We can’t fight judgment with judgment.

This morning I was at the gym. I occasionally go to Planet Fitness.

One of the brand’s core slogans, plastered across its walls, stalls, and fitness equipment, tells members that they are entering a “judgment free zone.”

The goal in this statement is that Planet Fitness hopes to create a safe space where members can be themselves and in turn are expected to respect and not judge other members for their workout styles and current place in their fitness journeys.

On a wall in each of its gyms, Planet Fitness has their trademark “Lunk Alarm.” 

When a member is acting as staff deem to be a “lunk,” a staff member has the power to sound the lunk alarm, which lets out a blaring siren sound, alerting the whole gym.

This rarely happens at my gym; however, this morning the “Lunk Alarm” was sounded. I immediately looked up, startled. I immediately realized the irony behind the “Lunk Alarm” and how it actually is counterproductive to the environment Planet Fitness’s core mantra, to be a “judgment free zone,” is meant to create. 

Fire Cannot Fight Fire

Unsurprisingly, I am not the first person to realize this. In Reddit’s “Irony” thread, a redditor aptly stated the irony behind the "Lunk Alarm," which is actually a tool empowering Planet Fitness’ staff to judge and publicly shame its “out of line” members.

My personal interpretation of the company’s slogans and branding is that eliminating judgment is really a secondary goal for Planet Fitness.

The ultimate goal they are striving for is to create an environment where members feel as little intimidation as possible to continue their fitness journeys, at whatever stage they might be. An environment that allows judgment, whether by members or by Planet Fitness, runs counter to that mission.

Be Part Of The Solution

In a world replete with judgments and counterjudgments, I believe this is a perfect, instructive example that we can learn from.

At some point we need to stop the habit of seeing judgment as a solution, take ownership of our actions, stand-up and say, “No more. I will be part of the solution. I will not continue perpetuating the problem.”

As Einstein is famously quoted for saying, “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

Next time you start to judge, developing narratives built on preconceptions, take a second to pause and reflect.