I Don’t Have Time To Exercise! : My Trip to the New Goldring Centre

So, I don’t do “exercise”, but I know I should. I think this is a predicament that most students face, especially at good ol’ U of T. Honestly, since I quit smoking and moved out of residence, I have gained weight. Food has really just become another addiction for me to get through a routine essay-writing session. So instead of going out for a smoke break, I eat a big hunk of cheese. Although I don’t have a scale in my apartment, when you start struggling to put on a pair of pants you bought two months ago, you know you have a problem. A lack of exercise has not only caused me to gain weight, but it has also exacerbated my symptoms of depression and anxiety. Plus, it has made me lethargic. Given my family history of high blood pressure and diabetes, you can imagine that this mode of coping is not exactly ideal. We all know that doctors recommend thirty minutes of exercise everyday, but who has time for that? In between my two jobs, five courses, and extracurricular activities, I barely have time to sleep! Yet, after speaking with my doctors, I thought I would give this whole “running without a destination,” and “sweat-machines” thing a try. After quite a stressful day working with the History Students’ Association and the Trinity College Equity Training group, I headed to the gym as promised. So Haley, you went to Hart House? Although HH certainly has a great gym, I decided to go to the new Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport. The Goldring Centre is open from 7am to 11pm everyday, and you can find out more information here. Aside from the intimidating name, if you are a U of T Student (full-time, part-time, graduate, undergraduate- doesn’t matter!), you are automatically a gym member. If you haven’t seen this building already, it is a multi-storey exercise facility housing a 2,000-seat fieldhouse, strength and conditioning centre, fitness studio, sport medicine clinic, and research and teaching laboratories.

But I just went to the elliptical. With my earplugs on, I timed my clock to forty-five minutes and went at it.

Aside from realizing how out of shape I am, my trip to the gym did in fact make me feel more relaxed. To be forced to be away from my computer and my school and just focus on my health was really soothing. So, although this one exercise run may have not made me a gym junkie, it certainly convinced me to go again next Friday.

Lots of love, Haley