Make an effort to look at other peoples’ bodies and note who appears more fit.
If you think of “fitness buffs” as being a special clique, then noticing other potential members of the clique and feeling like you belong to something bigger than yourself can reinforce your “fitness buff” identity. However, this technique can be very counterproductive. Women in the US and elsewhere are often socialized to compete with each other on the basis of appearance already, so noticing fitter women is already something that we do with not necessarily very positive results.
Actually, I try to keep appearance out my mind when I exercise because I’ve had issues with body dysmorphic disorder. Instead, I identify as someone who’s into, say, urban cycling. Now I notice when other people are carrying a bike helmet with them when they’re in a shop, for instance. I feel like a part of a group, and this feeling of identity encourages me to keep biking.
By the way, the idea that you can tell how fit or healthy someone is just by looking at them isn’t correct. Some thin, healthy-looking people don’t exercise, and some people who are overweight are actually quite healthy according to other measures of fitness, so I’d shy away from using appearance as a proxy for fitness.
If you think of “fitness buffs” as being a special clique, then noticing other potential members of the clique and feeling like you belong to something bigger than yourself can reinforce your “fitness buff” identity.
That’s not exactly what I was saying, although your point here is correct too I suspect. My point is that fitness buffs have a tendency to look at other peoples’ bodies just as car buffs have a tendency to look at other peoples’ cars and gun buffs have a tendency to look at other peoples’ guns.
However, this technique can be very counterproductive. Women in the US and elsewhere are often socialized to compete with each other on the basis of appearance already, so noticing fitter women is already something that we do with not necessarily very positive results.
Well that’s a different issue. But I do think there’s more of a problem with people putting not enough mental energy into fitness than too much.
By the way, the idea that you can tell how fit or healthy someone is just by looking at them isn’t correct.
You can make a decent guess about a person’s level of fitness based on their appearance. To be sure it will not be perfect. Besides which, the point is not to be a perfect judge of fitness—the point is to find ways to tweak one’s goals in order to have sufficient motivation to go to the gym regularly.
If you think of “fitness buffs” as being a special clique, then noticing other potential members of the clique and feeling like you belong to something bigger than yourself can reinforce your “fitness buff” identity. However, this technique can be very counterproductive. Women in the US and elsewhere are often socialized to compete with each other on the basis of appearance already, so noticing fitter women is already something that we do with not necessarily very positive results.
Actually, I try to keep appearance out my mind when I exercise because I’ve had issues with body dysmorphic disorder. Instead, I identify as someone who’s into, say, urban cycling. Now I notice when other people are carrying a bike helmet with them when they’re in a shop, for instance. I feel like a part of a group, and this feeling of identity encourages me to keep biking.
By the way, the idea that you can tell how fit or healthy someone is just by looking at them isn’t correct. Some thin, healthy-looking people don’t exercise, and some people who are overweight are actually quite healthy according to other measures of fitness, so I’d shy away from using appearance as a proxy for fitness.
That’s not exactly what I was saying, although your point here is correct too I suspect. My point is that fitness buffs have a tendency to look at other peoples’ bodies just as car buffs have a tendency to look at other peoples’ cars and gun buffs have a tendency to look at other peoples’ guns.
Well that’s a different issue. But I do think there’s more of a problem with people putting not enough mental energy into fitness than too much.
You can make a decent guess about a person’s level of fitness based on their appearance. To be sure it will not be perfect. Besides which, the point is not to be a perfect judge of fitness—the point is to find ways to tweak one’s goals in order to have sufficient motivation to go to the gym regularly.