Fit to Print Volume 24 Issue 3 September 2015

M e m b e r Pe r s p e c t i v e By Andrea Kay Gym Friends... 5 Ways Your Gym Friends Are Your Best Friends look forward to… if not, at the very least, enough to guilt you there, and once you're there, you may as well work out, right? Even on the days you can't go to the gym together, you know you're texting them right after your workout to tell them exactly what you did… and a true ‘gym friend’ listens and is genuinely interested in every minutia of your workout. I can feel some of you rolling your eyes already. What is she talking about?! I go to the gym to work out, not to 'make friends,' and certainly not to make best friends! But through your side-eye, I can feel you're also intrigued. Now if you're the type that only goes to the gym to workout by yourself, then here are some reasons to recruit a friend, or several, to join. 1. Gymspiration. – Being able to be self-motivated is important when working towards ﬁtness goals, but let's face it, it’s hard to maintain this week after week and month after month. Having a friend there to inspire you to greatness is always a good thing. It's just so much easier to work hard when you see one of your friends also working hard. The harder they work, the harder you work and the harder you work, the harder they work. A perfect gymspiration circle. 2. Accountability. – Sometimes just getting to the gym will be the hardest part of your workout. Life is busy business and there always seems to be something else to do. Don't even get me started on laundry. Having a friend waiting on you to get there turns this often difﬁcult hurdle into something you 14 Nobody wants to hear about your dry cleaning. But your gym friend would be more than happy to hear how you finally were able to do a headstand in yoga class. 3. They see you at your absolute best (and worst) – Let's be honest, when you're killing a workout, it always means just a bit more when a friend is there to see it. On the other side of the coin, they see you (and you them) in a hot mess of a state and it's really just no big thing. Yes, indeed, there is nothing as great as being able to hang out with a friend and not having to worry about what you're wearing, what the heck your hair looks like, or if your socks match (spoiler alert: mine never match). 4. Shared goals. - There is no denying that working towards a shared goal makes for a more enjoyable time. It's easier to stay on track when someone else is also staying on track with you. You have someone to celebrate Autumn 2015 FIT to Print achievements with and someone to complain with on the hard days. When there are setbacks, there is someone there to keep you focused on the bigger picture. Bonus reason 5. Someone to make silly faces to in the mirror. - When you're being tortured, I mean challenged, in one of the classes, there is really nothing like catching your friend's eye and making a funny face at them. It has saved me on more than one occasion from toppling right over from exhaustion. I wouldn't suggest just trying this with someone that isn't a friend. Believe me. I've tried. It doesn't go over nearly as well. If these aren't reasons enough to convince you that gym friends are the very best friends there are, ask yourself this: when is the last time you saw your friend at the grocery store and they started cheering for you while reaching for a bag off apples? Or the last time you texted a friend about every detail of your trip to the dry cleaner. These things just don't happen. Nobody wants to hear about your dry cleaning. But it's very likely that your gym friend would be more than happy to hear every little detail about the new spin bikes, or how you ﬁnally were able to do a headstand in yoga class. Yes, gym friends are some of the best friends there are, and if you don't have one, you should get one (or more). If you are lucky enough to have one, you should text them some xoxo's for being all these things for you and more. Andrea Kay is a longtime FI member, Tri-Athlete, 50k runner and a frequent contributor to these pages.

Fit to Print Volume 24 Issue 3 September 2015 | Page 14