In general I agree with you that the vast majority of people at a gym are concerned with their own workout, not with judging other people. I tend to be more careful how I sling that advice around now, though, because too many of my heavier friends have direct experience with hurtful comments when they go into a gym. It's probably true that the people making those comments are not the ones working out themselves, and thus anyone who is already has a leg up on them, but that requires a lot of focus to think about when you've just gotten a metaphorical punch in the emotional solar plexus.
So I wouldn't say "there's no reason to feel self-conscious", though I would stress that the overwhelming majority of people who actually know what their talking about are more likely to applaud than to censure a newbie or anyone who doesn't fit their own preconceptions of a fit person.
(Your last sentence is the exact story of my last regatta. At least I *finished*.)
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Date: 2013-06-20 08:38 pm (UTC)So I wouldn't say "there's no reason to feel self-conscious", though I would stress that the overwhelming majority of people who actually know what their talking about are more likely to applaud than to censure a newbie or anyone who doesn't fit their own preconceptions of a fit person.
(Your last sentence is the exact story of my last regatta. At least I *finished*.)