This is not a new thing for me at all, I mean, I’ve been going to gyms since the mid-80’s, the YMCA in Montreal was my very first gym membership after I started working on a full time basis. After that I started doing high impact aerobics and step classes at the Nautilus that was on Ste-Catherine St West… After moving to Toronto in the early 90’s, I joined Premier gym, then the YMCA and for the last 5 years I’ve been going to GoodLife Fitness… And with all these gyms, the same argument can be made that I don’t go to the gym to look good, but I got to feel good.

I grew up skinny… I was lucky I guess, I never had body image issues except maybe for being too thin… I remember in my days of aerobics and step, I was very toned and was told by a few people that I actually looked sick… nice friends I had, right?

Lately though, I’ve gained weight, and although I’m ok with it, I don’t want to keep gaining and not do something about it, I want to be able to be as quick on my feet as I always was… I want to remain fit… Those Disney trips need an alert body after all…

That being said, today at the gym, I noticed this guy that spent more time looking at himself in the mirror, playing with his hair, trying to achieve that messily perfect hair look, you know the look that says “I’m working out, so my hair isn’t perfect right now, but is totally perfect because I keep making it perfect, even if it was already perfect to begin with”. Seriously I was able to use 3 of the weight machines that were facing that same wall of mirrors where he was and all this time he did a dozen chin-ups only and then spent the rest of his time less than a foot away from the mirror, facing it… I don’t get that… I DON’T!!! Just like I don’t get those sitting at machine, not using it for what it’s meant for,  I mean if you want a seat to text friends, or reading posts on Facebook,  then find a bench somewhere.

I spend 1 hour at the gym each visit, the first 20 minutes are spent on the elliptical, then I do a circuit of 9 weight machines and then I do the plank for as long as I can stand it that day but never shorter than 1 minutes and then I do my stretching… 1 hour… not one of those minutes are spent on my phone, or in the mirror…

I get why they have mirrors though, I see people using them to make sure their body posture is good while they exercise, maybe even check the progress on their biceps or butts, but to look at your hair or making sure you shorts are just the right size too small showcasing your perfect round cheeks, well, to this I say: “Gurrl.. Take it eazyyyyy!”