Dreaded Mirrors at the Gym

Have you ever really taken notice of the gyms you've visited and how some have mirrors on just about every wall, whereas others have few scattered around?

Which one do you prefer? Which is more encouraging?

I personally enjoy the mirrors, but only in the free weight area, for the simple fact that I'm able to look at my posture and make sure that I'm doing the exercise correctly. Other than that, mirrors in the gym are a bit of a discouragement.

According to a study reported in a Health Psychology, "women who exercised in front of a mirror for 20 minutes felt less energized, less relaxed and less upbeat and positive than women who exercised without a mirror."

The study, which was performed by the McMaster University, also found that "women who didn't exercise with a mirror felt less physically exhausted after a workout, while those who did their workout in front of a mirror reported no change in their levels of exhaustion."

Not much else was discussed regarding this study, but this is something I've talked about with friends and family members who work out on a regular basis.

According to WellBridge.com, "health clubs typically use mirrors predominantly in group exercise and personal training studios where they are used primarily to aid in instruction and provide visual feedback for the participant to help him/her attain correct form."

Scienceblog.com put it best when they stated, "certainly if a woman leaves the gym feeling even worese than when she arrived, she will not be particularly motivated to continue exercising in the future."

My friend Kathy believes that was the case when she first starting working out. "I used to be running on the treadmill and not like what I was looking at. I eventually had to just train myself not to look at the mirror when I was working out, unless it was during a class I was taking. I understand gyms want to have mirrors around, or maybe they're required, but it is quite a distraction."

Which way do you prefer to work out?

Leave your thoughts by clicking on the comments link below.

Have a great weekend everyone!