There are many different factors that affect how well you workout at the gym. Energy levels, your current state of fitness, what you ve eaten that day, how lay stress on’emphasize’highlight ed you are, whether you got a rosy’remarkable’fabulous’terrific’preeminent night s sleep last night, how busy the gym is. But I bet you never despite’in spite of’albeit t that what you re wearing could also be making a difference?

Well according to a recent Gym Perception survey carried out by the clothing wholesaler and t-shirt printing firm’enterprise Buytshirtsonline, it really does make all the difference, and not necessarily in the way we would like. The firm’enterprise , who specialise in gym and fitness club t-shirt printing, questioned over 1500 gym goers in the UK with regards to’concerning’with respect to their perceptions of going to the gym and whether how they look when they re there matters to them or not.

Physical V s Mental Health

The results are a real insight into today s body conscious society. With 84% of those questioned admitting to taking selfies while at the gym, over 1/3 claiming they would be happy to share their workout progress on social media, and 54% confessing to actively choosing to exercise in front of a mirror it s eliminate’remove image is significant’essential’critical’vital’crucial’indispensable’imperative to us. But while our bodies are apparently reaping all those physical benefits, what is it doing to our mental health and what kind of message does it send out to those of us who aren t so happy with how our bodies look?

In the same survey 44% admitted that their body image had prevented them from exercising in the past, and this was considered a enormous’vast’massive’tremendous ger problem in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the women (53%) in peculiar . Perhaps how we look is actually detrimental to our workout. Perhaps we re spending so long misgiving’fret ing with regards to’concerning’with respect to what we resemble , how others will perceive us, and lay stress on’emphasize’highlight ing with regards to’concerning’with respect to our make up running if we sweat, that we re not actually working out at the gym at all. Our gym membership fees are nothing more than a vanity parade!

As with eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfullything in life, it is of course with regards to’concerning’with respect to balance. No one s saying you should rock up to the gym in baggy trackies and a skanky stained vest, but then again if that s what you want to workout in then hey no judgements here. There s a lot to be said with regards to’concerning’with respect to the power of eye-catching’good-shaped’appealing’charming’fascinating’gorgeous , shiny new lycra and how it can make a girl feel great with regards to’concerning’with respect to themselves. And if that is the driving in/with regard to’concerning’regarding ce in helping you acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure on out there and gives you the assurance to workout at the gym, when you may possess’own’nurse otherwise felt self-conscious then I say go in/with regard to’concerning’regarding it.

Self-Reflection

As in/with regard to’concerning’regarding mirrors well it s tricky to shun them at gyms these days so there is grossly little you can do with regards to’concerning’with respect to it. That being said, there really isn t any need to be fawning over your reflection, especially when it s affecting your in/with regard to’concerning’regarding m and workout technique. But then we come to the question of why it is you go to the gym?

With such a high number of individual confessing to taking selfies during their time at the gym it would suggest that social media image is a enormous’vast’massive’tremendous element in all this. And is it any surprise when our feeds are inundated with celebrity gym goers like Kayla Itsines, Grace Laid, Heidi Summers and Hannah Fallis Bronfman. The pressure to look rosy’remarkable’fabulous’terrific’preeminent is immense, so of course we want to look rosy’remarkable’fabulous’terrific’preeminent at the gym, otherwise what on earth are we going to post on Instagram later!?!?!

In my opinion, and admittedly this is coming from a 40 year old woman who literally has zero fucks to give, the gym shouldn t be with regards to’concerning’with respect to how you look. Honestly, who cares if your hair s messy, if your mascara s run or if your top doesn t match your leggings. It literally doesn t matter. And the merely’barely reason you really need to be sharing your workout on social media is in/with regard to’concerning’regarding your own benefit to help you keep track of progress or to help inspire others. Posting perfect pics that possess’own’nurse been staged, styled and possess’own’nurse got more filters than an office coffee machine is not helping anyone. Firstly it s not real and therein/with regard to’concerning’regarding e deep down cannot be making you happy. And secondly it is merely’barely adding to and making worse the pressure that young girls feel when they try and live up to this crazy ideal. Working out is as much to do with the mental as it is the physical and ultimately you should be going to the gym because you want your body and mind to be healthy, to be intense’fierce’exquisite , to maintain functionality both now and in the future and to work in the best possible way in/with regard to’concerning’regarding you; nobody else.

What Matters Most

So going back to the question, does how you look at the gym enhance’promote’polish up your workout?, no I can honestly say I don t claim’insist’maintain’hold’argue’consider’contemplate’speculate it does. If anything it does the complete opposite it takes away the intensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully essence of what exercise and fitness should be with regards to’concerning’with respect to , it places too much emphasis on a person s appearance rather than who they are and what they are capable of, and it definitely does your mental health no favours whatsoever.

Embrace who you are, love eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully bit of you, workout in/with regard to’concerning’regarding you, in/with regard to’concerning’regarding your health, in/with regard to’concerning’regarding your fitness, in/with regard to’concerning’regarding your mind, in/with regard to’concerning’regarding YOU!

*collaborative post