#BodyPositive Gym Is Covering Up Mirrors And Serving Pizza

Gyms and fitness centers today face a lot of competition as more and more people struggle in get in shape and stay there. There are more budget gyms begging for you to come workout than ever before.

Blink Fitness is just one such place. But there's something important that distinguishes them from crowd: their focus on positive body image.

It's central to the gym's message, and this month, they are putting their money where their treadmill is, dedicating 30 days to making the gym a mirror-free environment. 

Yes, they are covering up their mirrors for an entire month.

That's right, you heard me.

Forget flexing for your own amusement in front of the mirrors and making jokes about tickets to the gun show, Blink has bigger plans for your fitness success than visible results.

They have covered all of their facilities' mirrors with brown paper.

Instead of checking out their own reflections, gym bunnies are faced with this message "Do it for the mood, not just the mirror."

I can't think of any other gym that's ever done something so focused on positive body image before. 

The weightlifter in me (she exists, I love me some weight training) worries about the potential impact this has on the form of people who go to the gym to lift heavy weights. For them the mirrors serve a practical purpose. 

While many people think the idea of covering the mirrors is a cool one, it has detractors (like me) who view the mirrors are a necessary component to their pump.

(Lol, I said pump all earnestly, whatever, I stand by it.)

It's not the first time Blink's good intentions have gotten them in some hot water.

They are known for having in-house pizza every Monday, too.

Pizza is delicious, but this is all a mixed message. It's fine to care about how you look, but yes, working out shouldn't be about that alone.

Yes, pizza is good, but you don't have to serve it in a gym to prove that you are a judgment free zone. It's these kind of gimmicks that keep me away from places like these and Planet Fitness.

They espouse a non-judgmental policy and then judge their core members: people who work out regularly. 

Getting rid of the mirrors is a nice sentiment, there's no arguing there. But it's just that: sentiment. If we're going to change the way people view going to the gym to workout, then we need to change the way people view their bodies.

It's going to take a lot more than brown paper and body positive hashtags to do that.