from people.

“That has too many calories!”

“Don’t you think you should cut that sandwich in half?”

“Why are you eating that? I thought you were trying to be healthy?”

When I thought about my experiences, the people who pretended to be doctors talked more about diet than exercise. Sometimes, I get shallow responses.

But that’s all these responses are. Shallow.

“You Know Weight Lifting Makes More Testosterone, Right?”

Since finding out I have PCOS, I’ve been open about my struggles with it. The relief of finding out there’s a reason I look the way I do is one I can’t explain enough. And as a way to combat the symptoms and stress relief, I started weightlifting.

One of the more embarrassing things about my PCOS is that I have excessive hair growth. If I didn’t subject my face to a monthly wax, I could have a goatee a teenage boy would envy.

I’m not sure why, but since I started weightlifting the excess hairs have almost disappeared. It was not one, but two months before I had to go in for a wax!

Now, I’m no expert on hormones and testosterone. Maybe there is some truth to it. All I know is that the last time I got a blood test, they told me that my testosterone levels were fine. And if I went to get a blood test today, they’d say the same thing. And the fact it took so long for facial hair to come back is a blessing for my confidence and my wallet.

Say what you want, but I won’t stop weight lifting when I see some positive results. And I’m not changing because of what someone thinks they know.

And then we have this one!

“Oh, You’re Bulking Up Now? You Won’t Be Attractive.”

And here it is! Here is the reason people feel the need to stick their nose in someone else’s workout routine, or lack of. It’s not about your health as much as it is feeling better than you. Another person’s looks are the easiest target.

The last time I checked I don’t work out to look pleasing to strangers. I work out so I can feel in control of my PCOS. I work out to remember what it was like to live like a child and not feel pain in random parts of my body. I work out because holy shit, my mood is so much better! I work out because it’s nice to go about my day not feeling like an overwound wind-up toy.

I have better things to do than rely on other people to validate my workout routine. People in the gym aren’t thinking about whether or not they’ll look good to a stranger. They’re thinking about what’s best for their goals.

Do You Notice The Pattern Yet?

Do you remember how I mentioned when celebrities die, everyone’s a fan? Here’s why it’s similar.

Think about a dead celebrity. It doesn’t have to be a well-liked one. They have to be dead. When they’re alive, most celebrities get harsh criticism over one thing or another. For some, it damages their mental health, which could lead to their death.

And when those celebrities inevitably die, everyone’s a fan! Suddenly, their music is topping the charts, and everyone’s downloading and streaming their movies. Everyone has fond memories of seeing them perform and how their job impacted their lives. The ones shouting these sentiments were saying loud, shitty things about said dead celebrities the day before they died.

Let’s take Michael Jackson. When he died, MTV played music for the first time in years. I got texts from people who were making pedophile jokes about him days before his death. Yet, when he died, they were some of the first to buy his Greatest Hits album.

And that’s what it’s like to hit your fitness goals. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to lose weight, do a pull-up, build muscle, or preserve your mobility. While you’re working towards that goal, everyone acts like your doctor and speaks out of “concern.” Yet when you get where you need to be, the critics will be the loudest ones cheering, claiming they knew the whole time you’d make it.

As long as you know who’s who, it shouldn’t bother you. The most you can do is take it with a grain of salt. If it wasn’t you, they’d be criticizing someone else.

Keep Doing What You’re Doing And Don’t Let The “Doctors” Bring You Down

Whatever you’re doing, you’re doing great. What you’re doing is no one’s business but yours.

I know ignoring people is crappy advice, but unless it’s someone close to you who doesn’t know they’re hurting you, I don’t know what else to say. You may never see some of these people again if you change jobs or move to a different city.

No matter what you do, someone will always claim they know more. I still get people who’ve never left Michigan telling me what my life was like in China, and I’ve been living in Michigan for almost four years. Call it jealousy, bitterness, or whatever you feel like calling it. But as we millennials say, “Haters gonna hate.”

You’re doing fine. Everyone else needs to mind their business.