The uphill walk (battle?) to get to the Hart Center is only the start of the struggle that is Hart…
1. The climb up the endless mountain (this counts as part of my workout right??)..
2. Finding a locker in the upstairs (NARP?) gym that is actually unoccupied…
3. Actually getting a locker and forgetting which one is yours when you finish your workout. You proceed to then open every single locker until you find the one that holds your…swipe.
4.Finding a free eliptical or treadmill.. don’t even try to workout around the 5 o’clock hour.
5. Pretending to know what you’re doing while using the weight machines (props to you if you do more than cardio).
6. Getting into an overly competitive race with the person on the eliptical next to you (then you proceed to aggressively try to beat/match their pace/number of calories burned).
7. Having to work out next to random faculty/staff/elderly men (I wouldn’t mind working out next to Sis though).
8. The rare occasion that the NARP gym is free of Lulu clad ladies… and then some girl has to take the eliptical next to you (at least she’ll push you to workout harder??).
9. Being overly self-conscious of yourself on the elliptical or treadmill because of the people lifting weights directly behind you. (are they really lifting though? It seems like they lift for maybe 3 minutes, take a quick glance around to see if any of their buddies are there and then spend another 5 minutes getting water to replenish themselves for another 3 minutes of weight training…jus sayin’)
10. Getting way too startled when someone drops their massive weight on the ground behind you and almost falling of your machine.
11. Walking into the weight/abs rooms and being really excited you have the room to yourself until someone else walks in. Â Awkward eye contact ensues for the duration of your ab workout (really you just lay on the floor and scroll through Insta).
12. Getting off the machine looking absolutely repulsive and having to wait in line for a paper towel only to realize that the person in front of you is the hottie from your calc class (maybe don’t ask him for a pencil tomorrow??).
13. Gazing onto the turf at the practicing sports team and making awkward eye contact with one of the players.
14. …Gazing onto the turf at the practicing sports team and getting all hot and bothered as you’re excessively panting on the treadmill.
The gym is a culmination of everything good, bad, and awkward. If you still make the trek despite the possibilities of these issues occurring, then you are an inspiration to us all and we commend you. However, if you gather up the motivation to even think about going to the gym then major props to you too! That is sometimes all that counts.