Dear Planet Fitness,
When I first heard about your "Judgement Free" policy, I thought that sounded really kind of nice. Although I am a person who enjoys exercise and fitness, I have always been intimidated by those who are more knowledgeable about fitness than I am. I have always been intimidated by free weights, and, even though I know and believe that free weights are better for you than machines, I have always used the machines instead because of my fear of looking stupid. Somehow, through a commercial or a friend who used your gym, I'm not really sure how, but somehow I heard about your policy on judgement, and it sounded good.
So I joined your gym.
I joined on a particularly busy afternoon, which was good for you, because your employees were too busy to give me a tour around the gym. Had they, I would NOT have joined. The employee told me that I could go and look around, and I did for like, a second, and then I decided to join. They had pretty much everything I wanted. Ok, they had treadmills and they were cheap, and that's all I really cared about at that time.
I did my first workout that day. I was mid workout when I heard this loud, scary alarm. I thought that maybe it was a fire alarm or something. I had no idea what I was hearing. I looked around to see if anybody knew about the evacuation protocol, as I assumed we would have to evacuate. But nobody did anything. Nobody even looked concerned. Nobody really cared. That's when I saw it. The "Lunk Alarm." Someone had set it off. I was alarmed, but since nobody else seemed to be, I figured it was just something I missed in my rushed sign-up process, and I continued with my work-out, praying that it wasn't because of me or anything I did.
What I came to learn was that that alarm is set off when someone is acting like a "Lunk." When someone is grunting, dropping weights, wearing obnoxious clothes, etc. When someone is behaving like a scary, intimidating exercise-aholic. These people, apparently, are called "Lunks."
This did not set well with me.
What I came to realize was that you were, in fact, judging these people called "Lunks." So much so that you publically humiliated someone. A loud, blinking alarm would go off to show everyone, "Hey, look, there's a Lunk present." To me, it sounded a lot like judgement.
At first, I let it go. I figured it must be a rare occassion when someone sets off the Lunk Alarm. But it wasn't rare. In fact, every single time I visited that gym, I'd hear it several times. It was distracting. It always startled me. And what's worse was that it affected my time there.
I became afraid that I would set off the Lunk Alarm, and that everyone's attention would be brought to me, and that I would be embarrassed. I joined that gym so that people would NOT notice what I was doing. And there it was, this ever-present, looming risk of everyone looking at me.
Is that what you really wanted?
To be "judgement free" is not a good thing. It's ok to judge people's actions. It's ok to say that lunks are intimidating (that is a judgement). It's ok to say that Lunks aren't welcome, if that's what you're going for. But that's your judgement. And it's not being "judgement free."
When I saw one of your commercials, I couldn't believe it. Look at it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPwG7Rd9oHU. Now, first of all, I've never been to a gym where people acted like they do in those commercials. Also, they are blatantly making fun of those so-called "Lunks." They are degrading to them. They are rude. You know who is the problem? YOU are.
Like I said, I'm ok with it if you don't want those people to be in your gym. But you know, you should show them a little bit of dignity, even if you don't like them. Wouldn't YOU expect the same?
I am no longer a member of your gym, because YOU intimidated me with YOUR judging. YOU made me even more afraid to try the free-weights than I would have been without your alarm.
Be judgement free, or don't. But don't pretend to be when you aren't. Your selling a product you aren't providing, and because of it, you lost a customer.
Krissy
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Say Something
Do you ever just need someone to say something NICE to you? Something kind? Something good?
I do.
I feel like people have lost the ability to give real compliments. People are so quick to criticize these days. And their criticisms are extremely specific, whereas, their compliments are not. For instance, "The way you decorated this room is really nice." Well, WHAT is nice? WHAT do you like? Do you like the picture frame I picked out? Or the place I put it? Or the color for the wall? Or the couch color? WHAT do you like about this "Nice" room? But, if they have a criticism, it's extremely specific. "This chair doesn't match the rest of the room." Really? I hadn't noticed.
I have been getting my feelings hurt a lot lately. I feel like there is just nothing good about me. People tell me so often that I am weird. Or that I am "such a red-head," whatever that means.
There's a Christmas movie that is played on Hallmark, where the single mom says that all she wants for Christmas is for a stranger to compliment her. When I heard that in the movie (last year), I thought, "Me, too!"
I often talk about how Catholics aren't supposed to be "nice." We are supposed to tell the Truth, and sometimes the Truth isn't nice. But you know what? Sometimes it is. To paraphrase Ephesians 4:29, we should only say things that are helpful. "White-lies" aren't helpful, but real compliments are. And, it's just been so long since someone has said something truly nice, without sarcasm, without adding something critical afterwards, that I feel like, I don't know, like I'd just crumble and die if it happened. A pure compliment.
I'd like to challenge you to do this for the people in your life. All the people. And, if there is someone in your life who really annoys you, who you really can't stand, who you fight with a lot, then work extra hard to compliment them for real. But do it. It'll be good for that person, because, they probably need to hear it. But it'll be good for you, too. What do you say? Give it a try!
I do.
I feel like people have lost the ability to give real compliments. People are so quick to criticize these days. And their criticisms are extremely specific, whereas, their compliments are not. For instance, "The way you decorated this room is really nice." Well, WHAT is nice? WHAT do you like? Do you like the picture frame I picked out? Or the place I put it? Or the color for the wall? Or the couch color? WHAT do you like about this "Nice" room? But, if they have a criticism, it's extremely specific. "This chair doesn't match the rest of the room." Really? I hadn't noticed.
I have been getting my feelings hurt a lot lately. I feel like there is just nothing good about me. People tell me so often that I am weird. Or that I am "such a red-head," whatever that means.
There's a Christmas movie that is played on Hallmark, where the single mom says that all she wants for Christmas is for a stranger to compliment her. When I heard that in the movie (last year), I thought, "Me, too!"
I often talk about how Catholics aren't supposed to be "nice." We are supposed to tell the Truth, and sometimes the Truth isn't nice. But you know what? Sometimes it is. To paraphrase Ephesians 4:29, we should only say things that are helpful. "White-lies" aren't helpful, but real compliments are. And, it's just been so long since someone has said something truly nice, without sarcasm, without adding something critical afterwards, that I feel like, I don't know, like I'd just crumble and die if it happened. A pure compliment.
I'd like to challenge you to do this for the people in your life. All the people. And, if there is someone in your life who really annoys you, who you really can't stand, who you fight with a lot, then work extra hard to compliment them for real. But do it. It'll be good for that person, because, they probably need to hear it. But it'll be good for you, too. What do you say? Give it a try!
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
My Thoughts on Fall
I can be kind of mean sometimes. I have to preface this post with that sentence because, you're going to see me be mean today. I am, honestly, ashamed of my meanness. But, alas, it happens. And it's going to look like I am proud of it because of the fact that I am writing this today. Also, another disclaimer is that this is not exactly a "Catholic" post. It's just something that I think.
I once "Unfriended" someone from Facebook because they responded to a post that I wrote about hating fall with this hashtag, "#campaigntoendfallhate." Like, I am not allowed to have the personal opinion that fall is annoying. That I am not allowed to dislike fall. I'm sorry, but since when am I not allowed to not enjoy a season of the year?
Granted, that "friendship" was bit of a joke always anyway. That girl hurt my feelings a lot of the time with insensitive, un-compassionate comments. Everything was always about her, and sometimes I needed things to about me. Although our Facebook friendship ended with this comment, there was, in fact, a lot of things that contributed to the demise of our friendship. But it was still a mean reason for me to un-friend her.
Anyway, I hate fall. And one of the reasons that I hate fall is that it turns people into pretentious snobs. Like my friend. I tried explaining to her that I don't like that I always get sick, and that I don't like Pumpkin flavored things, and that I am not a big fan of wet leaves, and that I don't have cute clothes or money to buy cute clothes (which are very expensive), and so I don't get to participate in fall-clothes season. And even if I could, I would feel self-conscious and ugly because someone would inevitably tell me that something didn't look good or that it didn't match or something. And I'd be embarrassed and hate myself and never want to come back outside again.
Plus, fall means that winter is just around the corner. And I hate winter. I hate it so much. I dread it. It makes me sad. It makes me angry. It makes me frustrated. I don't like the snow. I don't like the cold. I don't like wind. I don't like worrying about pipes bursting, or cars crashing, or tree branches falling, or slipping on ice. I. HATE. WINTER. Which is another opinion that I'm not allowed to have.
When I tell someone that I hate winter, they say, "Why do you live in Colorado, then?" When I try to preemptively explain that I'd like to move away from Colorado so that they don't ask that question, they say, "Well where would you move?" No answer I give satisfies. "Florida is too humid," "Arizona is too dry," "Hawaii is so expensive." There are bugs and old people or young partiers or it's too hot or whatever. So, they always make me feel stuck here. They always make me feel trapped.
Sometimes I try to suppress these feelings, but, alas, that isn't healthy, either.
I just wish that people would be nice. And I feel like fall brings out the mean in people. Nobody is ever nice to me in the fall. If one person, ONE PERSON, would say to me, "Gosh, it's tough to live in a place that you don't enjoy all year 'round, I'm sorry that you feel that way," then I'd feel so much better. I would feel listened to, encouraged, supported and understood. But no. It's always, "How can you hate fall!?!?!?" Like I'm a freak. Or wrong. Or stupid. Or all of those things.
But I hate the fall. And I hate fall-people. So, if you like the fall, that's great. You can like it all you want. And when you express that to me, my response will probably be something like this, "That's great. I'm so glad that we're in a season you love." Because, you know what? It's ok for you to have a different opinion than mine. And I don't need to take away from your joy by telling you about my frustration. It's not the time for that. But, if I tell you that I don't like fall (which I probably won't do unless there's a reason that's really bothering me at the time), then please, just don't be a jerk. Please. Pretty please. Sometimes, you just need to let me have my own opinion.
I once "Unfriended" someone from Facebook because they responded to a post that I wrote about hating fall with this hashtag, "#campaigntoendfallhate." Like, I am not allowed to have the personal opinion that fall is annoying. That I am not allowed to dislike fall. I'm sorry, but since when am I not allowed to not enjoy a season of the year?
Granted, that "friendship" was bit of a joke always anyway. That girl hurt my feelings a lot of the time with insensitive, un-compassionate comments. Everything was always about her, and sometimes I needed things to about me. Although our Facebook friendship ended with this comment, there was, in fact, a lot of things that contributed to the demise of our friendship. But it was still a mean reason for me to un-friend her.
Anyway, I hate fall. And one of the reasons that I hate fall is that it turns people into pretentious snobs. Like my friend. I tried explaining to her that I don't like that I always get sick, and that I don't like Pumpkin flavored things, and that I am not a big fan of wet leaves, and that I don't have cute clothes or money to buy cute clothes (which are very expensive), and so I don't get to participate in fall-clothes season. And even if I could, I would feel self-conscious and ugly because someone would inevitably tell me that something didn't look good or that it didn't match or something. And I'd be embarrassed and hate myself and never want to come back outside again.
Plus, fall means that winter is just around the corner. And I hate winter. I hate it so much. I dread it. It makes me sad. It makes me angry. It makes me frustrated. I don't like the snow. I don't like the cold. I don't like wind. I don't like worrying about pipes bursting, or cars crashing, or tree branches falling, or slipping on ice. I. HATE. WINTER. Which is another opinion that I'm not allowed to have.
When I tell someone that I hate winter, they say, "Why do you live in Colorado, then?" When I try to preemptively explain that I'd like to move away from Colorado so that they don't ask that question, they say, "Well where would you move?" No answer I give satisfies. "Florida is too humid," "Arizona is too dry," "Hawaii is so expensive." There are bugs and old people or young partiers or it's too hot or whatever. So, they always make me feel stuck here. They always make me feel trapped.
Sometimes I try to suppress these feelings, but, alas, that isn't healthy, either.
I just wish that people would be nice. And I feel like fall brings out the mean in people. Nobody is ever nice to me in the fall. If one person, ONE PERSON, would say to me, "Gosh, it's tough to live in a place that you don't enjoy all year 'round, I'm sorry that you feel that way," then I'd feel so much better. I would feel listened to, encouraged, supported and understood. But no. It's always, "How can you hate fall!?!?!?" Like I'm a freak. Or wrong. Or stupid. Or all of those things.
But I hate the fall. And I hate fall-people. So, if you like the fall, that's great. You can like it all you want. And when you express that to me, my response will probably be something like this, "That's great. I'm so glad that we're in a season you love." Because, you know what? It's ok for you to have a different opinion than mine. And I don't need to take away from your joy by telling you about my frustration. It's not the time for that. But, if I tell you that I don't like fall (which I probably won't do unless there's a reason that's really bothering me at the time), then please, just don't be a jerk. Please. Pretty please. Sometimes, you just need to let me have my own opinion.
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