Judging You By Your Looks is Okay

You ever heard someone tell you that you can never judge a book by its cover?

That's absolutely not true.

If we're talking about physical characteristics that cannot be changed (skin, hair, height, etc.), then yeah, you're an asshole if you judge people by those criteria.

But if we're talking about characteristics that you can change, then judge away! (This is mostly about fitness, so don't be a weirdo.)

I’ve experienced first-hand what it takes to become visibly fit while I was losing weight. What I noticed was that people did, in fact, judge me differently when they could physically see that I was disciplined.

This has happened in reverse, as well.

While working at Blink, I saw this young woman with an incredible amount of extra skin. 

I judged her right away.

I considered her to be a badass who most likely lost more weight than I did. (Losing more than 100lbs instantly gets my respect.)

And you know what?

After speaking with her, I confirmed that this was the case. My judgment was correct. 

When it comes to fitness, judgments are usually justified.

People who don’t respect ("respecting" is different from "appreciating" or "preferring") a fit physique are usually people who don’t understand the hard work it takes. They’re the people who think you can “accidentally get too bulky.”

Here's the thing: If you’re fit (yes, even if you use steroids), that is proof that you’re able to commit to something challenging for a long time without seeing instant results. 

It’s proof that you have discipline.

It shows, in at least some way, that you value your health and longevity.

Some people try to buy fitness (look up synthol and BBLs), but other fit people will know the truth: that you can only achieve it on your own.

If someone is fit, you can judge them by their appearance, (usually) positively.

What if you don't look fit at all, or don't even care? Well...

No matter what anyone says, you will be judged for not being fit. Maybe not too harshly, but people will do it, even if it’s only subconsciously. Trust me. I know.

Even if everyone on the planet were blind, you should still aim for some kind of fit physique, not because of how it looks, but because of what it represents: you respect yourself.

Lacking the respect of others and having them judge you will probably sap your self-esteem, and you’ll probably deserve it because you’re showing the world (and, more importantly, yourself) that you don’t respect your health enough.

You might be yelling at the screen:

• "Only shallow people care." (Newsflash: Most people are shallow (not that that’s a good thing).)

• "I’m still healthy even if I’m not fit." (That can be true, but imagine if you were naked. Do you think a competent doctor could object to that statement of yours? At all?)

To reiterate, not appearing to be fit will not ruin your life. You will be judged negatively, but it's likely that it'll be negligible. On the other hand, appearing to be fit 100% makes (normal) people judge you positively.

Again, this is about what a fit appearance represents, not the appearance itself. Whether you care or not, appearing to be fit grants you a few perks:

• You can gain more self-respect.

• You can gain the respect of others.

• You can avoid poor judgment from the majority of people.

• You can reap the benefits of discipline and improved health.

If you care about any of those benefits, then here are the steps you can take to acquiring them.

1. Start slow, and start low (intensity).

2. Have a good reason for doing what you’re doing (that's your fuel).

3. Work your way up towards whichever fitness goal you’ve decided is important to you.

4. Remember your reason, and keep up your efforts while marking your milestones along the way. 

5. Despite being an absolutely shameless plug, it’s true that my Balanced Body Blueprint course can help you make your fitness journey pretty simple, especially for newbies.