You're listening to Life Kit from NPR.
Hey, it's Marielle.
Experience has taught me that I don't like the gym.
They so often have these big bright lights and they're loud and they smell sweaty and you have to wait in line to use the weights.
And then when you are using the weights,
there's some guy watching you wondering when you're going to be done.
And then maybe you feel self-conscious like, am I even doing this right?
And don't get me started on those machines.
Some of them I genuinely cannot figure out what they're for or whether it's worth my time to work that very specific muscle.
All of this sensory overload plus a lack of knowledge led me for a long time to say,
okay, you know what?
Weightlifting is not for me.
I'll go for a run in the park.
I'll do yoga.
I'll go rock climbing.
Maybe I'll do a plank, but never a deadlift or a bench press until this summer.
I ended up going to a gym that is quiet and not crowded,
and I worked with someone who knows what they're doing.
They taught me some basic movements.
It was incredible how quickly I saw results.