Welcome Back: The Going To The Gym Edition

I get it. It’s cold outside, and walking for more than 15 minutes makes it feel like every drop of blood inside is freezing. So why bother leaving your place when you can just stay inside, right? The thing is, I know from years of bed-hogging and tv-marathoning experience that slugging around instead of going outside and being productive also makes you feel terrible. With this brutal weather, living a productive life can be a catch-22 for a university student. In the past, I’ve used bad weather as an excuse for being inactive. But now? Not even the frozen pathways of Queens Park were going to stop me from going to the gym (well, because I can just walk around the park instead of go through it…).

It’s just that ever since the holidays, I’ve only been able to exercise at my own place instead of in public. So keeping to my planned schedule, and pact to #tryitUofT, I went to the gym on Monday for the first time in the ever so “fresh” and “new” year of 2014. Going to the Hart House gym for the first time since December 2013, my first initial thoughts were: -“I am going to start back at ‘square one’ - ‘I’ll have to relearn everything." -“Everyone is going to be looking at me.” - “The experience is going to be uncomfortable, just don’t go.” It’s so easy to fall back into feeling insecure when you’ve had some time away. Yet, I was determined not to let anything stop me. Not surprisingly, it was all in my head. Instead, I just picked up where I left off. I was comfortable exercising in public. Once I got into Hart House and left the change room, I found myself naturally making a list in my head of what I wanted to do: stretches, strength, and cardio. Naturally, I walked to the little hidden cove behind the stairs to do my stretches first, where I prepped and warmed myself up for where I was going next: the weight room. Last semester, visiting the weight room was very much a trial-and-error process but having my stretches complete, I felt confident going into the small room full of beautifully-toned weight lifters. And I didn’t compare myself to others around me with my five pound dumbbells. Instead, I just did my biceps and triceps reps, kept to my own, and moved on. Next I went to the main gym area where I hit the elliptical machine for thirty minutes, and after a five-minute stretching rest, did fifteen minutes on the bike. By going to the gym frequently, I’ve realized what I like and what I don’t. For example, running on the track isn’t my favourite, but running on the machine is. Yet I hope to get more acquainted with the track this year, not specifically for running, but just to use it for walking. So I ended my gym-going experience with a nice, albeit brief, walk around the track to cool myself before going back to the change room. In retrospect, the hardest part of going back to the gym was just getting ready to leave my place. But once I got back there, I realized that I underestimated my progress. Just going to the gym reassured me about my capabilities when it comes to reaching my goals. I haven’t fallen off the wagon. And my initial thoughts after my first 2014 gym visit? “You’re still on the right track. Keep on going.” My dear readers, care to share your experiences getting back to a certain routine? —Amanda.