The best business advice I’ve ever heard was when Mind the Mat had just opened and other similar studios near us were opening as well. This sage advice was from the queen herself…Oprah. In a documentary of some sort, she was remarking on how many copy-cat-style talk shows were popping up as she was surfing her wave of early TV success. Instead of diverting her attention and focus to worrying about these new talk shows, she decided to look inward and keep her eyes on doing what she loved. In the beginning of Mind the Mat, I repeated this Oprah-inspired mantra over and over:

“Don’t worry about what other people are doing, just do what you do really really well.”

This mindset has helped us form like-minded partnerships and set community goals based on our mission: uplifting others and connecting through movement. 

Fast forward to today and the creative developments and trends impacting the world, and business, of fitness. Don’t get me wrong, I love an innovative reason to motivate people to exercise, as exercise is the key to living a long and happy life. But, at some point this “business” or industry gets a little carried away with unnecessary trends, and a disconnect from its purpose ensues.

Originally, I was focused on my top 5 fitness trends that needed to die (I can get into those at another time), but with the recent arrival of a much anticipated busy January, Mind the Mat has been delightfully filled with new faces, energy, excitement, and of course…the singular dreaded trend that spreads like a virus within the walls of all gyms, studios and on social media:

Comparison.

Now, you are right, comparison is not a fitness trend, but it is a negative byproduct of this prominent trend: competition. Competition of course isn’t all bad, we see it at our kids games (shoot, I went to 3 hockey games this past weekend, my kid is the goalie, I GET competition). We see competition on the tennis and pickleball courts. And if you know me well, you know I am a competitive Spades player, in fact, I’ve been told to my face by friends that they do not enjoy playing cards with me because I am a bit too competitive, so maybe that’s not a good example. 😆 Overall, good friendly competition has many benefits. But not when it comes to your health. Your health is not a competition.

So, sorry (not sorry) Peloton leaderboard lovers and sorry Purple Postulation people (you’ll get it), your ranking in class and/or your heart rate plastered on the wall, visible to everyone, may actually not be motivating you like you think it does…it’s breeding comparison and comparison will pull you down.

Here are my top three reasons why:

1. Distraction: We already compare ourselves to others too much. Social media comparison alone is proven to affect our mental health. When we compare ourselves to others during a class or session we are not able to fully focus on ourselves and our own greatness as Oprah inspired most beautifully. I notice in class sometimes that people look around the room, mainly to make sure they are doing the move correctly or following along at the group pace. But how do we know those people are doing the right thing? I joke about this in class, “Don’t look at her, she’s doing it wrong!” Most people laugh, but others are still distracted by the form of their fellow mat neighbor and don’t even hear important cues and instructions. When we compare, we lose out on the profoundness of the movements. What should you do if you maybe missed the instructor cue or find yourself lost in a class? When I see someone make eye contact with me, or even raise their hand, I understand there is a need for my attention and I come over to help. Try this in your favorite class next time you find yourself in need of assistance. That’s what we are here for!

2. Disconnect: During a meeting last week, two of my favorite yoga teachers, Sara and Caroline, weighed in on the subject of comparison and disconnect. Luckily I turned on my voice-to-text feature:

 “When you take your attention outside of yourself, and focus on someone else, it’s more comfortable than looking inward. This is a red flag. When people are uncomfortable with looking inward, they are more inclined to default to looking outside. And when you look outside, you have an excuse for why you’re doing something a certain way. Like I’m looking to see if I’m doing it right because it’s more uncomfortable and if I don’t do it right, I have an excuse. They can dissociate from themselves.”

We further discussed integration and the importance of allowing movement (exercise) to develop within ourselves, to “integrate” into our motor planning for an improved functional outcome and to further connect the mind and body. I don’t have enough space here to go into the research and benefits on mind-body practices, but the take-home is:

When you look outside and compare yourself to someone else, that disconnect takes away from your own personal growth and development.

3. Fixed Mindset: Research shows that a fixed mindset is a major barrier to positive change. Starting or staying consistent with an exercise program already has enough barriers (can you name a few?). Did you know that when you compare yourself to others you may be inadvertently practicing a fixed mindset? An example of this is: “She is able to hold a plank longer than I am, so I am just not going to get strong like she is. So, I can’t do this.” It sounds so elementary, but I see this all the time in full grown adults. It seems silly doesn't it? But we all do it. Practice this growth mindset instead: “Wow look at her form, she is strong, I am going to focus on my own form now and I will get stronger”. If we think of exercise as a team and not as a competition, a growth mindset is born as we cheer each other on!

How do you practice being fully present during your workouts or when you go to the studio? When do you find yourself distracted by comparison? I’d love to hear from you. Please DM me @drmeganbrown on Instagram. Or come see me at Mind the Mat!