Lifting gloves:
Disclaimer: “Trolls” on the internet love to pick on people who wear lifting gloves - just ignore them. Whether you need lifting gloves is for you to decide and is no indication of how much you can lift, how “beast” you are, or anything of the sort. Many bars and barbells have a knurled surface (is that a fun word or what?). You’ve probably seen it, the pattern of thousands of diamonds that cover most of the bar, it’s there so athletes can get a better grip on the bar. This knurling, however, doesn’t make for a particularly pleasant grip and can cause the hands some discomfort – to reduce this discomfort, some people choose to wear lifting gloves. Others wear gloves to improve their grip when their hands start to sweat, and others wear gloves for entirely different reasons. Point is, if they’re going to benefit you, go right ahead. Don’t feel the need to put on a brave face while the bar exfoliates your hands. It doesn’t make you any more awesome than the guy or gal next to you whose hands aren’t the same shade of bright red.
Source: harbingerfitness.comBrand-name apparel:
I’m not even going to go there. Your body is just as strong and just as amazing in your highschool gym shorts as it is in Lululemon yoga pants that set you back $140, or bright green UnderArmour sweats.
I’ve never really participated in a group fitness class that wasn’t a quiet, restorative yoga session. As such, I had no idea what to expect from the “Cardio Kickbox” drop-in fitness class offered at the Goldring Centre. I came into the class without expectations, exhausted after a long day on campus, and somehow I walked out energized and uplifted.
Basically. Source: memeshappen.com
As much as I enjoy putting a mouth guard in and my fists up, I’m a princess at heart. A clumsy princess, but a princess nonetheless.
That's supposed to be a crown...
Only two sessions remain in my Skating Level I class at Varsity Centre. I’d say I’m going to miss it, but I already know I won’t be able to resist picking up where I left off in the new year. I registered in the class in September because my skating could only ever take me in one general direction and my favourite – and only – way to stop on skates was body-checking the boards. I’m happy to announce I’ve not only developed my skating skills and feel much more comfortable in my skates, but I’ve also gained a new appreciation for figure skating and have enjoyed my chance to be an awkward ice princess.
Last week, I started my skating class at Varsity Centre. I LOVED it.
In addition to registering for the class, I registered to rent skate – which I’ll have access to every week for the hour I spend in class. I haven’t put on a pair of my own skates in a long time, so I imagined any pair I could dig up at home would be four sizes too small. I really appreciate the option to rent because not only is it inexpensive ($20 for the duration of the class) but it also means I’m not lugging skates to and from campus on top of my course materials.
When I got to Varsity Centre, I swiped my TCard and made my way to the arena (a familiar route, having attended a couple of MoveU skating events there already).
This is the entrance to Varsity Centre where you swipe your T-Card.
It wasn’t long before I ran into my coach, whom I identified right away (she was wearing a big headband with the word “SKATE” across the front so… lucky guess). Shannon later explained that what she was wearing was a concussion headband with significant padding to protect her head. “Cool!” I thought.
I’ve realized I’ve done you all a great disservice by not expanding the perspective from which I write. I’ve recently come to appreciate just how easy it may be for me to engage in physical activity on campus compared to some of my peers. So this year, I vow to do my best to step out of my shoes and into some of yours.
To start, I asked what prevents students from participating. With help from my peers and the people of Reddit, I’ve become aware of a few big hurdles…
Nobody likes to be the new kid. Being new at the gym can be incredibly unnerving. I can totally understand that. Gym culture these days is hard to avoid and it seems to be growing increasingly garish.
The community can be a little intense sometimes. Source: goodmorningquote.com
