I grew up with two older brothers who practically lived in the gym and on the soccer field when they were in high school. I, on the other hand, was the band kid. I always thought to myself, “I’m not one of those people.”
I had mentally drawn a line between me and people like my brothers. I thought the gym was only for athletes and people looking to lose weight. I didn’t think the gym was for someone like me. I would have never imagined myself waking up at 7 a.m. to go to the gym just a few years later.
The Rec center had always interested me, but it also intimidated me. I liked the idea of being healthy, but I was too scared to do it alone. Like many people, my journey all started with a friend inviting me to the gym. In my second semester, my friend, Adi Gainey, had mentioned she had been going to the Rec to work out. I was so excited when she invited me to go with her. When the day finally arrived, my excitement quickly turned to fear . . . and embarrassment.
I didn’t know how the gates at the front worked. I saw Adi swipe her key fob over the censor and the gate opened. I immediately ran in behind her, which caused the alarm to go off.
Thankfully, the kind staff behind the desk just smiled and said I was fine. I wanted to die, but Adi wouldn’t have let me. She took me upstairs to follow along with her arm workout for the day.
There seemed to be people on every machine available. I was scared that everyone was judging me, but really no one paid me any attention. Everyone was focused on their workout. There were also plenty of “normal” people there. I even saw one of my friends from marching band.
If my memory serves me right, I only ended up working out with Adi the one time, but it was enough to break the ice. I was still scared to go by myself, but it gave me enough confidence to find another friend and go again.
The next spring, my friend, Elyse Quinn, and I agreed to go to the gym together. We both wanted to exercise but didn’t want to go into it alone. We started going in January of 2024. We did the stretches we remembered from gym class and dance lessons as kids, then we would try the machines that looked the least scary. We quickly realized we did not know what we were doing.
Elyse told me she heard the Rec Center offered free personal training. I agreed we needed some help. She emailed Wes Taylor, the Rec’s coordinator of fitness and wellness, to ask about the program. He said the only available time was at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We winced at the time slot but decided to go through with it in the end. Even though we were rarely on time, we showed up almost every week until the end of the semester. By the end of it, Wes admitted he didn’t think we would stick with it, but he was proud we proved him wrong.
Even though Elyse graduated and moved away, I continued to go to the gym after she left. Yes, you heard that right. I ended up going into the Rec Center by myself. I continued to go. I continued to make progress. I enjoyed getting stronger. It was so gratifying to pick up something and have it feel lighter than normal. I was proud of myself. My brothers were proud, too.
I now train at the same time as one of my “saxophone sisters,” Julia Smith. We will continue to go together until the end of the semester. I plan on working out at the Rec until I graduate from Troy. Hopefully, I will continue to pursue my goals after I graduate.
I want you to know that the gym isn’t just for “gym bros” or whatever you want to call them. The Rec Center is for band kids and athletes and anyone in between. The Rec is for you. If you’ve been interested in feeling better, take this as your sign to take that first step. I hope you find my story as proof that anyone can make it work. You just have to be willing to give it a go.
I believe in you. You’ve got this.
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