For as long as I can remember, playing sports and maintaining a healthy lifestyle were active goals in my life. I developed my own routine throughout middle and high school and stuck to them pretty strictly, with after-school sports practices and weekend outings being prevalent portions of my memories from that time period. However, just like every other high school senior who was the captain of their sport, my time leading a competition cheerleading team ended abruptly. Just like that, I went from being busy every day in high school to being stripped of my activities. After looking at the club list, I decided that sideline cheerleading didn’t seem like it was for me. What was next?
As daunting as it was, I knew where I needed to head; the Campus Recreation Center. Strength training would be perfect for me, it’s in walking distance, and it’s free. I finished my classes, got dressed, put my hair in a ponytail, and headed out.
Immediately upon arrival, I fought every urge in my body to immediately turn one-eighty degrees, go home, and turn on TV. As a girl, this might’ve been one of the most intimidating experiences ever; me, with obnoxious dyed hair and piercings, alone, with absolutely no clue what I was doing. These machines seemed completely unworkable in comparison to other places I’ve been to, and the sight of a surplus of men in their most testosterone filled state… Not cute.
Like how I deal with most things, I immediately turned the volume on my headphones all the way up. The treadmill seemed a great way to start, and there were plenty of them available. And it was, in fact, an excellent place to start. With my music, of course. I thank everything for my music. It felt like a switch was flipped, and suddenly this sweat infested building on my campus felt like a second home. I’m still not confident enough to do a lot of workouts, stretches, and routines, but I’ve found ways to avoid the “scary” things while still working up the confidence to eventually do them.
For example, I’m terrified of barbell squats. There’s a plethora of things that could go wrong. Just plain psyches me out. I only do them when I have somebody else with me, which isn’t often. Instead, I switch them out for dumbbell squats in a quiet corner, which is still incredibly intimidating. For me, the key seems to be the cliche of “__ like nobody is watching”, which is working out in this case.
After a few months, present day, I’d say it boils down to learning to be confident and carefree while still being mindful, which is a skill I didn’t even believe I’d learn from a few pieces of equipment in a room. I’d believed people, vaguely, when they’d say how much mental strength that physical training takes, but I certainly do now. Teaching yourself healthy habits, unlearning previously believed unhealthy ones, and just feeling good about what you do every day is so important and I’m glad I found this outlet for myself. Whether it be exercise, art, academics, social life, etc. it’s so crucial to find what pushes you and do your best to embrace it, and I’m glad that something as mundane as the Campus Recreation Center could teach me that.