Your Third Space… It’s crucial to your health.
So what is a Third Space? It’s not home. It’s not work. It’s somewhere else — a social, restorative place where you feel connected, alive, and just you. For some it’s the pub, others it’s their church, and in many countries it’s the town square… where you find seas of people just being.
The importance of a third space became more clear over COVID. People went from bed to work, to walk to bed – and sometimes did this all in their own house. The feelings of being confined came from being physically locked in one place, but also mentally unable to reset, connect and express ourselves in a third space. The coffee shop, the library, the park… we all felt the loss of these.
And when gyms closed for a year, we learnt that for a lot of us, the gym is our third space.
Why It Matters for Your Health
Here are some of the deeper “benefits” of having that kind of space:
- Stress Relief & Mental Reset
When your week is filled with emails, roles, responsibilities — the gym becomes a place to shift out of that. Your breathing changes. Your focus changes. Being around people who are doing the same thing gives perspective: you’re not alone in the struggle. - Social Health
Humans are social beings. Connection helps with mood, with motivation, with coping. Having a group of people who are working toward something — encouraging each other — strengthens mental wellbeing in invisible ways. - Motivation & Accountability
When it’s not just you, those mornings are easier. Someone’s going to notice if you miss. Someone’s going to cheer you on. That kind of support structure keeps momentum (“why I got out of bed even if I didn’t feel like it”) intact. - Identity and Consistency
Part of health is who you see yourself as. When you identify as “someone who trains,” or “someone who shows up for their wellbeing,” it changes your decisions. The third space allows you to rehearse that identity — not just on your own terms, but in a public, communal setting.
So we want to make FitLab your Third Space. But you need to do the same. Here’s what you can do:
- Engage with people — say hi, partner up, ask how someone’s doing. Connection builds that sense of belonging.
- Use the space to reset mentally — leave your phone aside, or even at home! Use it as a time to disconnect (and connect!).
- Celebrate small wins — make the gym a place where you can surge yourself forward.
- Reflect on how training here helps you outside the gym — confidence, better mood, stress relief. Recognising this reinforces the value.
- Lastly, and most importantly… Keep it fun! You missed a lift, a class or didn’t PR? That’s cool! Your progress isn’t always linear. Focus on showing up and make sure it’s making you feel good!
Final Thoughts
We hope that FitLab is a Third Space for you, and we’ll continue to work hard to make it friendly, judgement free, and keep delivering a professional service that allows you to express yourself fully.
As well as the gym, keep it’s important to keep an open mind for other spaces that have you feel this way. It could be park, social setting, or a hidden coffee shop (which is where I write this!)
— Coach Steve