Fit notes
have seen us all jump aboard the fitness train, and it shows no signs of slowing down. The fitter we get, the more intense our quest to find new challenges. How can we push ourselves further, dig deeper and get a bigger endorphin high? I love a good buddy
ELLE’s fitness columnist Bangs on how to avoid unfriendly competition
But occasionally, that friendly competition can edge into something more sinister: comparison.
Comparison is the enemy of growth. Oh sure, it all starts out innocently enough: glancing at each other’s treadmill stats as you take on those hill sprints, seeing if you can do just one more chest press than your friend in the weights section. But when the workout’s over and you didn’t sweat as much as your friend, you might start to question your motives, your performance or your goals. From there, it can be a slippery slope to discouragement.
We all have a competitive edge, even if we don’t like to admit it. Fitness studios have noticed this trend, and many are incorporating it into their classes. Ride Republic, a cycle studio in south-west London, has a ‘burn board’ that projects live scores on to a screen at the front of the class as you ride. Orangetheory Fitness, just taking off in the UK, has you wearing a heart-rate monitor, with results projected on to a screen so you can see how hard you’re working compared to everyone else.
But sometimes you just want to work out. Life is competition enough – you don’t necessarily want it every time you step into the gym. If you’ve been having a crappy day and can’t find it in yourself to give your all to a workout, having your flagging stats projected on to a screen isn’t exactly going to make you feel better.
Comparing yourself to others is futile. Everyone’s starting points and end goals differ. We’re all fighting a different battle. Don’t let the Instagram posts fool you. These often don’t show the struggle, the setbacks, the days we just can’t be bothered. So, in reality, you may well be comparing yourself to an illusion.
Often, comparison can come down to body types. That’s understandable – working out will have an effect on the form of your body. That’s what we see, so it’s easy to latch on to someone’s weight loss and feel discouraged if you’re not seeing those results for yourself. People work out for stress relief, bulking up, battling depression… the list is endless. Without knowing those reasons, you can’t judge success based on someone’s changing body shape.
If only there were a device that could monitor how happy, badass and confident a good sweat session makes us feel, and project those stats on to a big screen. Surely those variables are more important than anything a set of scales or tape measure says.
You are your only competition. Comparing yourself to others does nothing but take your eyes off the prize. Let people motivate and push you, but stay true to why you started and what you want to gain.
‘DON’T LET THE INSTAGRAM POSTS FOOL YOU. THEY DON’T SHOW THE STRUGGLES OR THE SETBACKS’