Judgement-Free Zone

I saw a sign in a gym the other day: "Judgement-Free Zone". The gym was one of those huge ones with enormous plate-glass windows showcasing the cardio machines (and possibly weight training area, etc.; I didn't look closely enough to tell).

And I wonder - can that really be a judgement-free zone?

One of the reasons that I love my gym is that it doesn't have the whole plate-glass-window thing going on. I like that the crowd there is mixed; men of the rippling-muscle persuasion work out ten feet away from grey-haired, overweight couples. Moreover, it's three stories up; there are windows, you can't see much from outside. My body image isn't terrible, but neither is it flawless, and I would hate to have my sweaty, red-faced self in full view of the public as I hustled along on an elliptical.

Except - wait - I run in public. I don't mind that. And... I don't know what the difference is.

I know that, when I run outside, I open myself up to the scrutiny - however brief, however minimal - of the people I run past. At the same time, though, everyone out there on the sidewalk is in the same boat; the only difference is that most of them aren't running. I don't feel (very) self-conscious because I am aware that very few people really give a damn that I am huffing and puffing and really not very attractive while running. Somehow it is different with, you know, running in place and a giant plate-glass window. To many, I am sure that is fine (or better than fine). To me, it just... doesn't feel comfortable. Doesn't feel non-judgemental.