Burn Calories and Bullies at the Gym

 

I went to the gym today to run a few miles, as I do a few times a week in the winter. Between miles, I sometimes hop on a row machine for a few minutes just to change muscle groups.

While I was rowing, a lady was on a stairmaster next to me. I don’t know her, but I’ve been seeing her come in since the beginning of the year. So a resolutioner who survived the first three weeks. Good on her. Now, there’s no way to beat around it, this is a large lady, well into obese territory from a medical standpoint. But she’s on this stairmaster just fucking crushing it. Probably 75-80 stairs a minute, for a good 15 minutes by the time I sit down to row, which is more than I can do at the moment.

And wouldn’t you know, some fucking brototype just has to walk by and say something shitty about her weight to me. She’s got earbuds in, but the look on her face tells me she heard.

Now, I’ve been going to the gym regularly for four and a half years, and at my gym, you almost never hear shit like this. And there’s a good reason for that, it’s rude, cruel, and entirely counter-productive.

So I got up from my machine and told him, “Wait right there.” Then I went and grabbed two 60lb dumbells off the free weight rack and handed them to him.

“What are these for?” The brotosaurus asked.

“For you, while you do stairs for…” I glanced at her display, “15 minutes.”

“What? I can’t do stairs with that much extra weight,” he said.

“Really? Because she can. So until you’re as tough as she is, maybe keep your mouth shut,” I said.

Because I’m sorry, but that shit isn’t going to fly around me. I have my issues with the body positivity movement and its tactic acceptance of unhealthy lifestyles, but this is someone who has made a commitment to changing her circumstances and is putting in the REALLY hard work necessary.

The dead last thing anyone in her situation needs, or deserves, is some little brohemian asshole who can’t relate to what she’s going through making snide remarks while she’s actively engaging in making a positive change. She has earned encouragement from other people making the same strides. And if that’s too hard, then the least she deserves is his silence.

End gym rant.