They say just getting to the gym is the hardest part of working out. It’s important that everyone has a place they feel comfortable exercising where they’ll be free of judgment and harassment. One mother is saying the gym she belonged to failed to provide such a space.

Shelby Rodriguez is a mother from Alberta, Canada.

She broke down crying recently on a TikTok video after being asked to leave her gym.

Shelby was given a warning for her workout attire.

Shelby wore a sports bra and leggings to the gym. Less than 1 inch of her midsection was left exposed by the ensemble. This was against the gym’s dress code, however, which forbids the wearing of sports bras.

Shelby was given a warning and just told to be mindful of the policy for next time. She was given a wristband and allowed to enter the gym to start her workout.

‘She said, “It’s fine for this time but just so you know for next time.”‘ said Shelby in her TikTok video.

Another employee then asked her to leave.

As she was working out, however, the gym’s program coordinator told Shelby she needed to leave the gym.

Shelby had been recording her workouts to track her weight loss so you can imagine the embarrassment she felt when the gym told her to get out.

“I’m so embarrassed,” Shelby said in the video.

Shelby posts her story to TikTok.

It’s one thing to not let someone into a gym because of what they are wearing, or instructing them to cover up before entering. It’s an entirely different thing to ask someone to leave in the middle of their workout after another staff member already let them in, however.

“Well, we just can’t have our bellies hanging out,” one staff member is said to have commented to her.

When Shelby spoke to Inside Edition about this incident, she noted that she does not feel the gym would have treated her this way if she was a smaller woman.

“I don’t think she would have made that comment to just anybody. That if it was a smaller lady standing there at the counter, that that comment wouldn’t have been made.”

Gyms need to be judgment-free zones.

Physical fitness is important for everyone. Unfortunately, some people are put off going to gyms because they feel they will be judged negatively by staff or other members.

Body-shaming at gyms is, unfortunately, an all-too-common problem. A letter posted to Reddit titled “The overweight girl at the gym” recently highlighted personal stories some women have of dealing with this issue.

“This is my first week at the gym and every night after work, the same three girls are there. Today I found out they have been snap chatting pictures of me and making fun of me, but I don’t mind,” the letter reads.

“It really sucks that society, and your parents raised you that it was okay to try to hurt someone that’s trying to better themselves instead of trying to lift them up but I’m not mad. Thank you for reminding me to keep pushing after I had a really long day.”

Shelby receives support from others.

Shelby has received support from numerous people and other gyms. Many viewers of Inside Edition’s coverage of her story felt compelled to leave a comment.

“Im actually confused , would a gym do that? as gym is an enviroment for people to work out and lose weight . its hardly believable,” one viewer wrote.

“I never knew there were gyms that didnt allow the use of sports bras. it just really doesnt make any sense,” another viewer wrote.

“To be fair I’ve never heard of a gym not allowing sports bras that’s kinda ridiculous. Like not allowing tank tops for guys,” another viewer pointed out.

Watch the video below!

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Source: Inside Edition/Shelby Bellz