Stop Being Jerks

I was going to do "15 Things I Learned in 2015" blog post, BUT everyone did a version of that and I am really about doing my own thing, so I will no longer do that post! You also will never see me wearing a LoveYourLemon beanie, now that every female fitness IGer bought one and posted the same picture as the girl before her. #sorrynotsorry. Doesn't anyone do anything new anymore?

ANYWAY.

My topic today was inspired by my gorgeous and jacked friend, Greta. The premise is, more or less, things that non-competitors (whether it be powerlifting or bodybuilding) say to competitors, and why it's shitty. And what you could say instead and be less of a jerk! So let's go!

1. "You eat like a (bird, rabbit, grasshopper, etc)." So yesterday at lunch you saw me walk out of my office eating a salad, and now presume to know my entire diet? LOL ok. Sorry that you didn't see the two meat patties and protein bar I ate in my office right before that. Or the oats, eggs, toast, fruit, and protein shake for breakfast. Unless you are with a person every hour of the day, you do not know what they eat, or how much they eat. It is ignorant and rude to say something like this, and can really make a competitor feel singled out and bullied.

2. "This must be your cheat meal!" No. Eating isn't cheating. Kill the idea of cheat meals. Please.

3. "You went to the gym today already? Gosh that makes me feel bad!" Hi, my training and my work ethic isn't about you. Get over yourself! It's about me. competitors don't work hard to make other people feel bad about themselves, it's completely self-motivated. Don't make it awkward.

4. "You eat a ton! I could never eat that much." Cool story, bro. Competitors can eat a lot because they work a lot. Sounds like you're jealous and tired of under eating and still being skinny-fat. Don't shame a competitor for their eating habits....don't shame anyone for their eating habits, actually. That's how people develop unhealthy relationships with food.

5. "You're so good for not eating a cupcake!" A person is not good or bad based on what they eat. This is a concept that has been forced on you by #dietculture. It is destructive thinking. Kill it! And while you're at it, remember that someone's diet and will power does not make them good or bad.

6. "You're doing a bikini competition? Like where you wear a skimpy bikini and hooker heels?" Yes, that's part of it. That's the part that comes after an off season of lifting heavy shit and a cut of 16-20 weeks of serious hard work in the gym. But yes, thank you for summarizing with what I will wearing for one day. Do you feel better about yourself now that you belittled someone's hard work?

7. "I would never want to look like that." This is my favorite, and honestly, this is the response it deserves, "oh good, you probably don't have it in you anyway." Seriously. Jealously is so thinly veiled sometimes.

Don't be jerks. If you feel it necessary to comment on someone's body or habits, whether it be in person or on social media, say something positive. We all need it.