On Going to the Gym

I wake up at 7 am, put on my gym clothes I laid out the night before, brush my teeth, mix creatine in my blender bottle, put on my jacket, and head to the gym around the corner. The walk takes about a minute. I store my jacket and bag in the locker room, smell the rubber mats and iron weights, and listen to the trap music playing which gets me pumped. Despite the early hour, the gym is already packed with people. When I arrive at the gym I understand that it’s time to work. This isn’t a place to coast, this isn’t a place to slack off, this is a place to grind.

I started going to the gym in the Summer of 2013. I asked out my high school crush at the time, and she said no, inspiring my first villain arc. I started working out that Summer. The gym was my therapy, I channeled all the emotions that I was feeling into my workouts.

I recall watching ice1cube’s video where he originally worked out because he wanted girls to like him but his motivation evolved into a desire to better himself. His story resonates with many guys, including myself. A rejection is what prompted me to start working out after all. As time passed, my body changed, I became stronger, and gained muscle. What began as an effort to enhance my appearance for girls evolved into a journey of self-improvement. The gym became a place for me to challenge myself daily.

More than 10 years later, I still regularly go to the gym. The gym raised me: it taught me patience, it taught me consistency, and it taught me hard work. Perhaps the greatest lesson of all is it taught me to embrace my body and be confident in who I am.