Being a sophomore in college, I have had time to grasp the concept of college life and learn how to manage my time properly.  Once I learned how to do these two things, I wanted to better myself on a more physical level.

Last year, I started going to the gym here on campus in an attempt to better my physical well-being.  I was doing a decent job of regularly going to the gym on my own time and finding ways to work going to the Recreation and Wellness center into my schedule.

When I began my sophomore year, I became busy with my classes, job and clubs I joined.  This caused me to remove working out from my schedule.  Recently, however, I decided to get back on track with my fitness routine and take working out more seriously.

One of the main reasons why I wanted to get back on the horse of physical wellness was because I wanted to start taking care of myself better through healthier eating habits and more physical activity in my daily life. I decided that this week would be the week where I put a stop to this procrastination and finally go to the gym.

I decided it was time for Gabe to have a transition in his life through a transformation from the toothpick arm kid who loves procrastinating to a healthier, fit guy who gets stuff done.

When I arrived at the wellness center, I was very nervous about working out.  I didn’t want to look like I didn’t know what I was doing (even though I didn’t), but I left all that fear outside the door and went in to start my workout.

Once inside, I made my way upstairs to the lifting area of the gym where I was going to begin my workout.  When I started to use the first machine, I instantly felt out of place. It seemed like everybody there was three times my size and had been doing this their whole lives.  I would go over to a machine and move the pin from where the person before me had it to the weight that best suited me.  When I would do this, the pin would always be on some crazy amount and I would have to move it in some cases from 300 pounds to where I lift at 50 pounds.  I would do this in a fast motion so nobody would see me moving the pin and would therefore assume I was lifting the 300 pounds.  While I thought this was a genius plan, people could easily see straight through my illusion.

After I finished up on the first two machines, I grew a little discouraged and was thinking of calling it a day.  I realized that there was no way I would ever be able to get to the level these other people were on. Then, all of the sudden, a couple of the bigger athletes started to walk over towards my direction.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the two wanted to talk to me and have a conversation.  The three of us started talking and I found out the two had only been lifting for a couple of years.

When I told them about how nervous I was to start working out, they said it was totally normal for someone to feel that way and that the two of them felt the exact same way when they started to take lifting seriously two years ago.

Before I left, the two wished me good luck and offered to assist me if I ever needed any help with figuring out how to properly work out.

The respect and help offered to me through these two Gannon students really resonated in me and helped me get over my fear of working out.  The two guys who helped me at the gym had a great quote about fitness and how to treat someone who may be nervous about judgment when going to the gym. The quote was, “making fun of somebody who is trying to better themselves physically is like making fun of a homeless person for going to a job fair.”

Through this encounter at the gym, I am more confident and excited to go and embark on this new goal that I have challenged myself with. And who knows? Maybe someday I will be the one giving encouraging advice at the gym.

BONUS: Learn more about the GU Rec & Wellness Center and it’s commitment to wellness here.